Family CHARADRIID^. Genus ^gialitis. 



Subfamily Charadriinm. 



LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. 



^GIALITIS MmOiK— {Wolf and Meyer). 



Geographical Distribution.— ^rzV/x/^ .■ Accidental wanderer 

 to England ; not known to have visited Scotland or Ireland. 

 Obtained in Sussex (2), Middlesex (2), and Scilly Isles (i). 

 Foreign: Palaearctic region from Atlantic to Pacific. Breeds 

 throughout Europe and Palaearctic Asia south of lat. 60"- Resi- 

 dent throughout the basin of the Mediterranean, as far south as 

 the Great Desert, but migratory north of that basin and through- 

 out its breeding area in Asia, wintering south of the Sahara in 

 Africa (to the equator on the west coast, and the Mauritius and 

 Mozambique on the east coast), and in Asia in most parts of the 

 Oriental region, i.e. Asia south of the Himalayas, and the Malay 

 Archipelago as far east as Borneo, and has occurred in the 

 Australian region in Celebes and New Guinea. North of lat. 60°, 

 up to the Arctic Circle, it is only an accidental visitor. 



Allied Forms. — -^gialitis minor jerdoni, an inhabitant of 

 Ceylon, India, Burma, and Cochin-China. Differs from the Little 

 Ringed Plover in having the basal half of the lower mandible 

 yellow, and the orbits corrugated; it is also a smaller bird. 

 ^. placidus, breeding in Japan, and wintering in the valley of the 

 Yangtse and Nepal. Differs from the Little Ringed Plover in 

 being much larger (length of wing 5}^ inches), and' in having 

 a more graduated tail (outer tail feather '5 instead of less than 

 •25 shorter than middle ones). 



Time during which the Little Ringed Plover may be 

 taken. — -August I St to March ist. 



Habits. — The Little Ringed Plover is nothing nearly so much 

 a marine species as the Ringed Plover, and its haunts are chiefly 



