uEGIALITIS CURCmCA. 2C9 



months of September, October, and November, returning north 

 again in April and May." Favier. 



Though without absolute proof, I am nearly sure that this 

 species occasionally remains to breed near Gibraltar, having shot 

 them as late as the 28th of May, and having seen eggs obtained 

 near Seville as early as on the 23rd of March ; but this is the 

 only instance I know of their nesting so far south. During 

 autumn and until April the Ringed Plover is extremely plentiful 

 along the coast, and most so in the month of March. 



Above hair-brown ; forehead white ; fore crown black, reaching to and 

 below eyes on each side, and to base of bill and ear-coverts ; throat white, 

 forming a complete ring, below this a broad black band round breast ; both 

 these collars narrowing to a line round nape ; rest of underparts white ; 

 eyelids, legs, and feet orange ; basal half of bill yellow, rest black. 



Females have the collars less clearly defined. 



Young brown where black in adults ; bill black ; legs brown. Length 

 7-7^ inches. 



291. ^gialitis curonica (J. F. Gmelln). The Little Ringed 

 Plover. 



This small inland species is not mentioned by Favier in his 

 MS., although included by Mr. Drake in his ' List of the Birds 

 of Morocco.' We found them very common in that country on 

 river-banks during the month of April. Equally abundant at 

 that time on the Spanish side, the Little Ringed Plover is only 

 seen during the breeding-season. They mostly arrive about the 

 14th of March, some passing on ; others remain to nest, 

 depositing, about the 14th of May, four eggs on the sand or 

 shingle by the sides of rivers. The earliest eggs Major Verner 

 found were on the loth May, 1875. Many pairs nest on the 

 river Barbate, near Casas Viejas. There is, of course, no 

 approach to a nest ; but the eggs, with the small ends inwards, 

 are placed in a slight depression probably formed by the birds 

 themselves in the sand or gravel. 



Resembles last, but much smaller, is a more inland bird, and has shaft of 

 first primary only white ; eyelids golden yellow ; legs and feet pale brown. 

 Length 6 inches. 



