VANELLTJS. 



225 



Riippell's Lapwing, its western representative (Swainson's Lapwing), and its southern 

 representative (the Crowned Lapwing) stand alone amongst the five-and-twenty species of 

 the genera Vanellus and Lobivanellus in having neither wattle, spur, nor hind toe. In this 

 respect they resemble the genus Cursorius, to which they are unquestionably very closely 

 allied. Not only do they resemble in many important points of distribution of colour 

 C. chalcopterus, but that species betrays its strain of Plover blood, probably inherited from 

 a common ancestor, by the metallic colours on its wings. Riippell's Lapwing may always 

 be distinguished from its nearest ally V. inomalus by its white under wing-coverts, or by its 

 red legs, and from V. coronatus by its black primary-coverts. 



Riippell's Lapwing lives on the plateaus of East Africa. Its discoverer described it as 

 frequent in Nubia and Abyssinia, but Heuglin doubted its occurrence in the former country. 

 It is common on the highlands of the latter country (Blanford, Geol. & Zool. Abyss. 

 p. 429). Riippell found it in Arabia at Djedah, not far from Mecca ; it is doubtfully 

 recorded from Zanzibar and the Zambesi ; but Dr. Fischer obtained it at Ugaia, to the east 

 of Lake Victoria Nyanza (Reichenow, Journ. Orn. 1887, p. 47); and it is a common 

 species on the high veldt of Natal, and at a lower elevation further south near East London, 

 Port Elizabeth, and Mossel Bay. 



In young in first plumage the white forehead and dark grey crown are replaced by 

 brown, and the black margin between the brown breast and white belly is absent. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Immature 

 plumage. 



VANELLUS INORNATUS. 



SWAINSON'S LAPWING. 

 Vanellus subalaribus brvmneis : secundariis pro majore parte albis. 



Diagnosis. 



2 G 



