The Common Ringed Plover of the British Isles. 395 



Rudd}' Sheldrake {Casarca rutila). Fairly common. 

 Mallard [Anas buschas). Plentiful. 

 Teal {Nettium crecca). Plentiful. 

 Wigeon [Mareca penelope). A few seen. 

 Pintail i^DaJila acuta). Fairly plentiful. 

 Common Pochard {Nyroca ferina). Plentiful. 

 Tufted Pochard (Nyroca fuligula) . A few seen. 

 Golden-eye (^Clangula glaucion). Fairly plentiful. 

 Smew (^Mergus albellns). Only one seen. 

 Goosander (Merganser castor). Fairly common. 



Only one species of Grebe was seen, and it appeared 

 abundant in the marshes and back-waters of the Tigris from 

 Fao to Mosul, but whether it was Podiceps albipennis or 

 P. fluviatilis I am unable to say. 



XXII. — A Note on the Common Ringed Plover of the 

 British Isles (Charadiius hiaticola major Seebohm), and 

 on Coloration as a Factor in Generic Differentiation. 

 By Percy R. Lowe, M.B.O.U. 



It is rather a remarkable fact that in spite of the exceed- 

 ingly close scrutiny to which every British species has of 

 late been subjected, with a view to detect any evidence of 

 differentiation which may obtain between it and the corres- 

 ponding forms located on the continent — the case of the 

 Common Ringed Plover has been entirely overlooked, or 

 perhaps, to speak more correctly, ignored. 



Thus, if one refers to the latest ' Handlist of British 

 Birds,' compiled under the joint authority of Messrs. 

 Hartert, Jourdain, Ticehurst, and Witherby, one finds the 

 Common Ringed Plover of the British Isles designated as 

 Charadrius hiaticola hiaticola Linn., while in the synonymy 

 of this species we get the following note: — " Charadrius 

 hiaticola major Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 20 (1885) — 



