﻿172 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  two 
  small 
  black 
  patches 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  just 
  where 
  the 
  

   carpal 
  joint 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  folds 
  against 
  the 
  breast. 
  Arguing 
  from 
  

   this, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  laws 
  usually 
  laid 
  down 
  by 
  evolutionists, 
  

   we 
  may 
  fairly 
  suppose 
  that 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  the 
  adult 
  Einged 
  Plover 
  

   had 
  not 
  the 
  complete 
  black 
  band 
  across 
  its 
  breast, 
  but 
  a 
  broken 
  

   band, 
  after 
  the 
  fashion 
  of 
  its 
  near 
  relative, 
  the 
  Kentish 
  Plover 
  

   {Mgialitis 
  cantiana) 
  ; 
  and 
  that, 
  as 
  this 
  condition 
  of 
  marking 
  

   still 
  shows 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  Einged 
  

   Plover, 
  the 
  alteration 
  of 
  the 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  from 
  a 
  broken 
  

   to 
  the 
  complete 
  pectoral 
  band 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  at 
  a 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  recent 
  date 
  — 
  recent 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   evolutionist. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  to 
  remember 
  

   that 
  the 
  adult 
  Kentish 
  Plover 
  has 
  the 
  band 
  incomplete 
  ; 
  the 
  nest- 
  

   ling 
  Einged 
  Plover 
  has 
  it 
  incomplete, 
  while 
  the 
  adult 
  has 
  it 
  

   complete 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  Lapwing, 
  nestling 
  and 
  adult, 
  both 
  have 
  the 
  

   completed 
  black 
  band. 
  I 
  have 
  referred 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  ornithological 
  

   works 
  at 
  my 
  disposal 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  Einged 
  Plover 
  in 
  

   its 
  first 
  year, 
  and 
  they 
  all 
  say 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  brow 
  7 
  n 
  band 
  across 
  the 
  

   breast. 
  On 
  August 
  9th, 
  1903, 
  I 
  was 
  watching 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  twenty 
  

   of 
  these 
  birds, 
  amongst 
  which 
  were 
  two 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  a 
  complete 
  

   band, 
  but 
  small 
  black 
  patches 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  breast 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  position 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  nestling, 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   breast 
  being 
  white. 
  These 
  two 
  birds 
  had 
  also 
  no 
  black 
  markings 
  

   on 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  were 
  therefore 
  certainly 
  birds 
  of 
  that 
  year. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  kept 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  nineteen 
  nests 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  found 
  on 
  

   the 
  shelly 
  beaches 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  seasons. 
  Out 
  of 
  the 
  

   nineteen 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  in 
  abnormal 
  positions. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  

   was 
  a 
  scratch-out 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  river-wall, 
  and 
  

   was 
  separated 
  by 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  yards 
  of 
  salt-marsh 
  from 
  

   the 
  beach, 
  the 
  nest-hollow 
  being 
  quite 
  thickly 
  lined 
  with 
  the 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  the 
  sea-heath 
  growing 
  on 
  the 
  saltings. 
  The 
  other 
  was 
  

   scratched 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  road, 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  cinders 
  and 
  

   household 
  refuse, 
  running 
  across 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  saltings. 
  This 
  also 
  

   was 
  some 
  distance, 
  two 
  hundred 
  yards, 
  from 
  the 
  beach, 
  and 
  the 
  

   nest-hollow 
  was 
  paved 
  entirely 
  with 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  earthenware, 
  

   evidently 
  picked 
  off 
  the 
  track 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  situated. 
  

   The 
  remaining 
  seventeen 
  nests 
  were 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  beaches, 
  within 
  

   a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  high-water 
  mark 
  ; 
  but 
  five 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  made 
  

   under 
  the 
  shelter 
  of 
  little 
  bushes 
  of 
  sea-heath 
  — 
  which 
  grows 
  on 
  

  

  