PIPING PLOVER. 
77 
the four-toed Plovers with the Lapwings, Vanellus. Savi more 
recently has evinced his good judgment by separating them at 
least from Vanellus, if he does not unite them with Charadrius, 
which his professedly artificial system did not allow. 
I distinguish two subgenera in my extensive genus Charadrius, 
regarding Squatarola of Cuvier and Savi as no more than a section 
of my first subgenus, of so little importance do I consider the 
anomaly of the hind toe, the sole characteristic of that artificial 
group. These subgenera are: 1 . Pluvialis, for the large mottled 
species without a collar, and with variegated plumage. Such are 
amongst the three-toed the European and Asiatic C. pluvialis and 
morinellus , and the American virginicus (or marmoratus ); and among 
the four-toed the Europeo-Asiatic bird \C. gregarius, and the 
cosmopolite C. helveticus. 2. Mgialitis , Boie, or the Ring-Plovers, 
which have a broad white collar around the neck. This is the 
more numerous in species, and the present belongs to it: it 
may form two sections, one for the semipalmated Ring-Plovers, 
whose toes are all connected at base by a membrane, and the 
other for this and the remaining Ring-Plovers, in which the inner 
toe is separated down to the base. As for the armed or spur¬ 
winged Plovers, as well as the wattled species, all I have examined 
were perfectly similar to the armed and wattled Lapwing, and 
they constitute in my arrangement a very natural subgenus under 
the name of Hoplopterus , which group, like Pluvialis, may be 
sectioned into those with three and those with four toes. This 
group of Hoplopterus, both by its tarsus and wings, takes place 
under my genus Vanellus, and differs subgenerically from the 
typical species merely by its longer legs, and hind toe less deve¬ 
loped, or often wanting. Pluvianus, Vieillot, distinguished by a 
stouter bill, I never have examined, but have no doubt that it will 
find its place in my genus Vanellus, where it may be united to my 
three-toed Hoplopteri, or possibly become a subgenus by itself. 
VOL. iv.— u 
