THE GREAT STONE-PLOVER. 
357 
It is spread over a considerable portion of Europe and North Africa^ and 
it occurs throughout Asia as far east as Burmah_, not, however, extending 
as far north as Siberia. 
This species frequents waste land, grassy plains and dry river-beds, and 
is of a shy nature. It feeds habitually on the ground, running with great 
speed, and it is most active at night, at which time its wild notes are 
frequently heard. It breeds in India, and probably also in Burmah, from 
February to April, laying two or three eggs on the ground, pale buflp 
marked with brown. 
Genus ESACUS, Less. 
707. ESACUS RECURVIROSTRIS. 
THE GREAT STONE-PLOVER. 
CEdicnemus recurvirostris, Cuv. R^gne Anim. i. p. 500. Esacus recurvi- 
rostris, Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 652 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 579 ; id. 8. F. ii. 
p. 182 ; Bl B. Burm. p. 152 ; Hume, S, F. v. p. 121 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi. 
p. 458; Oates, S. F. yii. p. 50; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 112; Legge, Birds Ceylon^ 
p. 974; Oates, S. F. x. p. 238. 
Description. — Male and female. A ring of feathers round the eye white; 
a band of feathers over the eye and another under the eye, meeting both 
in front and behind the eye, black ; forehead, lores, a streak under the 
lower black band, chin and throat white ; a moustachial stripe black ; lesser 
wing-coverts ashy brown, the feathers tipped with blackish ; the remaining 
wing-coverts, the whole upper plumage, central tail-feathers, scapulars, 
tertiaries and most of the secondaries pale grey ; tail-feathers, except the 
centrals, brown with a broad band of white ; the first three primaries dark 
brown with a broad band of white j the fourth and fifth all brown ; the 
sixth brown with the basal half of the inner web white ; the remaining 
primaries white, with a broad band of brown across them ; the earlier 
secondaries all brown except the basal portion, which is whitish ; sides of 
the breast grey ; remainder of the lower plumage yellowish white ; under 
wing- coverts and axillaries white. 
Iris yellow ; edges of the eyelids, base of the bill and nostrils yellow ; 
remainder of bill black ; legs plumbeous white ; claws black. 
Length 19 inches, tail 4*3, wing 9*9, tarsus 3*3, bill from gape 3*4. 
E. magnirostris probably occurs on the sea-coast ; and Mr. Davison is of 
opinion that he once saw it on an island of the Mergui archipelago. It is 
similar to E. recurvirostris in general coloration but is larger ; and one of 
the characters by which it may be recognized is the colour of the sixth 
