PLUVIALIN.E. CHARADRIUS. 51 



GENUS XC. CHARADRIUS. SAND-PLOVER. 



The Sand -Plovers are all of small size, and generally less 

 variegated than the Plovers, from which they differ chiefly 

 in having the wings and tail more elongated, the neck 

 shorter, and the head larger. The bill is generally much 

 shorter than the head, straight, rather slender, as broad as 

 high, slightly compressed toward the end ; upper mandible 

 with the dorsal line straight and slightly declinate for half 

 its length, then bulging or arcuate, the nasal groove about 

 half its length, the edges slightly inflected toward the end, 

 the tip rather obtuse ; lower mandible with the angle mode- 

 rate, the dorsal line ascending and a little convex, the sides 

 concave at the base, the edges inflected, the tip narrow, but 

 rather blunt ; the gape-line straight. Mouth extremely nar- 

 row ; palate with two longitudinal ridges, and anteriorly a 

 few papillae ; tongue very narrow, deeply channelled above, 

 with the tip narrow and thin-edged ; oasophagus narrow ; 

 proventriculus oblong ; stomach a roundish compressed giz- 

 zard, with thick lateral muscles, radiated tendons, and dense 

 longitudinally rugous epithelium ; intestine of moderate 

 length and width ; coeca rather short, narrow, cylindrical. 

 Nostrils small, linear, pervious, subbasal. Eyes large and 

 full, eyelids feathered. Aperture of ear rather large. Legs 

 of moderate length, slender ; tibia bare fo> about a fourth ; 

 tarsus of ordinary length, covered with hexagonal scales ; 

 toes three, rather short, slender, with numerous scutella, 

 inarginate, the outer considerably longer than the inner, and 

 connected with the third by a basal web ; claws rather short, 

 compressed, slightly arched, slender, rather acute. Plumage 

 close, rather blended ; feathers oblong or ovate ; wings very 

 long, narrow, pointed, of twenty-five quills ; primaries taper- 

 ing, the first longest, the rest rapidly diminishing ; outer 

 secondaries short, obliquely rounded, inner tapering and ex- 

 tremely elongated ; tail rather broad, of moderate length or 

 long, rounded or graduated, of twelve feathers, of which the 

 two middle are somewhat pointed. 



The Sand-Plovers, as their name implies, chiefly frequent 

 the sandy shores of the sea, lakes, and rivers ; but some oc- 



