CHARADRIUS VIRGINIANUS, Bonaparte. 



VIRGINIAN GOLDEN PLOVER. 



PLATE LXXXV. 



C. capite, dorso scapularibusque brunneo nigris flavo maculatis, tectricibus alarum inferioribus 

 pallide fuscis, superioribus fuscis albo marginatis, pectore ventreque flavo-albidis fusco 

 maculatis ; pedibus cinereo-luteis. 



Golden Plover, Wils. N. A. Orn. pi. LIX. fig. 5. 



Charadrius pluvialis, Wils. N. A. Orn. pi. LIX. fig. 5. — Bonap. Synop. p. 297 — North. Zool. 



ii. p. 369. 

 Charadrius Virginianus, Bonap. Osser. sulla seconda ediz. del. Reg. Anim. Cuv. p. 93 — Sir 



W. Jard. edit. Wils. N. A. Orn. ii. p. 362. 

 Charadrius marmoratus, Wagl. Syst. Av. N. 42. 



In our description of this species, in the first Edition of No. VI, we most 

 unaccountably placed it under the Charadrius xanthocheilus of Wagler's 

 Systema Avium. How we fell into this mistake, it is impossible now to say ; but 

 we thought it our duty to take the first opportunity in our power to correct it, 

 and to express our regret for having committed it. 



The Prince of Musignano appears to have been the first who pointed out the 

 distinctions between the North American and European birds, the former of 

 which appear to be most extensively distributed, and to be identical with those 

 brought from the Australian Archipelago, America, and India ; where we are 

 not aware of any good authority for the latter being found. * 



* C pluvialis is introduced into the Northern Zoology, but we strongly suspect the authors of that excel- 

 lent work have overlooked the other species. Both may be natives of North America, but we have never 

 seen, or received extra European specimens of the Golden Plover. We possess C. Virginianus from 

 India, Arctic America, and New Holland, and it seems, in all those countries, very and exclusively 

 abundant and has always been confounded with its ally. 



