528 



sides of the rump and upper tail-coverts white, as are also the two outer rectrices on each side, the rest 

 of the tail being white, with a broad subterminal black bar ; chin and upper throat white, becoming 

 pale reddish sand-colour, and gradually merging into rich dark ashy grey on the breast and paler grey 

 on the sides of the neck; auriculars sandy-coloured; lower breast gradually shading off into jet-black 

 on the abdomen, which latter terminates posteriorly in rich chestnut-red; lower flanks, under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries, under tail-coverts and thighs white; legs and beak black, iris brown. Total 

 length about 13'5 inches, culmen 15, wing 8*1, tail 3 - 6, tarsus 2'4, bare portion of tibia l'l. 



Female (Sarepta, March) . Resembles the male, but is duller and paler in general coloration, and the black 

 on the crown is duller and slightly sullied by brown. A female in Mr. Harting's collection, however, is 

 fully as brightly coloured as the male. 



Young of the year (Punjab, 8th November). Black on the crown, very dull in colour, and intermixed with 

 dirty white ; forehead and the stripe round the crown pale yellowish buff, instead of white ; the grey 

 on the upper parts of the adult bird is replaced by greyish brown, with the faintest purple tinge on the 

 scapulars, most of the feathers being narrowly bordered or tipped with yellowish buff; wings and tail 

 as in the adult ; lores, chin, and upper throat white ; no dark line through the eye ; sides of the neck 

 and the breast white, closely marked with blackish brown, and faintly washed with buff; rest of the 

 underparts pure white. 



Obs. It appears that when the bird has attained its full plumage it retains it throughout the year ; for I 

 have before me a female from Mr. Harting's collection, shot in February at Bhawulpore, which is in 

 as full plumage as any adult breeding-specimen I have seen. Mr. A. O. Hume, who describes what he 

 calls the winter plumage (Stray Feathers, i. p. 232), has evidently had a young bird before him. I am 

 indebted to Mr. Harting for three young specimens showing the gradual change from the one above 

 described towards the adult dress. One of these specimens has nearly lost the dark markings on the 

 breast, but is not quite as near the adult bird as the following example in my collection. 



Young Male (Southern Russia). Very much duller than the adult bird, the black on the crown and through 

 the eye very dull, and that on the abdomen wanting, as is also the chestnut-red on the lower abdomen. 



Nestling. I do not possess the nestling; but it is figured by Mr. A. Marchand (Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1870, 

 pi. 10), who depicts it as having the head and upper parts white, on the forehead, crown, and back 

 washed with ochre, and having the crown and upper parts spotted and blotched with blackish, the 

 entire underparts being white. 



This, one of our rarer European Plovers, inhabits South-eastern Europe, visiting North Africa in 

 the autumn and winter ; and it is met with in Central Asia and India, breeding in the former and 

 wintering in the latter country. 



Mr. J. E. Harting tells me that Mr. Taczanowski, when looking over his series of skins of 

 this species, informed him that there is one in the Warsaw Museum which was killed at Lublin, 

 in Poland ; but elsewhere in Northern or Central Europe I do not find it recorded as having 

 been met with. It has, however, been said to have occurred in Southern France, though on 

 very doubtful evidence ; for Baron J. W. von Midler states (J. f. O. 1856, p. 228) that the speci- 

 men of Chettusia leucura recorded by Crespon as having been obtained near Maguelone in 1840 

 belonged to this species, and was not really C. leucura ; but as Messrs. Degland and Gerbe state 

 that they examined the specimen in question, and refer it to C. leucura, I can only infer that 



