346 PLOVER. 



40.— GREEN-HEADED PLOVER. 



Charadrius Africanus, lud. Orn. Sup. p. Ixvii. 



A New Species of Plover, Sonnin. Trav. ii. p. 209. 



Green-headed Plover, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 320. 13. 



LENGTH eight inches. Bill black; eyes brown; head deep 

 green, with a changeable lustre ; a sort of white diadem surrounds 

 the head, passing through the eyes ; back and lesser wing coverts 

 bright ash-colour; greater wing coverts white; quills white, tipped 

 with black, and a black spot about the middle of each, forming a 

 stripe across the wing ; throat white ; the under part of the neck and 

 body reddish white; on the upper part of the breast a narrow, shining, 

 deep green band, passing half round ; tail short, the feathers of 

 unequal lengths, colour cinereous grey for two-thirds, and crossed 

 with a band of black ; the remainder white ; legs and feet bluish, 

 ciaws black. 



Inhabits various parts of Egypt, and, according to M. Sonnini, 

 approaches near to Black-headed Plover, and the description may 

 justify such sentiments: but on comparison, they appear to differ in 

 many particulars. They were seen mostly in pairs, seldom in troops, 

 and even then not exceeding seven or eight; feed on aquatic insects: 

 never alight on the mod, but frequent the sandy parts only. When 

 they take wing, they utter a little sharp cry, repeated several times ; 

 are observed to run rather than fly, as they seldom quit the ground : 

 are by no means shy, as they suffer themselves to be easily approached. 



41— SPUR-WINGED PLOVER. 



Charadrius spinosus, Lid. Orn. ii. 74S. Lin. i. 256. Gm. Lin,' i. 690. Hasselq. It. 



260. 261. Id. Engl. Ed.200. 33. Boroivsk. iii. 114. 



Pluvialis Senegalensis armata, Bris. v. 86. t. 7. f. 2. Id. 8vo. ii. 233. Gerin. iv. 



t. 478. 



