THE LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. 



523 



moulted Feb. to May, but not rest of wings. Coloration as winter. 

 N.B. — Some females have black patch on ear-coverts smaller and 

 more or less intermixed with drab -brown and sometimes black 

 feathers are more or less absent. 



Nestling. — Like that of G. h. hiaticula but upper -parts cinnamon- 

 buff rather than greyish-buff, irregularly mottled and speckled 

 black-brown ; black-brown line round hinder crown more pro- 

 nounced ; an irregular, but distinct black-brown line along wing, 

 another along side of back to uropygial tuft ; a blackish patch on 

 either side of breast ; remaining under -parts as in C. h. hiaticula. 



Two outer primaries of: (A) The Ringed Plover (C. h. hiaticula). (B) The Little RiDged 

 Plover (C. d. curonicus). 



Juvenile. — Fore -head huffish-white ; upper-parts as adult but 

 feathers more or less edged sandy-buff, those of crown, nape, 

 mantle and scapulars with subterminal sepia borders ; nape en- 

 circled by a white collar below which is a black-brown band, 

 feathers tipped sandy-buff ; ear -coverts, lores and band under eye 

 sepia, feathers edged buff ; sides of neck, chin and throat cream- 

 white ; pectoral band drab-brown narrowing towards centre, 

 feathers tipped buff ; remaining under -parts as adult ; tail-feathers 

 as adult but more or less washed buff at tip ; wing as adult but 

 innermost secondaries with sandy-buff fringes and sometimes 

 faintly mottled sepia towards tip, wing-coverts with sandy-buff 

 fringes and faint subterminal sepia borders. 



First winter. Male. — As adult winter but without black band 

 on fore-part of crown ; fore-head creamy-buff, rest of crown drab- 

 brown, feathers edged sandy ; black band below white nuchal 

 collar sometimes less denned and intermixed with drab-brown ; 

 lores black tipped buff ; ear-coverts dusky -brown or black-brown ; 

 chin and throat white tinged buff ; black pectoral band narrower 

 towards centre than in adult and intermixed with drab-brown, 

 feathers broadly edged sandy-buff or white ; wing as adult except 

 for some retained juvenile wing-coverts. The juvenile body- 

 plumage (not all scapulars and apparently not feathers of back and 

 rump), tail-feathers, innermost secondaries and coverts, some 

 median and lesser coverts are moulted in autumn but not rest of 



