RINGED PLOVER. 261 



orange-yellow at the base ; the irides brown ; forehead white, 

 with a black band above it reaching to the eyes on each side ; 

 lore, space under the eyes, and the ear-coverts, black ; top of 

 the head and nape of the neck hair-brown ; below this, and 

 all round the neck a collar of white, followed by a gorget of 

 black ; the back, wing-coverts, and tertials, hair-brown ; the 

 wing-coverts tipped with white, forming a continuous bar of 

 that colour, which is conspicuous when the bird is on the 

 wing ; the primaries almost black, the distal portion of each 

 quill- shaft white ; upper tail-coverts and the base of the tail- 

 feathers hair-brown, passing into greyish black towards the 

 end, the middle pair the longest, the next four on each side 

 tipped with white ; the outer feather on each side entirely 

 white in the fully adult, but spotted in others ; chin and 

 throat white ; across the neck a broad collar of black ; 

 breast, belly, vent, and under tail- coverts, white ; under 

 wing-coverts and the axillary plume white ; legs and toes 

 orange ; the claws black. 



The whole length of the adult bird is seven inches and 

 three-quarters. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 wing, five inches and a half : the wings pointed in shape ; 

 the first quill-feather the longest. 



Adult females in summer have the black bands and collar 

 narrower than in the males, and the colours not quite so 

 decided ; both sexes in winter have the black and the white 

 less pure in colour. 



Young birds of the year have the beak almost entirely 

 black ; they have no black band over the white one on the 

 forehead; the lore, ear-coverts, and the collar round the 

 lower part of the neck are only dusky brown ; legs and toes 

 pale yellow. 



Varieties of this species are not common, but Mr. F. 

 Bond has one, shot in Orkney, which is nearly white with 

 dusky markings; and Mr. J. Whitaker, of Bainworth 

 Lodge, Notts, has one with a stone-buff mantle. 



