PIPING PLOVER. 157 



primaries. Tail of moderate length, slightly rounded, of twelve rather 

 narrow feathers, which taper a little towards their rounded extremities. 



Bill orange in its basal half, the rest black. Iris reddish-brown ; mar- 

 gins of eyelids orange. Feet brownish-yellow ; claws dusky. Forehead, 

 sides of the face, throat, and the whole under parts, pure white. Upper 

 parts pale brownish-grey. A black band across the upper part of the 

 forehead, another surrounds the lower part of the neck, broad on the 

 sides, but narrow above and below, where it is formed merely by the tips 

 of some of the feathers. Above this is a white band over the hind neck, 

 also very narrow above. Primaries dusky, each with a large white patch 

 on a portion of the outer, and on the greater part of the inner web ; se- 

 condaries of a lighter brown, white on the inner webs, some of those nearest 

 the body entirely white ; the five innermost like the back ; most of the 

 quills are more or less tipped with white, the primary and secondary 

 coverts more distinctly so. The tail-feathers may be described as white ; 

 the second has a brown spot on the inner web towards the end, the third 

 a larger spot or band on both webs, and the colour enlarges on the rest, 

 until the middle feathers are nearly all dusky brown. 



Length to end of tail 7j inches, to end of claws 7, to end of wings 6| ; 

 extent of wings 15^ ; wing from flexure 4^ ; tail 2/^ ; bill along the back J, 

 along the edge of lower mandible ^'^ ; tarsus ^^1 ; middle toe j'*, its 

 claw Z^- Weight 3 oz. 



Female in Summer. Plate CCXX. Fig. 2. 



The Female is considerably smaller, but resembles the male in colour- 

 ing, only the dark bands on the forehead and neck are narrower, and of 

 a dusky brown tint. 



Length to end of tail 7 inches, extent of wings 14j. 



I'he young, previous to their first moult, have the bill black, the feet 

 flesh-coloured, with dusky claws. The colours of the plumage are nearly 

 the same as in the adult, but there is no dark band on the forehead, and 

 that on the lower neck is merely indicated by a brownish-grey patch on 

 each side. The neck is surrounded by a collar of downy white feathers, 

 and the tips and margins of the feathers of the head and back are pale 

 ochre. 



