538 CASPIAN PLOVER. 
stretches along the eastern shores of the Caspian, continuing to the 
Sea of Aral, the salt-lakes of Turkestan, and southward to the Amu- 
Daria. On migration the bird passes by Lenkoran southward to 
the Persian Gulf and Arabia, while, following the east coast of 
Africa and the Nile valley, it reaches Cape Colony; it also occurs 
in Damaraland and Angola. A specimen has been obtained near 
Ratnagiri in India. 
Prof. Menzbier says that this Plover arrives on the north shore of 
the Caspian (especially round Guriev) in the beginning of April, and 
colonies of about ten pairs take up their residence round a salt lake. 
The nest is a shallow depression, with hardly any lining, and the 
eggs, 3 in number, have an ochraceous ground-colour, thickly 
sprinkled with irregular blackish-brown spots: measurements 1°45 
by 102 in. Departure takes place by the middle of August. The 
food consists mainly of Coleoptera and Cicade. 
The adult in spring has the forehead and cheeks white ; no rufous 
colour on the hind-neck, but a broad band of bright chestnut across 
the upper breast, followed by a narrow black band on the lower 
edge ; the rest of under parts white ; upper surface brown ; primaries 
dark brown with white shafts; axillaries white; bill black; legs 
greenish-olive ; iris dusky hazel. Length 7°5 in. ; wing 5°6 in.; 
tarsus 1°35. In winter the pectoral band is merely brown, and the 
head and upper parts are umber-colour, with a tinge of sandy buff 
on the forehead, cheeks and hind-neck. The young have more of a 
sandy tinge and the feathers of the upper parts have buff edges; 
the length of the tarsi serves to distinguish them from the young of 
the Ringed Plover. 
