jEGIALHTS JERDONI. 957 



JE. curonica, which is found in the district in question. The only other name which has heen applied to our hird 

 is Charadrius pusillus, Horsfield, given to a species which he described from Java. In ' The Ibis ' for 1867, 

 Blyth stated that he had examined the type specimen, and found that it was JEgialitis riificapilla ; but in this 

 determination he appears to have been in error ; for Mr. Harting has kindly shown me a skin of an immature 

 JE. curonica (wing 4 - 4 inches) from Formosa, which he says is a facsimile of the Javan type in question, which he 

 examined some years ago. It is necessary, therefore, to propose a new name for this little Ringed Plover ; and 

 there can, perhaps, be none more suitable than jcrdoni *, in honour of the great Indian naturalist who was the first 

 to recognize the distinctness of the species. 

 I have examined specimens obtained by Mr. Auderson Ln the Futtegurh district, identical in size and markings with 

 my own, and with the same protuberant orbital ring. Mr. Cripps contributes data of a male shot in Furreedpore 

 as follows : — " Length 6-75 inches ; wing 4-08 ; tail 2-1 ; tarsus 092 ; bill at front 0-46 : weight 0-87 oz. 

 Eyelids yellow ; legs bluish grey ; irides dark brown ; bill, base below and gape yellow." In one skin of 

 Mr. Anderson's there is a black edging at the base of the bill ; in another the forehead is entirely white, as in 

 my own skins from Ceylon. There is a male example in the Swinhoe collection which has much yellow at the base 

 of the bill, and which, judging by its small size, appears to belong to this smaller form. There is, however, no 

 appearance in the dried specimen of the broad orbital ring. It is an April bird, and measures — wing 4-2 inches, 

 tarsus O8o. 



Distribution. — It was not until the hot season of 1875 that I met with this, the smallest of Ringed 

 Plovers ; and as I have not observed it in the cool weather, I cannot state positively that it is resident in the 

 island ; but the natural inference to be drawn from the fact of its breeding in Ceylon is that it is a permanent 

 species there. I discovered it on the shores and about the creeks and fiat land on the borders of Kanthelai 

 and Minery tanks ; and these are the only localities in which I found it. At the former place I did not see 

 it during a subsequent visit in the cool season ; but I did not explore the whole of the ground formerly passed 

 over ; and to the latter tank I made no trip after the date in question. It remains for future workers iu 

 Ceylonese ornithology to discover whether it is a permanent resident, and likewise to satisfactorily identify 

 its eggs. 



It appears to be a scarce bird in India. Sykes, in his catalogue of Deccan birds, says it frequents the 

 shores of fresh water there, and is frequently killed in company with " Sandpipers ; " the latter remark may, 

 however, refer to the last species. From Raipur Mr. Hume has received it ; but it is not enumerated in the 

 Chota-Nagpur list of birds. It has not been observed in the Calcutta market, which is sufficient evidence as to 

 its general absence from that locality; but in Furreedpore Mr. Cripps met with a party of four on one occasion, 

 on a sandy chur. In the west of India Captain Butler procured it once at Deesa; and Major Hayes-Lloyd 

 speaks of "JE. minutv.s" as being common in Kattiawar; but this statement doubtless refers to the last species. 

 From Pegu Mr. Oatcs sent to Mr. Hume a specimen of a Ringed Plover, which the latter says belongs to this 

 species ; it is said to be common on the banks of the Irrawaddy and large nullahs in the cold season ; but 

 it was not noticed during the rains. In Tenasserim a single pair were met with by Mr. Davison inland. 

 Whether it extends to the south and into the Malay archipelago, further research will no doubt decide ; but as 

 yet I have no evidence of its occurrence lower down the peninsula than the province of Tenasserim. 



Habits. — I found this species frequenting the shingly beds of the rivers which supply the great Kanthelai 

 tank with water in the wet season; it likewise affected the dried-up muddy shores of the tank; and at Minery 

 I found it also on the borders of the lake. All I saw were breeding, and their actions were those of the rest of 

 the genus during the time of nidification. They were very tame, and when they were frightened from the 

 spot by my approach, they flew round and settled down behind me, or making wide circles round the spot 

 where I stood would realight in their original position. They ran with considerable speed, and possessed the 

 upright deportment and elegance of action which is characteristic of the last species. Their note differed, 



* I must mention here that when exhibiting specimens of the species at a meeting of the Zoological Society a few 

 days since (Feb. 3rd), and suggesting another name for it, the Secretary of the Society recommended my adopting the 

 name jerdoni. 



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