Order CHARADRIIF0RME8 
No. 181. 
Family CHARADRIIDM. 
ELSEYA MEIiANOPS RUSSATA. 
WESTERN BLACK-FRONTED DOTTEREL. 
Charadeius russatus Jerdon, Madras Journ. Lit. Sci., Vol. XII., p. 213, 1840 ; India. 
Charadrius russatus Jerdon, Madras Journ. Lit. Sci., Vol. XII., p. 213, 1840. 
jFgialitis melanops Keartland, Trans. Roy. Soc. South Austr., Vol. XXII., p. 186, 1898 ; 
Carter, Emu, Vol. III., p. 176, 1904 ; Hartert, Nov. Zool., Vol. XII., p. 201, 
1905 ; Ingram, Ibis 1909, p. 614 ; Ogilvie-Grant, ih. 1910, p. 181. 
Charadrius melanops marngli Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 218, 1912 (North- 
west Australia). 
Distribution. West Australia and Northern Territory. 
Adult male and female. Differ from C. m. melanops in being paler and smaller, and 
in having less black on the second outer tail-feather. 
Immature. Two young birds from North-west Austraha have the crown of the head 
brown, with hghter tips ; a white semicircular patch of down at the back of the 
neck, followed by a semicircle of black down reaching to the eye ; back downy- 
black with cream tips ; upper tail-coverts brown with filamentous downy tips 
still adhering ; tail dark with filamentous downy tips ; frontal band indicated by 
brown feathers with white tips ; scapulars and tertials rufous-brown, with darker 
cross-bars ; small wing-coverts dark brown ; median ones rufous with dark bars ; 
lower ones white. 
Nest. A slight depression in the earth. \\ 
Eggs. Clutch, two to four very similar to those laid by the Eastern bird, but darker ; 
axis 26.5-27 mm., diameter 21-21.3. 
Breeding-season. November (Carter and Keartland), August (Keartland). 
My collector, Mr. J. P. Rogers, who obtained specimens of this subspecies, 
writes me: “On a water-hole about one mile east of my camp at Marngle 
Creek there were about fifteen of these birds. On returning from Mungi I 
found them numerous on the shingle and sand beach of the Fitzroy River. 
On Jegurra Creek it was also found. This is a resident species in West 
Kimberley and is common on most large water-holes and on the sandy 
beaches of the rivers.” 
Mr. Tom Carter sends the following : “ Regularly distributed from the 
North-west to the South-west of this state, occurring mostly in pairs on the 
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