WILSON’S PLOVER. 
217 
Adult Female. 
Bill as long as the head, stout, straight, cylindrical, obtuse, and somewhat 
turgid at the tip. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight until 
towards the end, when it is slightly arched and declinate, the sides convex, 
the edges shai'p and slightly inflected. Nasal groove extending to about 
half the length of the bill ; nostrils lateral, linear, direct, in the lower part 
of the bare membrane. Lower mandible with the angle rounded, the dorsal line 
convex and ascending, the back broad, the sides convex, the edges inflected. 
Head large, a little compressed, the forehead prominent ; eyes large. 
Neck short. Body rather full. Wings long. Legs rather long, slender ; 
tibia bare a little above the joint ; tarsus of ordinary length, somewhat 
compressed, covered with angular scales ; toes small and slender, covered 
above with numerous small scutella, first toe wanting, fourth longer than 
second, third longest, the two outer connected at the base by a pretty large 
web ; claws, small, slightly arched, much compressed, obtuse. 
Plumage soft and rather blended. Wings long, narrow, primaries nearly 
straight, narrow and tapering, the first longest, second a little shorter, the 
rest rapidly graduated ; outer secondaries very short, inner elongated so as 
to extend as far as the second primary. Tail of moderate length, straight, 
rounded, of twelve feathers. 
Bill black. Edges of eyelids grey ; iris reddish-brown. Feet light flesh- 
coloured ; claws dusky. The general colour of the plumage above is light 
brownish-grey. Lower part of forehead and a broad streak over the eyes 
white ; throat white, that colour extending narrow behind so as to form a 
collar, below which is another of the general tint of the back across the fore 
neck. The rest of the lower parts white. Quills and tail of a deeper 
greyish-brown, the shafts white, the two lateral tail-feathers whitish. 
Length to end of tail 7 T 3 2 inches, to end of wings 7 T 7 2, to end of claws 
8 t V ; extent of wings 14i ; wing from flexure 5 ; tail 2i ; bill along the back 
ryj along the edges 1 ; tarsus l/y ; middle toe its claw T 2 ^. 
Young Male in winter plumage. 
The adult male is similar in colouring to the female, as described above, 
but the lore is dusky, the white band on the forehead is surmounted by one 
of brownish-black, and there is a half collar of the same colour across the 
neck in front. 
The palate as in the other species, but at its anterior part commence three 
prominent ridges, which- run to the end of the upper mandible. The tongue 
is 8 twelfths long, rather fleshy, narrow, flattened above, with a median 
groove, the point narrow, but rounded, with a thin horny edge. The width 
of the mouth is 4|- twelfths. The oesophagus, a b c, is 3 inches 4 twelfths 
long, much wider than in the two preceding species, its breadth at the top 
