A2GIALITIS JERDONI. 
957 
2E curonica which is found in the district in question. The only other name which has been applied to our bird 
is Charadrius pusillus, Horsfield, given to a species which he described from Java. In ‘ The Ibis ’ for 1867, 
Blyth stated that he had examined the type specimen, and found that it was JZyialitis ruficapilla ; but in this 
determination he appears to have been in error ; for Mr. Harting has kindly shown me a skin of an immature 
cur onica (wing 4-4 inches) from Formosa, which he says is a facsimile of the Javan type in question, which he 
examined some years ago. It is necessary, therefore, to propose a new name for this little Hinged Plover : and 
there can, perhaps, be none more suitable than jerdoni *, in honour of the great Indian naturalist who was the first 
to recognize the distinctness of the species. 
I have examined specimens obtained by Mr. Anderson in the Futtegurh district, identical in size and markings with 
my own and with the same protuberant orbital ring. Mr. Cripps contributes data of a male shot in F urreedpore 
as follows : — “'Length 6'75 inches; wing 4-08; tail 2-1; tarsus 092 ; bill at front 046: weight 0-87 oz. 
Eyelids yellow ; legs bluish grey ; irides dark brown ; bill, base below and gape yellow. In one skin of 
Mr. Anderson’s there is a black edging at the base of the bill ; in another the forehead is entirely white, as m 
my own skins from Ceylon. There is a male example in the Swinhoe collection which has much yellow at the base 
of the bill, and which, judging by its small size, appears to belong to this smaller form. There is, however, no 
appearance in the dried specimen of the broad orbital ring. It is an April bird, and measures — wing 4'2 inches, 
tarsus 0 - 85. 
Distribution. — It was not until the hot season of 1875 that I met with this, the smallest of Hinged 
Plovers ; and as I have not observed it in the cool weather, I cannot state positively that it is resident in the 
island ; but the natural inference to be drawn from the fact of its breeding in Ceylon is that it is a permanent 
species there. I discovered it on the shores and about the creeks and flat land on the borders of Kanthelai 
and Minery tanks ; and these are the only localities in which I found it. At the former place I did not see 
it during a subsequent visit in the cool season ; but I did not explore the whole of the ground formerly passed 
over; and to the latter tank I made no trip after the date in question. It remains for future workers in 
Ceylonese ornithology to discover whether it is a permanent resident, and likewise to satisfactorily identify 
its e trcr s. 
appears to be a scarce bird in India. Sykes, in his catalogue of Deccan birds, says it frequents the 
shores of fresh water there, and is frequently killed in company with “ Sandpipers-,” the latter remark may, 
however, refer to the last species. From Raipur Mr. Hume has received it ; but it is not enumerated in the 
Chota-Na^pur list of birds. It has not been observed in the Calcutta market, which is sufficient evidence as to 
its -enerai absence from that locality; but in Furreedpore Mr. Cripps met with a party of four on one occasion, 
on a sandy chur. In the west of India Captain Butler procured it once at Deesa; and Major Ilayes-Lloyd 
speaks of “ yE. minutus” as being common in Kattiawar; but this statement doubtless refers to the last species. 
From Pegu Mr. Oates sent to Mr. Hume a specimen of a Ringed Plover, which the latter says belongs to this 
species ; it is said to be common on the banks of the Irrawaddy and large nullahs in the cold season ; but 
it was not noticed during the rains. In Tenasserim a single pair were met with by Mr. Davison inland. 
Whether it extends to the south and into the Malay archipelago, further research will no doubt decide ; but as 
yet I have no evidence of its occurrence lower down the peninsula than the province of Tenasserim. 
Habits. I found this species frequenting the shingly beds of the rivers which supply the great Kanthelai 
tank with water in the wet season; it likewise affected the dried-up muddy shores of the tank; and at Minery 
I found it also on the borders of the lake. All I saw were breeding, and their actions were those of the rest of 
the genus during the time of nidification. They were very tame, and when they were frightened from the 
spot by my approach, they flew round and settled down behind me, or making wide circles round the spot 
where I stood would realight in their original position. They ran with considerable speed, and possessed the 
upright deportment and elegance of action which is characteristic of the last species. Their note differed. 
* I must mention here that when exhibiting specimens of the species at a meeting of the Zoological Society a few 
days since (Feb. 3rd), and suggesting another name for it, the Secretary of the Society recommended my adopting the 
name jerdoni. 
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