HOPLOPTERUSCHETTUSIA 745 



HOPLOPTERTJS, Bp., 1831. 



1037. SPUR-WINGED PLOVER. 



HOPLOPTERUS SPINOSUS. 



Hoplopterus spinosus (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 256 (1766) ; (Gould), B. of 



E. iv. pi. 293 ; Dresser, vii. p. 539, pi. 530 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. 

 Mus. xxiv. p. 157. 



Zic-zac, Arab. ; Pavoncella armata, Ital. 



ad. (Egypt). Crown, nape, chin, middle of throat and neck, and 

 breast to lower abdomen glossy black : sides of head, neck, and of throat, 

 hind neck, sides of rump, upper tail-coverts, base of tail, under surface of 

 wings, crissum, and under tail-coverts white ; back, scapulars and inner 

 secondaries pale buffy brown ; quills and tail, except at base, black, the 

 latter narrowly tipped with white ; and outer part of wing-coverts white ; 

 a sharp spur on the carpus ; bill and legs black ; iris lake-red. Culmen 1/2, 

 wing 8*15, tail 4'2, tarsus 2*85 inch. Sexes alike. 



Hah. Africa south to Kordofan and the Niger district ; 

 Palestine, Asia Minor, Southern Russia, Turkey, and has also 

 occurred in Greece, Malta, and Italy ; in Asia it is said to have 

 occurred as far east as Persia, but this is doubtful. 



In general habits it has much in common with Vanellus 

 vulgaris, and like that bird is wary, restless, and noisy, and 

 whenever an intruder is noticed it flies overhead uttering its 

 warning cry, zac, zac, zac. It breeds in Egypt in March and 

 April, its nest being a mere depression in the sand, and deposits 

 3 or 4 eggs, which are greyish olive or warm dark ochreous, 

 closely spotted and blotched with olive-brown and blackish, the 

 markings being usually more numerous at the larger end ; in 

 size they measure about 1*64 by 1'23. 



CHETTTJSIA, Bp., 1839. 



1038. SOCIABLE PLOVER. 



CHETTU8IA GREG ARIA. 



Chettusia yregaria (Pall.), Reise Russ. Eeichs. i. p. 456 (1771) ; Dresser, 

 vii. p. 527, pi. 528 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiv. p. 174 ; Blanf. 



F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 231 ; (Saunders), p. 553 ; Lilford, v. 

 p. 24, pi. 7 ; Poynting, p. 59, pi. 15 ; C. keptuschka (Lepechin), 

 Tageb. Reise Russ. Reichs. i. p. 229, footnote b (1774) j (Gould), B. 

 of E. iv. pi. 292. 



Pavoncella gregaria, Ital. ; Keptuschka, Russ. 



