WILSON'S PLOVER. 217 



Adult Female. 



Bill as long as the head, stout, straight, cylindrical, obtuse, and somewhat 

 turgid at the tip. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight until towards 

 the end, when it is slightly arched and declinate, the sides convex, the edges 

 sharp and slightly inflected. Nasal groove extending to about half the length 

 of the bill; nostrils lateral, linear, direct, in the lower part of the bare mem- 

 brane. Lower mandible with the angle rounded, the dorsal line convex and 

 ascending, the back broad, the sides convex, the edges inflected. 



Head large, a little compressed, the forehead prominent; eyes large. Neck 

 short. Body rather full. Wings long. Legs rather long, slender; tibia 

 bare a little above the joint; tarsus of ordinary length, somewhat compressed, 

 covered with angular scales; toes small and slender, covered above with 

 numerous small scutella, first toe wanting, fourth longer than second, third 

 longest, the two outer connected at the base by a pretty large web; claws 

 small, slightly arched, much compressed, obtuse. 



Plumage soft and rather blended. Wings long, narrow, primaries nearly 

 straight, narrow and tapering, the first longest, second a little shorter, the 

 rest rapidly graduated; outer secondaries very short, inner elongated so as 

 to extend as far as the second primary. Tail of moderate length, straight, 

 rounded, of twelve feathers. 



Bill black. Edges of eyelids grey; iris reddish-brown. Feet light flesh- 

 coloured; claws dusky. The general colour of the plumage above is light 

 brownish-grey. Lower part of forehead and a broad streak over the eyes 

 white; throat white, that colour extending narrow behind so as to form a 

 collar, below which is another of the general tint of the back across the fore 

 neck. The rest of the lower parts white. Quills and tail of a deeper 

 greyish-brown, the shafts white, the two lateral tail-feathers whitish. 



Length to end of tail 7 T 8 2 inches, to end of wings 7^, to end of claws 8^; 

 extent of wings 14^; wing from flexure 5; tail 2i; bill along the back -ff, 

 along the edges 1; tarsus 1-^-; middle toe if, its claw j%. 



Young Male in winter plumage. 



The adult male is similar in colouring to the female, as described above, 

 but the lore is dusky, the white band on the forehead is surmounted by one 

 of brownish-black, and there is a half collar of the same colour across the 

 neck in front. 



The palate as in the other species, but at its anterior part commence three 

 prominent ridges, which run to the end of the upper mandible. The tongue 

 is 8 twelfths long, rather fleshy, narrow, flattened above, with a median 

 groove, the point narrow, but rounded, with a thin horny edge. The width 

 of the mouth is 4% twelfths. The oesophagus, a b c, is 3 inches 4 twelfths 

 long, much wider than in the two preceding species, its breadth at the top 



