52 PLUVIALIN^E. CHARADRIUS. 



cur also in the interior, for the most part on dry barren 

 grounds. Their nests are slight hollows in the sand ; their 

 eggs always four, pyriform, extremely large, light-coloured, 

 and dotted or clouded with dusky tints. The young, covered 

 with down, rim presently after birth, and conceal themselves 

 by crouching. All the species are very active and lively, 

 run with great celerity, have a very rapid flight, and emit a 

 clear, mellow, somewhat modulated cry. One species is com- 

 mon and resident in Britain, another occurs on the shores of 

 the eastern counties of England, and a third has been met 

 with only in one or two instances. 



170. CHARADRIUS HIATICULA. KINGED SAND-PLOVER. 



Length about eight inches, bill seven-twelfths along the 

 ridge, half as long as the head, wings and tail of equal length. 

 Adult with the upper parts greyish-brown ; the forehead with 

 two bands, a white and a black ; a dark brown band under 

 the eye ; a ring of white including the throat, succeeded by 

 a broader ring of brownish-black ; the bill orange at tlic base, 

 black at the end ; the feet orange, the claws black. Young 

 when fledged with the bill entirely black, the feet dull green- 

 ish-ochre ; the colours of the plumage distributed as in the 

 adult ; but the feathers of the upper parts margined with light 

 brownish- red fading to greyish-white ; the dusky bands brown- 

 ish-grey, that on the forehead wanting ; the broad band on 

 the neck meeting but partially in front, a large white space 

 being left below. 



Male, 8J, 17J, 5 T \, T 7 2 , 1, 8, T V Female, 8J, 17. 



This species is generally dispersed along the shores, and 

 permanently resident. It collects in autumn into large flocks, 

 which frequent the sands of bays and estuaries, often ming- 

 ling with sandpipers. Its food consists of insects, worms, 

 small testaceous and crustaceous animals. It runs with 

 great celerity, has a rapid flight, and emits a mellow whist- 

 ling cry. Toward the beginning of April the flocks break up 

 into smaller parties, and the individuals pair. The nest is a 

 hollow formed in the sand, generally not far from high-water 

 mark, but sometimes in the sandy pastures, and even far in- 

 land. The eggs, always four, are very large, pyriform, an 

 inch and five-twelfths in length, greyish-yellow, sparsely 

 covered all over with dots, small spots, and angular lines of 

 brownish-black and purplish-grey. All the birds of this fa- 



