220 CHAEADEIID.E 



LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. Mgialitis curonica (J. F. Gmelin). 



Coloured Figures. Gould, 'Birds of Great Britain,' vol. iv, pi. 

 42 ; Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. vii, pi. 524; Lilford 

 ' Coloured Figures,' vol. v, pi. 11. 



The Little Einged Plover has a wide distribution over 

 the European Continent, including countries not far off our 

 shores, viz., Belgium, Holland, and France. Yet it is 

 remarkable that this bird is an extremely rare visitor to 

 our Isles, there being few authenticated instances of its 

 capture on British soil. A careful examination, aided by 

 the field-glass, should be made of the flocks of Einged 

 Plovers which frequent our shores and lakes, especially of 

 those collected to migrate. Among these there is always 

 a chance of finding rare species, perhaps the Little Einged 

 Plover. 



Except for the difference in size, the two species are 

 difficult to identify on the strand, as their markings are 

 very similar. When flying, however, the common bird can 

 be recognised by its conspicuous white wing-bar. 



The Little Einged Plover has been obtained at Shore- 

 ham in Sussex ; in Chichester Harbour, in May ; at Tresco 

 in the Scilly Isles, on October 23rd, 1863 : on Kingsbury 

 Eeservoir in Middlesex, in August, 1864 ; and at Freshwater 

 in the Isle of Wight, in August (Saunders, ' Manual of 

 British Birds,' 2nd Edition, p. 541). 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Forehead, white, with 

 a black patch above it ; rest of head, brown ; cheeks, black ; 

 chin, throat, neck, breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts, 

 pure white, interrupted by a black collar round the bottom 

 of the neck ; back, scapulars, and wings, ash-brown ; 

 primaries, dusky-brown, 1 the outer ones being banded with 

 a broad white mark ; tail, brownish, the marginal feathers 

 tipped with white, the outermost nearly all white. 



Adult female nuptial. The markings are less defined 

 and the black and white head-bands are narrower than 

 those of the male. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nup- 



1 Not patched with white like those of the common species. 



