CHAKADKIUS. 



135 



It is not improbable that future researches may discover intermediate forms between this Variations, 

 species and its two very close allies. 



Charadrius tricollaris, Vieillot 1 , N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxvii. p. 147 (1818). 

 Charadrius bitorquatus, Lichtenslein, Verz. Doubl. p. 71 (1823). 

 Hiaticula tricollaris (Vieill.), Gray, List Birds Brit. Mus. iii. p. 69 (1844). 

 iEgialites cinereicollis, Heuglin, Syst. Ueb. Vog. N.O.-Afr. p. 582 (1855). 

 .^gialitis tricollaris {Vieill.), Hartlaub, Orn. Westafr. p. 216 (1857). 

 iEgialitis bitorquatus (Licht.), Heuglin, Peterm. Geogr. Mitth. 1869, p. 417. 



Synonymy. 



Plates. — Heuglin, Orn. N.O.-Afr. pi. xxxiv. fig. 5. 

 Habits. — Sharpe, Layard's Birds South Africa, p. 662. 



Eggs. — Thienemann, Abbild. Vogeleiern, pi. fix. fig. 7; Harting, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, pi. lx. 

 fig. 5. 



Literature. 



The Three-banded Plover, as it has hitherto been called, is not the only Three-banded 

 Plover, as its name seems to imply, but is only one of several Plovers which have two 

 black bands across the breast, separated from each other by a third band, which is white, 

 like the rest of the underparts. In immature plumage these bands are brown. From the 

 other Three-banded Plovers it may be diagnosed by the colour of its forehead, which is 

 white to the bill, and by the outer tail-feather on each side, which is white, with one 

 subterminal dark band across the inner web. 



It is a resident throughout South Africa, as far north as Abyssinia in the east, and 

 Loango (Bocage, Orn. d'Angola, p. 433) and the Gaboon (Heuglin, Orn. N.O.-Afr. 

 p. 1027) in the west. 



It appears to be a modified form of C. minor, very nearly allied to C.forbesi, and still 

 nearer to C. bifrontatus. 



There is scarcely any difference between the male and female, and the characteristic 

 markings appear in young in first plumage, but the black is replaced by brown. Although 

 it frequents the sea-shore, as well as the banks of inland rivers and lakes, the winter 

 plumage scarcely differs from that of summer. Heuglin found it in Abyssinia up to 

 7000 feet above the level of the sea. I found it common on the banks of the rivers far 

 inland in Natal, and sparingly on the sand-banks in Durban Bay. It can scarcely be 

 regarded as a coast-bird, but it is especially fond of inland tidal flats. It was extremely 

 abundant on the salt-swamps a short distance up the Salt River in Table Bay, and was 

 very tame. On one occasion I saw eight within a square yard. They called to each other 

 weet, weet, wit, wit, wit, and when alarmed flew off with a scream. 



1 Temminck described the Three-banded Plover in 1807 (Cat. Syst. Cab. d'Orn. pp. 173, 262), from one 

 of Levaillant : s examples, as " Le petit plovier a double collier d'Afrique," but omitted to give it a Latin name. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tijn. 



Habits. 



