972 The Zoologist — November, 1867. 



each feather upon the same parts, although of the same tint as regards 

 ground colour, has in addition a narrow streak of dusky black down 

 the centre of each feather. This is a marked character in the species, 

 and will, in all stages of plumage, distinguish it. 



Pigeons. — The different species of our wild pigeons can scarcely be 

 confounded. The wood pigeon or ring dove is conspicuous by his 

 superior size and white collar. The rock dove shows a white rump. 

 The stock dove has neither of these distinguishing marks, but is almost 

 of a uniform plum-colour. The smaller turtle dove, which is a regular 

 summer visitant, and the rare passenger pigeon from North America, 

 are so totally different from every other species that they cannot 

 possibly be mistaken. 



Golden and Gray Plovers. — The golden and gray plovers in their 

 winter plumage are by many not distinguished, but the golden plover 

 is the smaller bird, has shorter and more slender bill and legs, and has 

 no hind toe like the gray plover; while the long feathers under the 

 wings in the golden plover are white, and in the gray plover black. 

 The gray plover before arriving at maturity has yellow spots like the 

 golden plover, which at first sight would seem to increase the difficulty 

 in distinguishing thein. 



Hinged and Little Ringed Plovers. — It would appear that, notwith- 

 standing its smaller size and more slender form, the little ringed 

 plover is not distinguished by the majority of persons from the common 

 ringed plover. Even old sportsmen who have shot scores of ringed 

 plovers have sent us the young of Charadrius hiaticula for C. minor. 

 Apart from size and shape, the following characters will always serve 

 to distinguish the latter from the former bird in any stage of plumage. 

 The shaft of the first quill-feather only is white, and the white spots, 

 which are always present on the webs of the wing-feathers in the 

 common species, and which give the appearance of a white bar across 

 the wing in flight, are in the little ringed plover absent, and in lieu 

 thereof the tips only of the wing-feathers are margined with dull white. 

 In the last-named species also there is a dusky spot on the inner web 

 of the outer tail-feather on each side, which feather in the common 

 ringed plover is generally pure white.* The colour of the bill and 

 legs is very similar in both species. 



* From an examination of numerous specimens, it appears that this character in 

 C. hialicula is not constant, some individuals having the outer tail pure white, while 

 others exhibit the dusky spot on the inner web of that feather, as is the case with 

 C. minor. 



