THE DOTTEREL. 513 



black semi-circular line extends below eye from lores to lores ; 

 nape white intermixed with dusky ; remaining upper -parts sandy 

 to ochraceous-buff irregularly mottled black and greyish-white ; 

 superciliary stripe, ear-coverts and cheeks white ; a narrow blackish 

 line extends from lores through eye to nape ; remaining under- 

 pays greyish-white, down dusky at base, breast suffused cream. 



Juvenile. — Crown blackish, feathers plentifully margined sandy- 

 isabelline ; buff-white eye -stripes meet on nape ; mantle and 

 scapulars black-brown, feathers fringed sandy -isabelline and 

 cream ; back and rump ash-brown, feathers shaded sepia towards 

 tip and broadly edged sandy-isabelline ; rest of upper -parts as 

 adult winter ; cheeks, throat and sides of neck cream or warm 

 buff narrowly streaked dusky ; chin white ; breast as adult winter 

 but with central streaks and shadings or subterminal bars of sepia 

 most pronounced at sides of breast ; flanks bufhsh slightly barred 

 dusky ; belly buff or white, outer under tail-coverts marked dusky 

 and tinged buff ; remaining under -parts as adult ; tail-feathers as 

 adult but outer ones more or less washed at tip sandy-isabelline ; 

 wing as adult but innermost secondaries and coverts as scapulars, 

 median coverts sepia edged sandy or light buff. 



First winter. — As adult winter but distinguished by sandy -buff 

 instead of pink-cinnamon edges to some median coverts (especially 

 innermost). The juvenile body-plumage (not all scapulars nor all 

 feathers of back and rump), sometimes central pair of tail-feathers, 

 some innermost secondaries and coverts, some median and lesser 

 coverts are moulted Sept. to Nov. but not rest of tail-feathers or 

 wings. First summer. — As adult summer and moult as adult. 

 Only to be distinguished when faded buff edges to retained juvenile 

 median coverts are not too abraded. N.B. — Only three specimens 

 examined and these were all as brilliant on under-parts as 

 adults. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 143-152 mm., tail 61.5- 

 67.5, tarsus 33.5-37, bill from feathers 14-16.5 (12 measured). ? 

 wing 151-161, bill 15.5-18. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 

 3rd 1.5-5 mm. shorter, 4th 11-13.5 shorter, 5th 21-25.5 shorter, 

 6th 31-36 shorter. Longest innermost secondary between 3rd and 

 5th primaries. Tail of moderate length, rounded. Tarsus covered 

 with hexagonal scales. Three toes, outer and middle ones webbed 

 at base almost up to 1st joint. Bill short, straight and slender, 

 convex and decurved at tip. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad.) black ; legs and feet (ad.) dull yellow, 

 (juv.) olive -yellow ; iris brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Short bill, grey axillaries, no white 

 on inner primaries, upper -parts brown edged pink-cinnamon, in 

 summer belly black distinguish Dotterel from its near allies. 



Field -characters. — Occurs in small trips on coastal marshes, low 

 hills, heaths and fallows on migration to and from nesting-grounds 



VOL. II. 2 L 



