Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



116 



CHAEADEIUS. 



Courser-like foot is the best character : the middle toe without the claw is shorter than, the 

 hill, and less than half the length of the tarsus. 



The Oriental Dotterel breeds in Mongolia, and winters from Java to Australia. I have 

 an example from Samarcand. 



It is nearest allied to the Common Dotterel, with which it agrees in the important 

 character of having no white on the outer web of the innermost primaries. 



Tail of Charadrius hiaticula. 



Subgenus HIATICULA. 



Diagnosis of Charadrii axillaribus albis : halluce nullo : abdomine albo : cauda fascia obscura prope apicetn 



subgenus. ornata. 



Subgeneric The characteristic feature of the Ringed Plovers is the dark subterminal hand across the 



c arac ers. tailfeathers, a character which separates them from the Sand-Plovers, the Typical Plovers, 



and the Pour-toed Dotterels. In order to separate them from the four Three-toed Dotterels, 



which have a more or less developed black subtern^inal band across the tail, it is necessary 



