THE BIBDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 
671 
277. Little Ring^ed Plover. Charadrius dubius, “ Dah rooj.” 
Charadrius dubius curonicus, Gm. (Syst. Nat. T. p. 692 — “ Curonia”). 
Common and resident through the length and breadth of our area moving 
about locally after the breeding season ; there is no evidence of any influx in 
autumn of winter visitors. Pitman found it nesting in the Euphrates marshes 
near Museyib on June 3rd. Logan Home met with it breeding on the river above 
Samarra and found several nests containing four eggs between May 21st and June 
2nd. Cheesman found them just beginning to breed on the pebbly banks at 
Baiji in April. It probably breeds at Feluja, L. Akkarkuf, Nabr Umar and many 
other places. In winter it is frequently seen along the foreshore of the rivers 
and sides of canals as well as on the inundations and is perhaps the commonest 
and most widely distributed small wader. 
Eight specimens examined : Baghdad, 8-10-17, 5-10-17 ; Khanikin, 1-8-18 
(P.A.B.); Feluja, 21-3-17, 7-4-17 Samarra, 8-3-18 ; Baghdad, 18-8-17 (C. R. P.); 
Fatah Gorge, 18-4-19 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.). 
The wings of these birds measure 109'5- 120 mm. and bills from edge of fore- 
head feathers 12’5-13‘5 mm. 
278. Large Sand Plover. Charadrius leschenaultii, Less. 
(=geoffroyi auct.). 
Charadrius leschenaultii. Less. {=geojfroyi auct.) (Diet. Sci. Nat. XLII, 
p. 36, 1826 — Pondicherry, India). 
Common at Fao where Butcher and Cumming obtained several specimens in 
August, February and March and where I saw a flock on March 16th. 
279. Kentish Plover. Charadrius alexandrinus. 
Charadrius alexandrinus alexandrinus L. (Syst. Nat., 1758, p. 150 — 
Egypt). 
The Kentish Plover is pretty common and resident throughout our area. It 
particularly affects the drjing edges of temporary marshes and such situations 
are favourite nesting sites. The breeding season lasts from the end of April till 
the end of Jime ; Ludlow records flnding several nests at Ahwaz on April 29th. 
At Abu Aran, above Kurna, Logan Home found several nests in J une on small 
sandy islets in a reed grown marsh, where also Little Terns, Pratincoles and White- 
tailed Lapwings were nesting. Buxton and Evans found nests at Amara on May 
26th and June 5th on sandy ridges on a dried up piece of marsh ; the nests were 
lined with a few bents and quite a number of shells which the birds had been at 
pains to gather, as Buxton noted that they were not common. It breeds round 
Basra, at the Suweikiyeh marsh and doubtless many other places. 
Two specimens examined : 9 > Amara, 22-1-18, wing 109, bill 15 (P. A. B.); 
9 , Sheik Saad, 18-12-16, wing 109-5, bill 15-25 mm. (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.). 
These both belong to the typical race. 
280. Caspian Plover. Charadrius asiatica. 
Charadrius asiatica asiataca, PaU. (Reise Russ. Reichs ii, 1773, 
p. 715— S. Tartary). 
Common, but rather local, on spring and autumn passages. Pitman saw 
flocks of thousands on the fertile plain on the left bank of the Tigris from Kut 
to Azizieh in the flrst week of March, and on the 19th he saw a flock on cultiva- 
tion at Feluja. Cheesman found it plentiful, feeding round gardens on desert 
land at Sheik Saad on March 26th. Cumming obtained a young one at Fao on 
August 11th, while Pitman saw a large flock on a semi-cultivated plain near 
Samarra on November 18th. 
Five specimens examined: Sheik Saad, 21-3-17, 25-3-17 ; 9> 25-3-17 
(P. Z. C. and R. E. C.) ; Kut, 2-3-17 (two) (C. R. P.). 
