ASIATIC DOTTEREL. 175 



Specific Characters. — Shaft of first primary white; the next white from the 

 centre ; brown at the base. Upper part of plumage of a uniform olive 

 brown, with clear edges to the feathers. Forehead and superciliary ridge 

 white, tinged with rufous. Upper chest dark rufous brown, with a border 

 below of blackish feathers. Length seven inches ; wing from carpus five 

 inches and two tenths ; tail two inches ; tarsus one inch and four fifths ; 

 bill one inch. 



We are indebted for almost all we know about this bird to an 

 excellent monograpb by Mr. Harting in the "Ibis" for 1870, from 

 which article most of what follows is taken. 



This bird has a wide range, being found in Northern China 

 (Swinhoe), Tartary, and the shores of the Caspian Sea (Pallas), 

 Russia (Radde), Odessa (Nordmann), Heligoland (Blasius), Altai 

 Mountains (Mus. Brit.), Palestine, Bay of Acre (Tristram), Red Sea 

 Shore (Heuglin), Abyssinia (Blanford), South Africa (Yon Horstock), 

 Colesburg, Cape Colony (Layard), Damaraland (Andersson), Orange 

 River (Verreaux), Algoa Bay (Mus. Brit.). 



"The specimens of E. asiaticus, which were procured by Pallas 

 about the salt lakes in the southern deserts of Tartary were all in 

 full summer plumage, and the birds were not in flocks j whence it may 

 be inferred it was here discovered in its breeding haunts." 



"No subsequent traveller, however, in these regions has yet established 

 the fact, and the eggs still (1870) remain undescribed. Like other 

 species of LimicolcB, this Plover, impelled by curious instinct, migrates 

 southward at the approach of winter; and the observations of modern 

 naturalists show that it has a very extensive range. Its usual line of 

 migration appears to be the Red Sea shore and Abyssinia to South 

 and South-west Africa. Nevertheless stragglers from the main body 

 are occasionally carried out of their course, and are found considerably 

 westward of this line. Hence it is that this species has come to be 

 included in the European avifauna. Specimens procured in Russia, 

 on the shores of the Caspian Sea, are in the Museum at St. Peters- 

 burg and the British Museum." 



" Professor Nordmann states (Voy. Demid. Russ. Merid., iii., p. 2oo,) 

 that in April, 1836, a single example was obtained near Odessa. The 

 furthest point westward at which this species has been found is Heli- 

 goland, where a solitary example was killed on the 16th. of November, 

 1850, for which remarkable fact we have the authority of Professor 

 Blasius, (Ibis, 1862,) who, referring to the specimen in the collection 

 of Herr Gatke, observes that it is a young bird, which undoubtedly 

 belongs to this species, and not to C. pijvrliotliorax, Temminck. It 



