436 



blackish, with transverse markings of whitish, and a slight tinge of golden here and there ; sides of the 

 face, throat, breast (narrowing on the upper part) , and belly black ; forehead, a spot below the eye, 

 eyebrow, extending down the sides of the neck and bordering the black chest right down to its 

 extremity, white ; the sides of the upper part of the breast black, varied with golden ; flanks slightly 

 mottled with dusky ; centre of the under tail-coverts black, the sides white ; under wing-coverts white, 

 marked with dusky brown on the edge of the wing ; axillary plumes pure white ; bill black ; feet bluish 

 grey ,- iris dark brown. Total length 7*8 inches, culmen TO, wing 7"1, tail 3 - 4, tarsus l - 6. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but has the black breast somewhat tinged with brown. 



Male in winter plumage. Upper surface of the body black, mottled with golden exactly as in summer ; 

 forehead buffy white; eyebrow whitish, distinctly washed with golden, and minutely spotted with 

 dusky brown; cheeks whitish, washed with golden, and more plainly spotted with dusky brown; 

 feathers round the eye white ; throat and lower breast and abdomen pure white ; chest and sides of the 

 body mottled with greyish brown, and distinctly washed with golden ; under tail-coverts white in the 

 centre, the outermost mottled with dusky brown and washed with golden ; under wing-coverts white, 

 thinly marked with greyish brown; axillary plumes pure white. 



Obs. Specimens vary very much in the amount of golden colour which they have in the winter plumage, 

 some of them being very much brighter than others ; and the amount of dusky brown on the breast is 

 also a character which varies a great deal. 



Nestling. Bright golden, varied with black on the head and back, the hind part of the neck bright yellow ; 

 a spot under the eye and under surface of the body pure white. 



Explanation of the Plate. The two right-hand figures in the Plate illustrating the winter plumage, represent 

 the Golden Plover, the flying bird showing the white axillaries. 



The present species may always be distinguished from the American and Asiatic Golden Plover 

 by its pure-white axillaries ; for we have no hesitation in declaring that these three birds constitute 

 excellent species. 



Dr. Finsch writes to us that Charadrius fulvus, Gm., is certainly different from C. pluvialis, and 

 a perfectly good species. He adds : — " I give a diagnosis of the two species in my ' Vogel Centr. 

 Polynes.' p. 194, and have found it always confirmed, although of the numerous specimens that 

 have passed through my hands I have never left one unexamined ; and I always find the tibia 

 less feathered, and the axillaries brownish grey, instead of white. I have not seen enough of 

 Charadrius virginianus, Borkh. As in C. fulvus, the axillaries are brownish grey ; but the wings 

 seem longer, as long as in C. pluvialis. Should this be constant in a large series, I should call C. 

 virginianus a good species." Herr von Pelzeln, however, considers that all the Golden Plovers 

 belong to the same species, and writes to us as follows : — " In my opinion Charadrius pluvialis 

 (Pluvialis apricarius), Charadrius longipes {Pluvialis fulvus), and Charadrius virginicus {Pluvialis 

 fulvus americanus, Schleg.) all belong to the same species; and I almost doubt if they can even 

 be divided into races. I send you herewith particulars of the localities whence those in the 

 Imperial Vienna Museum are, and give the lengths of tarsus, as they vary most in this respect. 



"Specimens with the tarsus 18'" are from Austria, Germany, and Greenland; tarsus 18^"' 

 from England, Hungary, East Indies, and Brazil (J. Natterer) ; tarsus 19'" from Madras (Novara 



