WILSON’S PLOVER. 
243 
there. Their favourite places of resort appear to be the dry sand 
flats on the seashore. They utter an agreeable piping note. 
This species is seven inches and three quarters in length, and 
fifteen and a half in extent ; the bill is black, stout, and an inch 
long, the upper mandible projecting considerably over the lower ; 
front white, passing on each side to the middle of the eye above, 
and bounded by a band of black of equal breadth ; lores black ; 
eyelids white ; eye large and dark ; from the middle of the eye 
backwards the stripe of white becomes duller, and extends for half 
an inch ; the crown, hind-head and auriculars are drab olive ; the 
chin, throat, and sides of the neck for an inch, pure white, passing 
quite round the neck, and narrowing to a point behind ; the upper 
breast below this is marked with a broad band of jet black ; the 
rest of the lower parts pure white ; upper parts pale olive drab ; 
along the edges of the auriculars and hind-head, the plumage, 
where it joins the white, is stained with raw terra sienna ; all the 
plumage is darkest in the centre ; the tertials are fully longer than 
the primaries, the latter brownish black, the shafts and edges of 
some of the middle ones white ; secondaries, and greater coverts, 
slightly tipped with white; the legs are of a pale flesh colour; 
toes bordered with a narrow edge ; claws and ends of the toes 
black; the tail is even, a very little longer than the wings, and of 
a blackish olive colour, with the exception of the two exterior fea- 
thers which are whitish, but generally only the two middle ones 
are seen. 
The female diflers in having no black on the forehead, lores, 
or breast, these parts being pale olive. 
