478 



PLOVER GROUP. 



plovers, distributed over the greater part of the world except the Arctic regions, 

 but more numerous in the Southern than the Northern Hemisphere. The Kentish 

 plover, which breeds on the shores of Kent and Sussex, as well as on the coasts of 

 the seas and salt-lakes of a great portion of Europe and Asia, visiting India and 

 Africa in winter, may be recognised by the white collar round the neck, the dark 

 patch on each side of the breast, the presence of a white area on the central portion 

 of the shaft of the third primary quill, and the black legs ; the length varying from 

 6 to 7 inches. Beyond the circumstance that they are all shore-birds, mainly 

 frequenting open stretches of sand, upon which the eggs are laid, there is nothing 

 calling for notice in the habits of this genus. The wry-billed plover {^. front- 

 alls), of New Zealand, is unique in having the beak bent on one side. 

 True Plovers By many ornithologists the dotterels are regarded as belonging 



and Dotterels, ^ ^ genus (Eudromios) distinct from that containing the true plovers, 

 but this is not the view adopted by Mr. Seebohm ; and, as we are in the main 

 following his system, we will here rank them with the plovers {Charadrius). The 

 black under-parts of the dotterels appear indeed to exhibit relationship with some 

 of the true plovers ; this affinity being confirmed by the coloration of the eggs and 

 the mode of nesting in the two groups. Nevertheless, the inclusion of all these 

 forms in a single genus renders its definition a somewhat diflficult matter. Having 

 the general characters common to all the plovers, the membera of the present genus 

 may be recognised, according to Mr. Seebohm, by the possession of either one or two 

 of the following features, namely, coloured axillaries, the presence of the first toe, 

 a barred tail, or a dark patch on the abdomen. The beak may be rather longer 

 than in the ringed plovers, but in both groups there are twelve feathers in the tail 

 Whereas, however, the majority of the species (about a dozen in number) agree with 

 the two preceding genera in the absence of the first toe, that digit is present in 

 four members of the genua The group is most numerously represented during 

 the breeding-season in the Arctic region, although some species nest in Temperate 

 Europe and Asia, and others in Australia and South America; while during 

 the winter these birds are dispersed over the greater portion of the globe. 

 Unlike the members of the two preceding groups, the true plovers and dotterels 

 inhabit open plains, mountains, and the Siberian tundras, as well as the shores of 

 seas and lakes, and in this respect resemble their cousins the lapwinga In con- 

 structing slight nests for the reception of their four eggs, they likewise differ from 

 the foregoing members of the family. 



The handsome and well-known bird termed the golden plover 



Plovers. ... o jr 



{C. pluvialis) is the typical representative, not only of the true plovers, 



but likewise of the entire genus and family. The true plovers, in which the first 

 toe may be absent or present, are collectively characterised by the barred tails of 

 the adults, the black under-parts in the breeding-dress, and the minute reticulation 

 of the scales of the metatarsus. The golden plover, which attains a length of from 

 10 to 11 inches, is specially characterised by having but three toes, all the tail- 

 feathers barred, and the axillaries white. In the breeding-dress of the adult male 

 the upper-parts are nearly black, spotted with yellow ; the forehead, a stripe above 

 the eye, the sides of the neck, the axillaries, thighs, flanks, and under tail-coverts 

 being white, with some dusky mottling ; while the lores, chin, throat, breast, and 



