THE EED-CAPPED DOTTREL 99 



The Oriental Dottrel. 



Ochthodromus veredus. 



Mongolia and China to Moluccas and Australia in the winter. 



Similar to 0. geoffroyi, but with longer and more slender hill, and 

 with smoky-brown axillaries, under wing-coverts and quill linings; upper 

 parts uniform brown, with white tip to tail; chest, chestnut followed by 

 horseshoe mark of black; breast and abdomen white. In winter plumage 

 has no rufous chest-band. Total length 8.5 inches, culmen 1, wing 6.5, 

 tail 2.4, tarsus 1.75. 



Breeds in Mongolia. 



Genus JEgialitis. 

 Bill shorter than the middle toe. 



Ringed Plover. 



Mgialiiis hiaticola. 



Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia; accidentally 

 Europe, North Asia, and Africa. The winter distribution. 



Whole of the underparts white, with the exception of the lores and 

 a single broad breast-band, both of which are black in the adult male, 

 brown in the female and young; nearly the central half of the outer 

 webs of the innermost primaries is white, and the web between the 

 outer and middle toes reaches only to the first joint. 



Breeds in Greenland, Iceland, Spitzbergen and Novaya 

 Zemlya. 



The Red-capped Dottrel. 



^gialitis riificapilla. 



Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, north to China. 



General colour above brown; the primary coverts fringed with white 

 at the ends; the greater coverts also tipped with white; four central 

 tail feathers brown, the next pair white, with some brown on the inner 

 web, the remainder white; crown of head and hind-neck rufous; frontal 

 band white, extending above the eye, and narrow band of black 

 adjoining, sides of face and under surface white; a black mark on each 

 side of neck. Total length 6 inches, culmen 0.6, wing 4.1, tail 1.55, 

 tarsus 1.1. 



Nest a slight hollow in the sand just above high-water marlj, 

 usually with some shells or seaweed about it. Two stone- 

 coloured eggs are laid, ^vith dark-brown markings, some being 

 large, others very small. The eggs measure about 1.26 x .87 

 inch. 



