WILSON’S PLOVER. 
201 
cumstance of the oviduct of the female being greatly enlarged, 
and containing an egg half grown, apparently within a week of 
being ready for exclusion, we concluded that they breed there. 
Their favourite places of resort appear to be the dry sand flats 
on the sea-shore. 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 auri- 
culars, 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 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 ex- 
terior feathers, which are whitish, but generally the two middle 
ones only are seen. 
The female differs in having no black on the forehead, lores, 
or breast, those parts being pale olive. 
