THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
€haradrms helveticus Seebohm, Ibis 1888, p. 347. 
Squafarola squatarola Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 216, 1912. 
Distributio'N. Siberia (breeding), southwards to Austraha and Tasmania. 
Adult rmle, in sum7ner-plumage. Upper surface variegated with black, brown, and white ; 
forehead and a line over the eye which is continued on to the sides of the breast 
white like the under wing-coverts, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; sides of face, 
throat, middle of breast and abdomen black like the axillaries ; primary-coverts 
black edged with white at the tips ; the four outer primaries black with white 
shafts and white on the inner web at the base ; the fifth has a white longitudinal 
hne adjoining the shaft on the outer web towards the tip which is increased on the 
sixth, on the seventh it crosses the outer web, the outer Aveb of the eighth primary 
is almost absorbed with white, and the ninth hkewise ; secondaries pale brown 
Avith wdiite bases and fringed Avith white; bill black, base of lower mandible 
purplish-black ; iris dark brown ; feet greyish-black. Total length 290 mm. ; 
culmen 31 ; wing 195, tail 76, tarsus 50. 
Adult female. Very similar to the adult male. 
Adult, in winter-plumage. Differs from the adult in breeding-plumage in being more 
uniform above, the feathers dark broAAm, with black shaft-hnes and edged Avith 
white ; sides of croAATi, sides of face, and ear-coverts streaked with brown and 
white ; a dark spot in front of each eye ; throat, abdomen, and under tail-coverts 
white, the latter with spots of brown on the outer webs ; primary- quills black 
AAuth white shafts, the sixth, seventh, and eighth showing an indication of a white 
line on the outer wnb next to the shaft. 
An adult male, immediately after breeding, has commenced to cast off the nuptial- 
plumage, which is only retained for a short period, and has become more broAvn 
on the upper-surface, the Avhite and black markings being everywhere worn off ; 
the upper tail-coverts are almost white instead of being regularly barred ; sides 
of face, throat, breast, abdomen, and sides of body chequered with Avhite ; sides 
of croAvn Avhite, but the Hne leading to the sides of the breast scarcely defined. 
Immature, of the first year. Upper-surface mottled with brown and Avhite which is pro- 
duced by the feathers being broAvn-notched on the sides and tipped with wliite, 
these markings more minute on the top of the head and hind-neck ; sides of croAvn, 
ear-coverts and sides of face streaked with pale broAvn and white, paler and more 
coarsly marked on the breast ; axillaries black ; primary- and secondary- quills 
much the same as in the adult ; a short white line immediately below the eye ; 
breast and sides of body mottled with pale broAvn and Avhite showing obsolete 
bars on the flanks ; throat and middle of abdomen white like the under tail- 
coverts. 
Young. Dark broAvn above, the feathers spotted and notched with dull white or buff 
on the margins ; upper tail -coverts Avhite, some of them tinged Avith buff and 
barred with broAvn ; tail brown, barred with white, the broAvn becoming merged at 
the ends with marginal spots of buff ; croAvn of head like the back but the pattern 
much smaller ; forehead, sides of face, fore-neck, and breast minutely marked 
Avith longitudinal broAvn streaks ; throat, abdomen, under tail-coverts, and under 
wing-coverts for the most part white. 
The young of this species can always be distinguished by its black or blackish 
axillaries from the Golden Plover {Pluvialis apricarius) which have white axil- 
laries, and from the Asiatic Golden Plover {Pluvialis dominicus fvlvus) — which have 
the axillaries dusky-broAvn — by being smaller. 
Nestling. Upper-parts mixed AAuth black, or dark broAvn and buff, Avith a white nuchal 
collar ; imder-surface silky-white. 
Nest. “ A depression in the earth lined with dry leaves and Hchen ” (Middendorff). 
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