260 
Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Birds 
Adult male . Bill blackish brown, with the swollen membrane 
pale bluish white. Iris yellow round the pupil, with a broader 
outer circle of blood-red. The naked skin round the eye pale 
flesh-colour. Legs bright pink, with blackish claws. General 
plumage light greyish blue. Middle of the neck all round 
splendent with purple pink, its lower part with emerald green. 
Back, upper part of the sides, and lower wing-coverts pure white. 
Primaries brown on their outer webs and ends, the brown on 
some of the feathers being yellowish and light. Secondaries 
with their ends a rich dark brown. Two black bars half across 
the wing, one extending half across the secondary coverts, and 
the other over the inner secondaries. Head, rump, and tail 
bluish smoke-grey, the latter barred with a broad white band 1J 
inch in extent, and then by a terminal black bar 1 inch in depth. 
The white runs up the outer web of the outermost feather to its 
base. Breast reddish purple. Lower parts light bluish grey. 
18. Coturnix dactylisonans, Meyer. 
Not common. 
19. Charadrius philippinus. 
This was the common species here to be met with all along 
the sandy beaches and gullies. You found them also in the 
ploughed fields and grassy meadows; in fact, wherever the 
ground is flat. The bird runs with amazing velocity, carrying its 
head rather low and its tail uplifted. When on wing it flutters 
along, uttering its merry note “ tew-tew.” One morning I was 
passing along a sandy water-course looking out for terns, when a 
pair of small Plovers rose and flew round and round me in great 
agitation, whistling and quivering their wings with every sign 
of distress. The foolish' birds ! if they had not alarmed them¬ 
selves, I should have passed without noticing what met my eyes 
when I examined the ground closely. Two wee downy things 
were creeping about amongst gravel, so much the colour of the 
ground that they were extremely hard to detect. They uttered 
a sharp cry not unlike that of a young chick, and offered no 
resistance to my hand when I attempted to pick them up. The 
old birds grew bold and noisy, perching close to me, and then 
running off to attract my attention, and flying round and round 
