112 



CHAEADEIUS. 



Literature. Plates.— Jardine & Selby, 111. Orn. iii. pi. 151. 



Habcts.— Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 42. 

 Eggs. — Unknown. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Young. 



Nearly 

 allied to the 

 Common 

 Dotterel. 



Habits. 



The Slender-billed Dotterel has many claims to be regarded as subgenerically distinct 

 from its allies, though its slender bill is not one of them. It may be recognized by its 

 combination of three characters — a large black patch on the belly, white axillaries, and a 

 black subterminal band across the tail-feathers. 



The Slender-billed Dotterel is generally distributed throughout temperate South 

 America, as far south as the Straits of Magellan (Cunningham, Ibis, 1870, p. 499); but it 

 is probably only a summer visitor to that district, as it is only a partial resident in Central 

 Patagonia (Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 402), great numbers migrating southwards in spring. 

 On the east coast it occurs as far north as Buenos Ayres (Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 197 ; 

 confirmed by Capt. Harrison) ; and on the west it is found in Chili (Bridges, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. 1843, p. 117), and on the mountain plateaux of Bolivia (d'Orbigny, in the Leyden 

 Museum) and Peru (Whitely, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 989). 



Durnford found young in down in Patagonia on the 30th of December, but its eggs 

 appear to be unknown. I have an example of the young in first plumage from the 

 neighbourhood of Santa Elena in Patagonia; the black patch on the belly is well 

 developed. The black patch does not disappear in winter, and is equally conspicuous 

 in examples procured in March, June, August, and December. 



It resembles C. morinellus in the shape and colour of its tail, in the pattern of the 

 colour on its head and neck, but differs from it in having white axillaries, and white on the 

 outer web of the innermost primaries. 



I am indebted to Mr. H. B. James for an interesting account of the habits of this bird 

 in Chili : — " The first time I saw this bird was in the province of Tarapaca, on the plains 

 which are destitute of all moisture, about 3500 feet above sea-level. It was in September; 

 they were generally in small flocks of perhaps a dozen, but sometimes I saw a single bird. 

 I imagine these must have been stragglers on migration, as both further north and south 

 they appear in immense numbers. Near Coquimbo they arrive about the middle of April, 

 and show excellent sport ; moreover they are very good indeed to eat. They do not 

 frequent the low marshy grounds, but keep to the higher plains, which have at that time 

 of the year some little moisture on them. To the south of Valparaiso they arrive a little 

 later in still larger flocks, and remain there until the middle of September ; there the 

 ground is fairly wet all winter. There is no cover except grass on the plains where they 

 congregate, so it is difficult to approach within shot. I have often followed them up two 

 or three hundred yards without getting a chance, they keeping up a run just out of range. 

 Good bags may be made by four or five guns stationed half a mile apart round the plain, 

 and with a dog to put them up ; they usually circle round, and give overhead shots. I 

 have known fifty couple killed in one day on the plains about Talca in the above manner. 

 Landbeck says they go up to the Cordillera to breed." 



