216 



Catalogue of the Birds 



[Oct. 



Irides .dark brown ; bill black ; gape dark red ; legs black. Length 

 7| inches ; wing beyond tail l-j-^ths ; from base 6 ; bill at front y^^^^ ? 

 tarsus ^oths. 



370.— torquata^ Temm.— Fork-tailed Swallow Plover. 



I have seen this bird but very rarely in small flocks, or pairs, by the 

 edges of tanks or rivers, feeding chiefly like the last, on various ac^uatic in- 

 sects and larvse, especially on Nepce. On one occasion, I saw a numerous 

 flock of them flying low over some grain fields, apparently capturing 

 insects on the wing. Its flight is remarkably swift, and swallow-like, as is 

 that of the last species. 



Irides dark brown ; bill and legs black ; the posterior portion of the 

 gape red. Length 1 1 inches, of which the tail is 4| ; wing 7| ; bill at 

 front I inch ; at gape nearly 1 inch ; tarsus 1 yV^hs. 



Sub Genus TACHYDROMUS, IU.— Cursorius, Lath.— CoMr?Vr 

 Plover, 



87L— ^T. Asiaficus.—Char. Coromandelicus^ L. — Noohree, "R,— Indian 

 Courier Flover. 



The Courier is very numerous towards the more northern part of the 

 table land, much less so towards the south. It frequents the open bare 

 plains onl}'', in numerous flocks, running along with great celerity, and 

 picking up various insects, beetles and small grasshoppers and their 

 larvse. It breeds in the more retired spot during the hot weather, lay- 

 ing 3 eggs of a pale greenish yellow colour, much blotched, and spotted 

 with black, and also with a few olive spots. They are deposited in a 

 slight hollow. 



Irides deep brown ; bill black ; legs creamy white, as if coated with 

 paint. Length varies from 8^ to nearly 10 inches ; wing 6 ; tail 

 2 ,V ; t^^l front ; tarsus 2-j-|. As I have frequently killed birds of 

 various length from the same flock, I fancy that Swainson's supposed 

 new species 2\ Orientalis, said to differ only in size from the T .Asiati' 

 cus of authors, must be abandoned. 



Sub Genus AMMOPTILA, Sw. 



S72.—A. cJiaradroides^ Sw. ? — Sand Plover. 



A bird of this remarkable genus is mentioned in Mr. Elliot's Catalogue, 

 but without any description, so I am uncertain if it is the same species as 



