Kink.— On the Occurrence of. Red-capped Dotterel in New Zealand. 247 
between Otaki and Waikanae. At first sight I took it to be a very small speci- 
men of the Banded Dotterel (Charadrius bicinctus), several specimens of which 
were lying near, but observing that the colouration of the feet, breast, and 
head differed very much from that of C. bicinctus, I carefully preserved the skin. 
Having since made a minute examination, I have not the slightest 
hesitation in pronouncing it to be a specimen of Gould's Hiaticula rufica- 
pilla; it appears to be a very common Australian species. 
Mr. Gould, in his ** Handbook to the Birds of Australia,"* states :— 
** The Red-capped Dotterel is universally dispersed over every part of the 
sea-shores of Australia that I have visited, and everywhere evinces a 
greater preference- for the shingly beach of the ocean, and especially for 
deep salt-water bays, than for the sides of rivers and inland waters; it is 
very numerous in Tasmania, on Flinders' Island, on the sand-banks at the 
mouth of the Hunter in New South Wales, and at Port Adelaide in South 
Australia; and Gilbert states that it is equally abundant in Western 
Australia, where it is likewise so strictly a bird of the coast that he never 
saw it inland. It is usually met with in pairs, but may be occasionally 
observed associating in small companies :— 
* Like the Tringe, this bird resorts to every possible device in order to 
lure the intruder from its nest; throwing itself down upon its breast and 
flapping its wings, as if in the agonies of death, it will so continue until he 
has approached almost near enough to place his hand upon it, when it 
moves along for several yards, dragging one of its legs behind, and, if still 
followed, attempts to fly, and so well imitates the motion of a bird wounded 
in the wing, that the intruder is easily misled, and the eggs remain un- 
discovered.”’ 
* The male has the forehead crossed by a broad band of white, which 
gradually diminishes to a point at the posterior angle of the eye; above, a 
band of black, which also diminishes to a point at the same place; from 
the angle of the mouth to the eye, a line of black, which is continued from 
the posterior angle of the eye down the sides of the neck; crown of head, 
nape, and back of neck, rich rusty red; all the upper surface and wings 
pale brown, each feather margined with a still lighter tint: primaries, 
blackish-brown ; the shafts and extreme edge of the inner webs white; four 
central tail-feathers dark brown, the remainder white ; all the under surface 
white; irides very dark brown ; bill dark reddish brown ; naked part of legs 
above the tarsi dark greenish grey, tarsi light grey ; feet blackish brown.” 
The example before us is probably an accidental straggler to our shores 
from Australia, it is, however, a very interesting addition to our list of New 
Zealand birds. 
* Vol. IL, p. 235. 
