IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 439 



ing the southern winter) which is now in the Calcutta Museum. 

 Of course it is an exceedingly rare and accidental straggler!" 



Gould thus describes the species : — 



" The sexes are precisely alike in the colouring of their 

 plumage, and nearly so in size. 



" Forehead, a stripe commencing at the eye, passing over 

 the ear-coverts and round the back of the neck, and a broad 

 band crossing the chest and advancing somewhat down the 

 centre of the breast black ; a stripe of white passes over each 

 eye and continues round the back of the neck, separating the 

 black band from the crown, which, with the back, the long 

 tertials, and the middle of the wing, are brown ; scapularies 

 deep chestnut ; tips of the greater coverts white, forming an 

 obscure band across the wing ; primaries black ; throat, abdo- 

 men, and under tail-coverts white ; two middle tail feathers 

 brown at the base and black at the tip ; the next three on each 

 side white at the base, gradually passing into blackish brown, 

 and largely tipped with white, the remainder entirely white ; 

 bill rich orange at the base and black at the tip ; feet orange 

 flesh colour in some, in others pale flesh colour ; irides dark 

 brown ; eyelash bright red. 



" The young have a crescentic mark of a lighter colour on 

 the feathers of the upper surface, and have the colouring of the 

 plumage and soft parts less brilliant and well defined than the 

 adults."" — Gould, u Bird of Australia." 



And this is Jerdon's description of his specimen : — 



" 363. — C. russatus. — New species ? 



" Description. — Forehead, streak on either side, extending 

 through the eyes, ears, and meeting behind, and a broad pectoral 

 band deep brownish black ; top of the head, back and wing- 

 coverts of the usual brown cinereous hue of the Ringed Plovers ; 

 band above the eyes, encircling the head, except in front, and 

 plumage beneath white ; wing-coverts edged with white ; quills 

 and medial tail feathers dark brown ; external tail-feathers 

 white, with a broad band which almost disappears on the outer- 

 most feather ; scapulars deep maroon colour ; upper tail- 

 coverts tinged with rufous ; bill yellow with black tip ; orbits 

 bright yellow ; legs orange yellow. 



Length, 6*5 inches ; wing, 4*5 ; tail, 2*2 ; bill at front nearly 

 0'6 ; tarsus rather more than 1 inch. 



" I procured a single specimen of this apparently new species 

 of Ringed Plover at the edge of the Pulicat Lake near Madras, 

 in the mouth of June. Its distinguishing feature is the maroon 

 colour of the scapulars. Whether this is a permanent mark, 

 or, as I conjecture may be the case, only assumed during the 

 breeding season, I am at present unable to determine." 



