THE RINGED PLOVER. 517 



collar white ; below this and continuous with black pectoral band, 

 a black collar ; rest of upper-parts hair-brown, sides of back and 

 rump and lateral upper tail-coverts white ; chin and throat white ; 

 upper-breast with a broad black pectoral band, some feathers 

 tipped white ; remaining under -parts white ; tail-feathers hair- 

 brown, banded black-brown subterminally and broadly tipped white 

 (central pair only slightly), two outer pairs white, 2nd pair and 

 sometimes 1st (or outer pair) with an irregular black-brown marking 

 on inner web, 3rd and some- 

 times 4th with outer webs 

 narrowly bordered white ; pri- 

 maries black-brown, pale and 

 shading to white towards base 

 of inner webs, 5th and succeed- 

 ing with a narrow white streak 

 on outer web continuous with 

 shaft, this streak increasing in 

 width on inner primaries ; 

 secondaries black - brown or 

 dark hair - brown narrowly 

 tipped white, inner webs paler, 



basal halves White, inner The Ringed Plover (Charadrius h. hiaticula). 



Secondaries white, often With Female adult, summer. 



an irregular hair-brown mark- 

 ing, innermost and coverts as mantle ; primary-coverts black- 

 brown faintly tipped white ; rest of wing-coverts hair -brown, 

 greater broadly tipped white. This plumage is acquired by com- 

 plete moult July to Nov. Summer. — The body-feathers (not all 

 scapulars), occasionally tail-feathers, some innermost secondaries 

 and coverts, some median and lesser coverts but not rest of wing 

 are moulted March to May. Coloration as winter but upper -parts 

 usually paler.* 



Adult female. Winter. — As male but band below white nuchal 

 collar less denned and sometimes intermixed with hair-brown 

 feathers ; feathers at base of upper mandible, lores and feathers 

 round and below eye and band on fore-part of crown hair-brown, 

 intermixed with black or black-brown feathers with or without 

 narrow buff tips ; pectoral band mixture of black, sooty-brown 

 and ash-brown feathers, mostly tipped with white or buff. Summer, 

 — Like adult summer male. 



Nestling (Plate 8). — Down on fore-head white ; crown greyish- 

 buff irregularly streaked and speckled black-brown ; an irregular 



* Two adult winter males in my collection have black band on fore -part 

 of crown and black pectoral band intermixed with a few hair -brown and 

 sooty-brown feathers, those of pectoral band with broad tips of paler brown, 

 buff, or white. In some summer males (possibly old birds) these bands are 

 broader than in others and black patch below eye is more extensive. In some 

 females these bands are narrower than in others, while black patch below eye 

 may be intermixed with hair-brown feathers. — A. CM. 



