531 



CHETTTTSIA LEUCUKA. 



(WHITE-TAILED LAPWING.) 



Charadrius leucurus, Licht. in Eversm. Beise nach Buck. p. 137 (1823). 

 Lobivanellus leucurus, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. Beng. p. 261 (1849). 

 Chettusia leucura, Bonap. Comptes Bendus, xliii. p. 419 (1856). 

 Vanellus leucurus, Hartl. Orn. W. Afr. p. 211 (1857). 

 Vanellus villotcei, Audouin, Descr. de l'Egypte, fol. p. 297 (1825). 

 Vanellus grallarius, Less. Traite d'Orn. p. 542 (1831). 



Chizi, Kabul (A. Leith Adams) ; Chiric, Afghanistan (Jerdon). 



C. supra brunnea, dorso blascente : tectricibus alarum superioribus plerumque brunneis, minimis extemis 

 albis, majoribus albis, basi nigris, brunnescente lavatis : secundariis interioribus brunneis, dorso con- 

 coloribus : tectricibus supracaudalibus caudaque pure albis : gula alba : gutture imo brunneo : pectore 

 griseo, albo lavato : abdomine et subcaudalibus pallide ferrugineis : subalaribus, bypocbondriis et plumis 

 axillaribus pure albis : rostro nigro : pedibus flavis. 



Crown of the bead aud back of tbe neck greyish brown ; back, scapulars, and the greater part of the wing- 

 coverts brown with slight lilac reflexions ; lower part of the back greyish brown ; upper tail-coverts 

 and tail pure white ; small feathers along the carpal joint and on the outside of the wing white, some 

 of the outer wing-coverts black at the base, showing rather conspicuously ; quills black, secondaries for 

 the most part pure white, the outermost short secondary quills black towards the tip, the next pure 

 white, some of them greyish brown near the base of the outer web ; the innermost long quills coloured 

 like the back, brown with faint lilac reflexions ; forehead and sides of the face rather paler brown than 

 the crown ; upper part of the throat white ; lower part of the throat brown, like the sides of the neck ; 

 chest grey with white edgings to the feathers, giving a somewhat mottled appearance ; abdomen and 

 under tail-coverts salmon-colour ; under wing-coverts, flanks, and axillary plumes pure white; bill 

 black ; legs yellow ; iris brown ; margins of the eyebds red. Total length 9'5 inches, culmen 1 -25, 

 wing 6-7, tail 2-75, tarsus 2 - 55. 



Great difficulty has been experienced by us in determining the correct name to be borne by this 

 species; and in our researches we have received great help from Lord Walden and Professor 

 Newton. By some authors the present bird has been called Vanellus flavipes of Savigny ; but after 

 a careful examination we cannot discover the work in which this name was published, and we 

 therefore omit it from the list of synonyms, believing it to be only a MS. name. 



The White-tailed Plover is found most plentifully in Egypt, whence it ranges eastward as far 

 as Turkestan and Kabul, extending even into India proper. It is also found in North-eastern 

 Africa generally; and, according to Professor Schlegel, the Leyden Museum has a specimen 

 marked by his predecessor, Professor Temminck, as coming from Senegal, on which authority it 

 is included by Dr. Hartlaub among the birds of Western Africa. Loche also includes it among 

 the birds of Algeria as an accidental visitant. It is a straggler into Southern Europe, having 



