546 



gula, et collo antico albis aut albo et fusco-cinereo variis, pluniis corporis superioris et pectoris nigri 

 flavicante ochraceo marginatis. 



Ptil. Mem. ptil. aest. similis sed gula alba, pectoris plumis vix albo apicatis, corpore supra vix sordidiore plumis 

 nonnullis vix cervino apicatis. 



Adult Male in spring plumage (Leadenhall Market, May). Forehead, crown, throat in front, and breast 

 deep velvety black, with a purplish tinge ; feathers on the hind crown very much elongated and slightly 

 curved upwards; nape and sides of the neck and face white, above and behind the eye marked with 

 black, the lores and the part of the head at the base of the beak all round black ; back, scapulars, 

 elongated inner secondaries, and rump rich metallic green, varied with purple; quills black, with a 

 faint purplish tinge, the first three primaries tipped with dirty white ; wing-coverts rich glossy violet- 

 purple ; upper tail-coverts rufous, nearly fox-red ; tail white on the basal and black on the terminal half, 

 the outer rectrix on each side nearly white, and the terminal black band diminishing towards the outside 

 of the tail ; breast below the black band and rest of the underparts white ; under tad-coverts rusty red ; 

 bdl blackish ; iris blackish brown ; legs deep dull lake-red, with a brownish tinge. Total length about 

 13 inches, culmen 1 - 15, wing 8 - 8, tail 4'45, tarsus l - 8. 



Adult Female (Pagham, June). Resembles the male, but has the black on the head duller, the throat 

 marked with white, the crest shorter, the upper parts generally duller, the wing-coverts green with a 

 faint purplish tinge, not purple, and is, if any thing, a trifle less in size than the male. 



Young. Differs from the female in lacking the black throat, the sides below the eye alone being marked 

 with blackish ; the pectoral band is small, and the feathers are edged with white here and there ; the 

 sides of the head and the nape are washed with buff; and the feathers on the scapulars and wing-coverts 

 and, to a small extent, also on the back are terminally margined with buff. 



Nestling (Kingsbury, near London) . Upper parts rufous buff, marbled and blotched with black ; underparts 

 white, the breast alone crossed by a broad blackish band : entire body covered with short soft down. 



A somewhat older bird than the above has the feathers on the upper parts just appearing; these feathers 

 are dark bottle-green, broadly edged with fulvous; the head has no sign of a crest, but is blackish, 

 mottled with fulvous buff. 



Adult Male in winter (Yarmouth, February) . Differs from the male in summer in having the throat pure 

 white, the feathers on the pectoral band slightly tipped with white, and some of the feathers on the 

 upper parts slightly tipped with light buff. 



The Lapwing, so called from its peculiar flapping flight, or, as it is also frequently called, from 

 its plaintive cry, the Peewit, is common in the northern and central portions of the Palsearctic 

 Region during the summer, migrating southward from some of the northern countries, whereas 

 in others, as in the British isles, it is found throughout the year. It is a common and resident 

 species throughout Great Britain, being a summer visitant to the northern portion of our island, 

 whereas in the southern parts of England flocks are to be seen throughout the winter ; and it 

 would appear that most of those which breed here remain all the year, though some may 

 migrate southward at the approach of winter. As it is a shy bird, it is more numerous during 

 the breeding-season in the northern and less-cultivated counties of England, but is recorded as 

 breeding in every county. It used formerly to be exceedingly numerous in Norfolk and the fen- 



