THE KILLDEER PLOVER. 529 



ochraceous-tawny and irregularly marked brown ; tail-feathers 

 sepia, darker subterniinally and broadly tipped white or 

 ochraceous-tawny, outer ones washed latter colour, central pair 

 sepia shaded darker and narrowly tipped buff, outer pair usually 

 white, barred irregularly black-brown and sometimes suffused 

 ochraceous-tawny ; primaries dark sepia faintly tipped white, 

 outer webs black-brown, inner w^ebs largely white and from 4th or 

 5th inwards with a white mark along shaft and on outer web, 3rd 

 usually and 2nd sometimes with a white shaft -streak towards tip ; 

 secondaries sepia with white tips and bases and more or less white 

 on inner webs, inner ones largely white on both webs, innermost as 

 mantle ; primary-coverts black-brown tipped white ; greater 

 coverts sepia broadly edged white forming a white wing-bar ; inner- 

 most greater, median and lesser coverts ash-brown fringed tawny. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult July to Nov. Summer. 

 — The body-feathers (apparently not feathers of back, rump or all 

 scapulars), some innermost secondaries and coverts, some median 

 and lesser coverts but not rest of wings and apparently not tail- 

 feathers are moulted Feb. to June. Coloration as winter ; wing 

 save for new coverts faded and worn. N.B. — Spring moult seems 

 to extend over a long period and sometimes is never completed. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Like adult but black bands on crown and nape 

 narrower, that on nape ill-defined ; crown, mantle and scapulars 

 sepia, feathers edged sandy-buff ; band from lores to ear-coverts 

 sepia, intermixed with a few black-brown feathers ; pectoral band 

 narrower ; innermost secondaries and coverts as mantle ; median 

 and lesser coverts as adult but edged sandy-buff. 



First winter. — As adults and difficult to distinguish with cer- 

 tainty ; in early winter some worn retained juvenile wing-coverts 

 with faded sandy-buff edges indicate a first winter bird, as compared 

 with freshly moulted wing-co verts of adult. The juvenile body- 

 plumage (not feathers of back, rump or all scapulars), apparently 

 tail, some innermost secondaries and apparently their coverts, 

 some median and lesser coverts but not rest of wings are moulted 

 Aug. to Oct. First summer. — As adult summer and not to be dis- 

 tinguished ; moult as adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 156-171 mm., tail 86- 

 102, tarsus 32-38, bill from feathers 18-23 (12 measured). ? wing 

 161-173, bill 18.5-20.5. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd 

 equal or 1-5 mm. shorter, 4th 8-14 shorter, 5th 20-27 shorter, 

 6th 30-40 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 4th and 6th 

 primaries. Tail long and graduated, central pair longest. Other 

 structure as in C. h. hiaticula. 



Soft parts. — Bill black ; legs and feet dull yellow ; iris brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — C. v. rubidus (W. Indies) and 

 C. v. peruvianus (Peru) have been described as smaller and with 

 broader tawny edges to upper -parts. Distinguished in all plumages 



VOL. II. 2 M 



