Ringed Plover of the British Isles. 397 



As the results of my examination, my conclusions are 

 as follows : — There are undoubtedly two easily recognised 

 races of the Common Ringed Plover, viz., the eastern 

 continental or typical race, C. h. hiaticola, and a western 

 continental race, C. h. major, whose chief habitat is the 

 British Isles. The points of distinction between the two 

 races are that C h. major is a larger bird in almost every 

 respect — that is to say as regards the length of the wings ; 

 the length and stoutness of the legs and feet (this on an 

 average very noticeable) ; the size of the skull (the head 

 appearing more rounded, wider, and larger) ; the bill (on an 

 average) ; and the body generally. 



As regards coloration, the upper parts of British breeding 

 birds, as compared with birds of the typical race at a like 

 season, are also very obviously paler, the coloration being 

 a pale drabby brown as compared with a very noticeably 

 deeper and more chocolate-brown. 



It is to be noted, however, tha.t fi'eshly moulted (autumn) 

 specimens of C. h. major are distinctly darker on the upper 

 parts as compared with examples in summer-plumage. 



To sum up, we thus have a large pale race (C h. major} 

 and a small dark race (C. h. hiaticola). 



The range of C, h. major, as far as the material available 

 enables one to say, seems to be on all fours with the range 

 and distribution of the paler western race of the Lesser 

 Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus affinis Reinh., cf. ^British 

 Birds,^ vol. vi. 1913, pp. 2 and 360 ; that is to say, examples 

 from Greenland, Iceland_, the coasts of France, Portugal, 

 Gibraltar, and the Canaries, which I have been able to 

 examine, do not seem to differ from the larger and paler 

 race of Ringed Plover which breeds in the British Isles. 



Moreover, while the larger and paler western race 

 (C h. major) pushes its southerly migrations dow^n the 

 western coast of Africa (as far as Cape Colony), the smaller 

 and darker eastern race would appear to favour the eastern 

 sea-board of the African coutiuent, the route taken being 

 by way of the Nile Valley. 



SER. X. VOL, II. 2 E 



