230 CHAKADKIID^] 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 1 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial The chief difference in 

 the plumage of this and our bird is to be found in the 

 axillary feathers. 



In the Lesser Golden Plover these are dark smoke-grey 

 shading to smoke-black; in the Golden Plover they are 

 white. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage, 

 except that the black is less developed on the breast and 

 abdomen, and is broken up into patches. 



Adult winter, male and female. The margins of the 

 feathers of the upper plumage are lighter in the Lesser 

 Golden Plover than in the common species ; in fact in 

 winter-plumage the bird more closely resembles a Grey 

 than a Golden Plover. 



Immature, male and female. Upper plumage resembles 

 that of the adult nuptial, but the tail is plain brown spotted 

 with yellow on the margins (Seebohm). The under plumage 

 resembles that of the adult in winter. 



BEAK. Dark olive-brown. 



FEET. Leaden-grey. 



IRIDES. Dark brown. 



EGGS. Paler in ground-colour than those of the Golden 

 or Grey Plover : clutch, four (H. L. Popham). 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH, Asiatic race ... 9 in. 



,, ,, American race 9*5 ,, 



WING Asiatic race ... 6*5 ,, 



,, ,, American race ... 6'75 ,, 



BEAK Asiatic race ... 0'9 ,, 



,, American race ... 1 ,, 



TARSO-METATARSUS, Asiatic race ... 1*5 ,, 



,, ,, American race ... 1*6 ,, 



EGG 2 x 1'33 in. 



1 The late Mr. E. Williams draws attention to the much longer 

 ' tarsus,' and broad white band over the eye in the Lesser Golden 

 Plover, as compared with the same in the European bird (' Irish 

 Naturalist,' vol. iii, p. 224). 



