164 
Allen’s naturalist’s lilrary. 
Saunders only admits five occurrences to be authentic, most of 
the specimens referred to this species proving to belong to the 
small race of the Common Ringed Sand-Plover which visits our 
southern coasts. The five specimens above alluded to are as 
follows ; — One in the collection of the late Mr. Doubleday, from 
Shoreham, in Sussex ; a second in Mr. Borrer’s collection, from 
Chichester Harbour; a third in the collection of the late Mr. 
Rodd, from Tresco, in the Scilly Islands ; and two young speci- 
mens shot by Mr. Mitford and Mr. J. E. Harting at Kingsbury 
Reservoir. Mr. Borrer’s specimen was procured in May, but 
the others have occurred in August and October. A sixth 
specimen is in the Seebohm collection in the British Museum, 
being an adult female killed by Mr. H. Rogers at Freshwater, 
in the Isle of Wight, in August, 
Range outside the British Islands. — The Little Ringed Sand- 
Plover is distributed over the greater part of the Old World, 
nesting in the temperate parts of Europe and Asia, and winter- 
ing in Africa, the Indian Peninsula, and the Malayan Archi- 
pelago, extending even to New Guinea and the Islands of the 
Bismarck Archipelago. The species has been obtained in the 
p-ieroes, and even in Iceland ; and it breeds sparingly in Scan- 
dinavia, but plentifully in Germany and Poland in suitable 
places, as well as in certain parts of France and the Medi- 
terranean countries. It has been said to occur accidentally in 
North America. 
Habits.— According to Mr. Seebohm, the Little Ringed Sand- 
Plover prefers the banks of rivers and inland sheets of water to 
the sea-shore. On the latter it seems to be rarely met with. It 
delights in the sandy beds of rivers, especially those which are 
shallow and contain many sand-banks and dry pebbly stretches, 
where it can find its food and re.ar its young. He found it not 
uncommon on the banks of a half-dried-up river in Asia Minor, 
between Smyrna and the site of the ancient Sardis. It is found 
far inland, and occasionally frequents fallows and sandy plains 
at a considerable distance from water. In its habits it very 
closely resembles its congener, the Ringed Sand-Plover. Like 
that species, it is usually seen running hither and thither on the 
sands, close to the edge of the water, now and then taking short 
flights just above the ground, or standing motionless for a few 
