Chapter VI: Preface (5)

"Young.--Forehead buffish white, crown with black streaks which become confluent on nape; upper parts mottled and barred with buffish brown on a dull gray ground. Bill horn-color; feet ocher-yellow. When the bird is barely fledged the buff-color predominates on the upper surface." (Saunders.)

"Found by us in great abundance near the center of Mindoro, where it was flying about over the dried beds of streams and alighting among the pebbles, its color assimilating so closely with that of the sand and small stones that it was well nigh impossible to see it on the ground." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

84. STERNA MELANAUCHEN Temminck.

BLACK-NAPED TERN.

Sterna melanauchen Temminck, Pl. Col. (1827), pl. 427; Saunders,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 25, 126; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899),
1, 137; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1901), 1, 195; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 21.

Palawan (Platen); Cresta de Gallo (McGregor). Tenasserim, Malay
Peninsula, Nicobars, Andamans, northern Mascarene Islands,
Pacific Islands, Liu Kiu Islands, northern Australia.

"Adult in breeding plumage.--Forehead and crown pure white; in front of the eye a black triangular patch, the apex of which does not reach base of bill; behind the eye on each side and inclosing the nape a band of black, broad and prolonged in the center; neck white; mantle and rump delicate pearl-gray; shafts of all primaries white; outer primary with the outer web blackish, and the streak next shaft on inner web pale gray; the succeeding primaries palest gray next the shafts on the outer and the inner webs, the inner margins of all being pure white; tail long and forked, the middle tail-feathers pale pearl-gray, the rest white; under parts glossy white, with a beautiful roseate tint. Bill black; tarsi and toes dark brown to black. Length, 343; culmen, 41; wing, 216; tail, 152; depth of fork, 76; tarsus, 18; foot with middle toe, 23. The male appears to have somewhat longer streamers than the female; otherwise the sexes are alike externally.

"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs only in having less black in front of the eye and on the nape.

"Immature.--Similar to the above, but there is a brownish tinge to the black on the nape; wing-coverts ash-gray; a dark line along the carpal joint; webs of the four outer primaries on both sides of the white shafts dark ash-gray (outermost black), outer webs of the tail-streamers also ash-colored.

"Young.--Forehead and crown buffish white, with black streaks which become confluent on nape; feathers of mantle and tail gray, barred with ash-brown and tipped with buff; primaries with a good deal of gray, which throws into strong relief their broad, white, inner margins. Bill ocher-yellow, horn-colored near the tip; toes yellowish brown.

"Nestling.--Above pale buff, spotted and streaked with black and umber-brown; beneath dull drab." (Saunders.)

Genus ANOUS Stephens, 1826.

This genus is distinguished by its brown plumage and graduated tail-feathers.

85. ANOUS STOLIDUS (Linnæus).

NODDY TERN.

Sterna stolida Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 137.
Anous stolidus Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 25, 136;
Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 325, fig. 73; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1899), 1, 137; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1901), 1, 197;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 21.

Cagayan Sulu (McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen,
McGregor). Tropical and juxtatropical seas of the world.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Forehead nearly white at base of bill, passing on the crown into lavender-gray, which deepens on neck into lead-color; lores and orbital region black, with a faint whitish superciliary streak; upper parts chiefly dark brown; primaries, tail-feathers, and their shafts nearly black; under parts dark brown on abdomen and breast, passing into deep lead-color on the throat. Bill blackish; tarsi and toes reddish brown, fully webbed, webs ochraceous. Length, about 406; culmen, 53; wing, 260 to 280; tail, 152 to 178, the fourth feather from the outside the longest; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 39.

"Adult female.--Very similar but, as a rule, somewhat browner on the shoulders and with less lead-color on the throat, slightly smaller, and with a weaker bill.

"Immature.--Similar, but with even less lead-color, and a dark line along the upper wing-coverts.

"Young.--Browner generally and paler; forehead and crown grayish brown; below the forehead a narrow white superciliary line conspicuous by contrast against the blackish lores.

"Fledgling (Ascension I.).--Umber-brown above and below; the whitish streak above the lores very marked, and continuous round base of bill; a slight grayish tint on forehead.

"Downy nestling.--One about five days old (British Honduras: May 12, 1862) has the forehead and crown dull white, lores blackish, upper surface mouse-brown, nape and throat darkest, lower parts paler. Another, only just hatched, is nearly uniform, sooty brown." (Saunders.)

Subfamily LARINÆ.

Of larger size than the terns; body and bill heavier; tail square or nearly so.

Genus LARUS Linnæus, 1758.

Characters same as those given for the Subfamily.

Species.

a1. Smaller; length, 400 mm.; wing, 300. ... ridibundus (p. 95) a2. Larger; length, 600 mm.; wing, 450. ... vegæ (p. 97)

86. LARUS RIDIBUNDUS Linnæus.

LAUGHING GULL.

Larus ridibundus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 225;
Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 25, 207; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1899), 1, 140; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1901), 1, 208; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 21.

Luzon (Jagor, Murray, McGregor); Mindanao (Murray,
Goodfellow). Europe, northern Asia, Africa, and Indian Ocean;
China to Malay Archipelago in winter.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Hood coffee-brown; gray mantle, white tail, and white under surface tinged with evanescent roseate; pattern of outer primaries chiefly white, with black tips, and black margins to inner webs; shafts of three outer quills white; outermost quill white, with a narrow black line along the greater part of outer web (touching the shaft in all except very old birds), a black tip, and a blackish edge to the inner margin; second quill similar, but with merely a short hairline of black on the outer web; third quill with a trifle more black running upward from the black tip along the outer web; fourth quill similar, but with a gray center to inner web; fifth quill white on both webs, and with a minute white tip; sixth similar, but the tip gray and broader, so that the black becomes a subterminal bar; seventh similar, but with less and fainter black; upper primaries gray; secondaries paler gray, without conspicuous margins. Bill, tarsi, and toes lake-red; iris hazel. Length, 394 to 406; culmen, 46; wing, 298 to 305; tail, 127; tarsus, 43; middle toe with claw, 39.

"The female is undoubtedly smaller as a rule, though there are exceptions.

"Adult in winter.--Similar, but without a hood; merely a little grayish on the occiput, and blackish on the auriculars. In vigorous birds the indications of a hood reappear in autumn, soon after the completion of the molt, which is in August; but cold weather, combined with a scarcity of nutritive food, arrests the development, and it is not usual to see birds with fully complete hoods till February, though there are many exceptions. A female (by dissection) obtained in the shore-nets at Wells, Norfolk, on November 10, has the under parts, and even the shafts and webs of the primaries, suffused with a beautiful salmon-pink, but this also must be considered unusual.

"Nestling.--Buffish to brown, darkest on the upper parts, spotted and streaked with umber and black on the back, head, and throat.

"Young.--Forehead white, rest of head chiefly grayish brown; upper surface warmer brown, with gray lower wing-coverts; secondaries with blackish centers and white borders; the three outer primaries black on outer webs and at the tips and margins of inner webs, but the centers white, except the outermost, in which there is for a time a dark line inside the shaft; in the succeeding primaries the dark color increases ascendingly on the inner webs, while from the fifth the outer webs are pale gray to brownish, with a little white at tips; tail-feathers white, with a band of blackish brown; under surface dull white. Bill dull yellow, passing into black at the angles; tarsi and toes dull reddish yellow. The brown color is soon lost on the back, which has become gray by December.

"Immature.--Like the adult, with a few brown markings left on the upper wing-coverts, and more black on the outer webs of the primaries. More or less of a brown hood is assumed when the bird is barely a year old, and the band on the tail is lost by the following autumn, when the new primaries appear, with, as has been said, a larger proportion of black than in the adult; in fact the duration of the immature phase is very short. The bird does not breed until the following, or second spring.

"Occasionally the black from the margins of the inner webs of the three outer quills runs in and reaches the shafts, much encroaching upon the usual white centers, though not to the same extent on both wings of the same bird. This is noticeable in two examples obtained at Dinapur in December." (Saunders.)

This small gull is often abundant about Manila Bay but does not remain throughout the year.

87. LARUS VEGÆ (Palmen).

VEGA GULL.

Larus argentatus var. vegæ Palmen, Vega Exped., Vetensk (1887),
5, 370.
Larus vegæ Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 25, 269; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1899), 1, 141; Hartlaub, Abhandl. Natur. Ver. Bremen
(1899), 16, heft. 2, 270; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 21.

Luzon (Schmacker). Bering Sea and Arctic Siberia; Chinese coasts,
Japan, Formosa, and Bonin Islands in winter.

Adult male in breeding plumage.--Head, neck, tail, and under parts white; mantle and wing surface french-gray, with broad white tips to the scapulars and secondaries, making a conspicuous alar bar; all the primaries tipped with white; outermost quill blackish from the base downward (save a narrow gray wedge on inner web), with a white tip 63 mm. in length in mature birds, and a narrow, black bar which divides the white into tip and "mirror" in the majority; second quill blackish for about 10 mm. on both sides of shaft, with a black subterminal bar, a white mirror, and, on the inner web, a broad, gray wedge which sometimes breaks through and joins the mirror; third quill grayish basally, blackish on the lower part of outer web and on the subterminal bar, gray on the inner web, passing into white at the apex of the wedge; fourth similar but gray on both webs above the bar; fifth quill similar but bar narrower; sixth gray, without a bar in mature birds and with a narrow bar in others; the remaining quills gray with white tips. In less mature birds there is no mirror on the second quill. Ring around eye and gape bright orange-red; tarsi and toes pale flesh-color. Length, about 610; wing, 457; tail, 197; culmen, 74; tarsus, 70; middle toe with claw, 66.

The female is smaller and less robust.

Adult in winter.--Similar but head and neck streaked with ash-brown.

Immature and young.--In the first autumn the upper parts are streaked and mottled with brown and grayish buff; quills dark umber, with paler inner webs and whitish tips to most; rectrices similar, but more or less mottled with whitish at bases of two or three outer pairs; feathers of upper tail-coverts brown, with buffish white tips; under parts nearly uniform brown at first, but afterwards brownish gray, mottled; bill blackish, paler at base of lower mandible. The second autumn the head is nearly white, streaked with grayish brown; the upper parts are barred with brown on a grayish ground, though no pure gray feathers have yet made their appearance on mantle; quills paler; tail more mottled with white at the bases of all the feathers. In the third autumn the feathers of the mantle are chiefly gray, with some brownish streaks down the shafts; a faint subapical spot begins to show on the outermost primary; the tail-coverts are partly white, and the dark portion of the rectrices is much broken up; under parts nearly white. In the fourth autumn the subapical patch on first primary is larger, and the quills from the fifth upward are banded with black and tipped with white; tail-feathers white, slightly vermiculated with brown; bill greenish yellow basally, reddish black at the angle. At the molt of the fifth autumn all brown markings are lost, the primaries have white tips, black bars, and gray wedges, though the proportion of dark coloring in quills is greater than it is in older birds. (Compiled from Saunders.)

The only notice of the occurrence of the Vega gull in the Philippine Islands, appears to be the record by Hartlaub.

Order CHARADRIIFORMES.

SHORE-BIRDS AND WADERS.

Wings long, flat, and pointed, with narrow, rapidly graduated primaries; inner secondaries long; tail usually quite short; rarely forked (Glareola) or greatly elongated (Parridæ); legs generally long and slender, sometimes extremely so; toes short except in Parridæ, either semipalmate or cleft to the base; lobate in Phalaropodinæ; bill slender, compressed, and covered with soft skin, rarely hard throughout (Arenaria). Members of this order live on the ground in open places, usually near water and many of the species assemble in flocks during the winter months. Eggs three or four, highly colored and much spotted, usually pyriform. The nest, with rare exceptions, is a slight hollow in the ground. The young are downy and able to run within a few hours after leaving the egg. This order includes the sandpipers, plovers, snipes, Acurlews, and their allies. [13]

Suborders.

a1. Tail nearly square, never forked; toes and claws not greatly lengthened.

b1. Smaller, wing less than 230 mm.; bill small and short or greatly
lengthened but never heavy. ... Charadrii (p. 99)
b2. Larger; wing more than 250 mm.; bill moderate in length but
powerful; tarsus covered with hexagonal scales. ... Oedicnemi
(p. 154)

a2. Tail forked, or else the claws very long.

b1. Tail forked; gape deeply cleft; claws normal in
length. ... Cursorii (p. 152)
b2. Tail not forked, but with two or more lengthened feathers; gape
normal; claws extremely long and slender; a sharp spur at bend of
wing. ... Parræ (p. 150)

Suborder CHARADRII.

Family CHARADRIIDÆ.

Bill slender, in some very long, straight, occasionally gently curved; tail short and nearly square; legs moderately long to very long; plumage (except in Rostratula) white, gray, and brown, occasionally black and reddish. This family includes all the stilts, curlews, godwits, snipes, sandpipers, and plovers.

Subfamilies.

a1. Toes not laterally scalloped; no serrated edge on back of tarsus.

b1. Tarsus more than twice as long as middle toe with claw;
naked portion of thigh much longer than middle toe with
claw. ... Himantopodinæ (p. 113)
b2. Tarsus less than twice as long as middle toe with claw; naked
portion of thigh much shorter than middle toe with claw.

c1. Culmen with a decided dertrum or arched swelling at tip;
tarsus reticulate behind.

d1. A small fleshy wattle in front of eye; front of tarsus
covered with large transverse scales. ... Lobivanellinæ (p. 101)
d2. No eye wattle present; tarsus covered with small hexagonal
scales. ... Charadriinæ (p. 102)

c2. Culmen without a dertrum at tip.

d1. Tarsus with transverse plates in front and hexagonal
scales behind; bill short, less than head; culmen nearly
straight. ... Arenariinæ (p. 99)
d2. Tarsus with transverse plates both before and behind
(except Numenius which has a long decurved bill); bill usually
much longer than head, either straight or curved, the tip
usually soft.

e1. Toes webbed at base. ... Totaninæ (p. 114)
e2. Toes cleft to the base. ... Scolopacinæ (p. 132)

a2. Toes with lateral lobes; tarsus with the posterior edge serrated. ... Phalaropodinæ (p. 149)

Subfamily ARENARIINÆ.

Genus ARENARIA Brisson, 1760.

Bill pointed, culmen straight and flattened for basal half; nostril linear, situated in a groove which extends half the length of bill; wing long and pointed; first primary decidedly longest; tarsus short with transverse plates in front and hexagonal scales behind; toes without webs; hind toe present.

88. ARENARIA INTERPRES (Linnæus).

TURNSTONE.

Tringa interpres Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 148.
Arenaria interpres Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 92;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 146; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 3;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 22.
Strepsilas interpres Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4,
223, fig. 50 (head).

Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Cagayancillo (McGregor);
Cagayan Sulu (Guillemard); Cebu (McGregor); Lubang (McGregor);
Luzon (Whitehead); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Steere
Exp.); Negros (Steere Exp.); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Everett);
Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester). Cosmopolitan, breeding in high
northern latitudes.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Above black, mixed with chestnut or partly chestnut feathers on center of mantle; scapulars for the most part chestnut, but outer ones black at the ends or irregularly marked with black; accessory scapular plumes white; back and rump pure white; upper tail-coverts black, longer ones pure white; lesser wing-coverts blackish; innermost rather broadly edged with white, as also those near edge of wing; median coverts for the most part chestnut, slightly mottled with black; greater coverts blackish, narrowly margined and broadly tipped with white; alula and primary-coverts black, innermost of the latter with white tips; quills black with white shafts, and white bases to the inner primaries; secondaries for the most part white, blackish toward the ends of the feathers, these black markings decreasing gradually toward the inner secondaries, some of which are pure white, the innermost secondaries black, mottled with chestnut, like the scapulars; tail-feathers black with white bases, all but the center tail-feathers tipped with white, the black diminishing in size and forming a band toward the outer feathers, which are almost white; crown and hind neck white, the former streaked, the latter mottled with black; base of forehead and a narrow frontal line black, followed by a band of white, which unites with a broad eyebrow and is extended over ear-coverts; lores and fore part of cheeks white; feathers round eye and eyelid white, separated from the white loral patch by a narrow line of black, which unites the frontal band to a square, black patch beneath the eye, the latter joined to a malar line of black, which is connected with the sides of the neck and with the fore neck and sides of breast, all these parts being black, but nearly divided by a semi-lunar band of white, which reaches from the sides of the neck almost to the breast; throat and under surface of body from the center of chest downward, white; under wing-coverts and axillars pure white; quills below ashy whitish along the inner web. 'Bill black; feet deep orange-red, claws black; iris hazel.' (Audubon.) Length, 200; culmen, 23; wing, 157; tail, 58; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 28.

"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Much duller than the male, and having the same pattern of black and white about the face, but never developing the same amount of chestnut about the back, the head and hind neck being brown, mottled with blackish centers to the feathers. Length, 216; culmen, 23; wing, 160; tail, 62; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 25.

"Young.--Above dusky brown, all the feathers edged with sandy buff or rufous; wings and tail as in the adult; crown dark brown, streaked with sandy buff, the margins of the feathers being of this color; tail-feathers white, with a broad, subterminal band of black, decreasing in extent toward the outermost feathers, all the feathers tipped with sandy buff; throat and under surface white; lower throat, fore neck, sides of neck, and sides of breast, mottled with dusky blackish centers to the feathers, marking the black pattern of the adults, even the semi-lunar neck-band of the adults being indicated by a broad, crescentic band of sandy buff in the young.

"Winter plumage of the adult.--Above nearly uniform dusky brown, but not showing the tawny rufous margins to feathers of upper surface, the edges being ashy brown; head uniform brown like the back; hind neck and sides of neck ashy, mottled with dusky centers to the feathers; sides of face brown, with more or less white on ear-coverts; black markings on cheeks and throat as in the breeding bird, but the white semi-lunar band on the sides of the neck replaced by a patch of light brown.

"The difference between the winter plumage of the adult and the first full plumage of the young birds consists in the sandy buff margins to the feathers of the upper surface, which are very distinct in the latter at first. Afterwards they become abraded, and then there is scarcely any distinguishing mark between the winter plumages of the adult and young. In the spring the red plumage is very rapidly acquired, and I believe that it is gained quite as much by the change in the pattern of the feathers as by a direct molt." (Sharpe.)

"Often seen in small flocks during the winter months." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Not uncommon on tide-flats in the winter months; it is easily recognized by its bright red legs.

Subfamily LOBIVANELLINÆ.

Genus MICROSARCOPS Sharpe, 1896.

A hard round knob at bend of wing; a small fleshy wattle on each side of head at base of bill; bill plover-like with a decided swelling at the tip; nostril linear in a groove; wing pointed, first and second primaries equal and largest; tarsus long, covered with large hexagonal scales which appear as transverse plates in front; front toes webbed at base; hind toe small.

89. MICROSARCOPS CINEREUS (Blyth).

GRAY-HEADED LAPWING.

Pluvianus cinerea Blyth, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal (1842), 11, 587.
Microsarcops cinereus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
133; Hand-List (1899), 1, 149; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 9; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 295.

Luzon (Guerrero). Korea and southern Japanese islands to Mongolia
and northern China; southern China, Indo-Burmese countries,
and northeastern Bengal in winter.

"Adult male.--Above light brown, with a slight bronzy gloss; rump, upper tail-coverts, and base of tail white; terminal third of tail black, forming a broad band, tips white with a slight subterminal shade of brown, the black band vanishing toward the outer tail-feather, which is entirely white; wing-coverts brown like the back, but a little paler; median coverts with narrow white tips, except the outer ones, which are pure white; greater coverts nearly entirely white, with brown at the extreme base, increasing in extent on the inner ones; alula dark brown; primary-coverts and quills black; secondaries pure white; outer ones dusky near the ends, inner ones externally light brown, and innermost brown like the back; crown, nape, and hind neck, as well as side of face and neck, throat, fore neck, and chest light pearly gray, with a narrow black band across the upper breast; chin rather paler gray; remainder of under surface including under wing-coverts and axillars, pure white. 'Basal two-thirds of bill deep yellow, terminal third black; feet dull yellow, claws black; edges of eyelids and lappets deep yellow.' (Oates.) Length, 355; culmen, 35; wing, 239; tail, 102; tarsus, 67.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male in plumage. Length, 368; culmen, 35; wing, 239; tail, 107; tarsus, 68.

"Adult in winter.--Differs from the summer plumage in having the gray of head and throat washed with brown, especially on the chest; the black band obscured by ashy or whitish tips to the feathers." (Sharpe.)

Young male in winter.--Upper parts brown with a slight gloss, the feathers with dusky shafts; forehead and neck a trifle lighter and grayer; upper tail-coverts and tail white, rectrices with a subterminal, blackish band which is widest on central pair and absent from outermost pair; chin whitish; throat, and sides of head and neck, light brown with whitish streaks; breast brown, rest of under parts white; wing-coverts brown like the back but a little paler, median coverts with narrow white tips, except the outer ones which are pure white; greater coverts nearly entirely white, with brown at extreme base, increasing in extent on inner ones; alula dark brown; primary-coverts and quills black; secondaries white, the inner ones externally light brown and the innermost brown like the back.

This lapwing resembles a large plover, but is distinguished by having a small hind toe, a short and blunt wing-spur, and a small, fleshy wattle or lappet between the eye and the base of bill. The only Philippine specimen known was taken near Manila in January, 1906.

Subfamily CHARADRIINÆ.

Bill moderate, not longer than head, culmen flat and straight from base to the terminal swollen dertrum; first primary slightly the longest; tarsus covered on all sides with small hexagonal scales; toes webbed at base; hind toe minute or absent.

Genera.

a1. Larger; wing more than 165 mm.; upper parts much spotted.

b1. A minute hind toe; axillars sooty black. ... Squatarola (p. 103)
b2. No hind toe; axillars gray or white. ... Charadrius (p. 104)

a2. Smaller; wing less than 165 mm.; upper parts nearly uniform gray or brown.

b1. Larger; wing, 140 to 165 mm.; bill stouter. ... Ochthodromus
(p. 105)
b2. Smaller; wing, 100 to 115 mm.; bill more slender. ... Ægialitis
(p. 109)

Genus SQUATAROLA Leach, 1816.

This genus is similar to Charadrius but differs in having a minute hind toe; the character is scarcely of generic value.

90. SQUATAROLA SQUATAROLA (Linnæus).

GRAY PLOVER.

Tringa squatarola Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 149.
Squatarola helvetica Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
182; Hand-List (1899), 1, 152; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 17; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 22.

Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo
(Meyer); Luzon (Sanches); Mindanao (Everett); Negros (Layard);
Palawan (Whitehead); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Celestino). Subarctic regions, south in winter to Australia,
Cape of Good Hope, and South America.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Above mottled with bars of black and ashy white, the feathers being black, notched with white and broadly tipped with the latter; scapulars and wing-coverts like back, the greater series edged externally with white, inner ones distinctly notched with white; alula and primary-coverts black, the former slightly, the latter more plainly, tipped with white; quills black, the shaft white about the middle; first two primaries white for the greater portion of the inner web, decreasing in extent on the succeeding quills, which also have the median portion of the shaft white, but after the fourth this white shaft accompanied by an increasing amount of white on outer web; secondaries brown, with white edges and tips, bases of inner webs also white; innermost secondaries resembling the back, and notched with ashy brown and blackish; lower back and rump dusky brown, with white spots and fringes to the feathers; upper tail-coverts and tail white, barred with black or blackish brown, the bars decreasing toward the outer feathers, where they are broken up into spots on the outer web; crown like the back, but more minutely mottled and more hoary white; forehead and a broad eyebrow white, extending down sides of neck, and forming a large patch on sides of upper breast; lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and under surface black, excepting abdomen and under tail-coverts, which are pure white; thighs white, streaked with black; under wing-coverts white; axillars black, with slightly indicated fringes of brown at tips; quills below dusky, with white on inner webs; lower primary-coverts pale ashy. 'Bill, legs, feet, and claws black; iris dark hazel.' (Seebohm.) Length, 267; culmen, 33; wing, 206; tail, 74; tarsus, 46.

"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Above, not so strongly mottled with black as the male, and consequently rather browner, especially on the head; black of face and under parts not so much developed, these parts being mottled with irregular black markings. Length, 279; culmen, 33; wing, 203; tail, 74; tarsus, 46.

"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs from the summer plumage chiefly in wanting the black on face and breast, but, from the absence of black mottling on the back, the whole upper surface appears more uniform, being ashy brown with narrow whitish edgings to the feathers, before which is a blackish subterminal shade; lores white, but base of forehead like crown; a line of white above and below eye, but the white eyebrow scarcely visible above the ear-coverts, which are dingy blackish; sides of face white, streaked with dusky; throat and under parts pure white, lower throat and fore neck pale ashy brown, slightly mottled with dusky markings; under wing-coverts white, except the lower primary-coverts, which are dusky ashy; axillars black.

"Young.--Like the winter plumage of the adults, and always to be distinguished from the golden plover by the black axillars, though it is spangled with golden buff on the upper surface, as is the latter species." (Sharpe.)

The gray plover, known as the black-bellied plover in the United States, is found along the seashore in small numbers during the winter months. As seen in the Philippines it is usually in the gray plumage but as with its very near relative, the golden plover, individuals having the breast mottled with black are not uncommon.

Genus CHARADRIUS Linnæus, 1758.

This genus differs from Squatarola in being smaller and in lacking the hind-toe.

91. CHARADRIUS FULVUS Gmelin.

PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER.

Charadrius fulvus Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, 167; Oates,
Bds. Brit. Burmah (1883), 2, 364; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 22.
Charadrius dominicus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
195 (part); Hand-List (1899), 1, 152 (part); Oates, Cat. Birds'
Eggs (1902), 2, 18 (part).

Ca-sa-huit', Calayan; ma-tang-vá-ca, Manila.

Balabac (Steere, Steere Exp.); Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan
(McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns
& Worcester); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (Everett, McGregor); Cuyo
(McGregor); Fuga (McGregor); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor);
Luzon (Cuming, Meyer, Everett, Heriot, Whitehead, McGregor);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Murray, Everett,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Mindoro (McGregor);
Negros (Layard, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Palawan
(Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Sibay
(McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Mearns);
Ticao (McGregor). Northern Asia and Alaskan coasts of Bering Sea,
south in winter to Australia and Polynesia.

"Male and female in summer.--Forehead white, continued back over each eye as a broad supercilium and extending down the sides of neck; whole upper plumage black, each feather with large marginal yellow spots on both webs, the spots on the wing-coverts tending to white; primary-coverts and the greater series brown, tipped and margined with white; primaries brown, the central portion of the shaft whitish; secondaries brown tipped with whitish; tail blackish, irregularly barred with white; chin, throat, fore neck, breast, and abdomen black; vent and flanks black mottled with white; under tail-coverts white; axillars smoky brown with white tips.

"Male and female in winter.--Upper plumage black, the feathers margined with yellow; wing-coverts margined with dull white; quills and tail much as in summer; forehead and sides of head fulvous, the latter part streaked with brown; chin and upper throat fulvous-white; lower throat, fore neck, and feathers under cheeks and ear-coverts rather bright fulvous with minute streaks of brown; breast grayish, the feathers broadly margined with fulvous; remainder of lower plumage pale buffy white; sides of body more or less marked and fringed with fulvous; axillars smoky brown, tipped with white as in summer. Bill dark brown; iris dark hazel-brown; legs plumbeous; claws horn-color. Length, 254; tail, 63; wing, 160; tarsus, 46; bill from gape, 28. The sexes are of about the same size.

"The golden plover frequents waste ground, grassy plains, and wet paddy-fields, and also the edges of rivers, and is generally met with in flocks of considerable size. It breeds in China, and also it is said in some parts of India, laying four eggs in a hollow lined with a few blades of grass. The eggs are yellowish blotched with blackish sepia." (Oates.)

The Eastern golden plover is found in the Philippines on migration and is then usually in its gray winter dress but specimens have been taken with numbers of black feathers from the summer plumage.

Genus OCHTHODROMUS Reichenbach, 1852.

This genus should be united to Ægialitis from which its members differ only in being a little larger.

Species.

a1. Axillars and under wing-coverts white; wing about 140 mm.

b1. Larger; culmen more than 23 mm. ... geoffroyi (p. 106)
b2. Smaller; culmen less than 20 mm. ... mongolus (p. 107)

a2. Axillars and under wing-coverts smoky brown; wing about 165 mm. ... veredus (p. 108)

92. OCHTHODROMUS GEOFFROYI (Wagler).

LARGER SAND PLOVER.

Charadrius geoffroyi Wagler, Syst. Av. (1827), 61.
Ochthodromus geoffroyi Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
217; Hand-List (1899), 1, 153; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 20; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 23.

Ma-tang va-ca de collar, general name for small plovers.

Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor);
Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor);
Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor);
Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro
(McGregor, Porter); Palawan (Everett, Lempriere, Platen, Whitehead,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere Exp.);
Pata (Mearns); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester). Japan, Formosa,
and Hainan, south in winter to Africa, India, and Australia.

"Adult in breeding plumage.--Above light brown, with a slight olive-greenish gloss, wing-coverts like the back, with obsolete indications of paler fringes to some of the feathers, greater series tipped with white, forming a narrow wing-bar; alula, primary-coverts, and quills brown, primaries darker brown along their outer webs and at tips, shafts white; inner primaries with a white mark toward the base of outer web; secondaries brown, with white fringes to the end of outer web and white tips, shafts white, with a little extension along the sides of the shaft in the inner secondaries; innermost long secondaries like back, outer ones white along their outer web; rump and upper tail-coverts a little lighter and more ashy brown than the back, with white fringes to most of the feathers; sides of rump white; tail ashy brown with a broad white tip, a subterminal shade of darker brown, forming an obsolete, subterminal band; outer feathers with more or less white near base of inner web, outermost one almost entirely white, except for a slight shade of smoky brown and a slightly indicated subterminal shade of darker brown; hinder crown light brown, entirely surrounded by pale cinnamon-rufous, which occupies fore part of crown and extends down sides of neck round hinder neck, where it forms a broad collar of pale cinnamon-rufous; base of forehead white, followed by a narrow black band; lores black; feathers in front of and below the eye black; which unite with a black band along top of ear-coverts; sides of face and under surface of body white; across fore neck and chest a broad band of cinnamon-rufous or light chestnut, which extends a little way down the sides of upper breast; under wing-coverts, axillars, and quill-lining white. Length, 215; culmen, 25; wing, 140; tail, 51; tarsus, 37.

"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs from the summer plumage in wanting the rufous chest and in the absence of all facial markings. Above uniform brown, head like the back, hind neck paler and more ashy brown; lores, forehead, eyelid, and a broad eyebrow white; feathers below eye brown extending in a streak along ear-coverts; cheeks and entire under surface white, with a patch of brown on each side of upper breast. 'Bill black; tarsus greenish gray or pale olive; toes dusky or blackish; iris brown.' (Hume.)

"Young.--Similar to the adults in winter plumage, but dark brown, with faint edges of sandy buff to the feathers of upper surface; eyebrow and sides of face washed with sandy rufous, a strong shade of which color pervades chest and sides of upper breast." (Sharpe.)

In winter plumage Ochthodromus geoffroyi and O. mongolus are very similar but the former may be recognized by its larger size and longer bill. In a male the wing measures 136; tail, 57; exposed culmen, 24; tarsus, 36; middle toe with claw, 24. Wing of a female, 140; tail, 55; exposed culmen, 24; tarsus, 37; middle toe with claw, 23.

93. OCHTHODROMUS MONGOLUS (Pallas).

LESSER SAND PLOVER.

Charadrius mongolus Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 3, 700.
Ochthodromus mongolus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
223; Hand-List (1899), 1, 153; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 23.
Ægialitis mongolica Grant, Ibis (1896), 126.

Basilan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Cagayancillo
(McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor);
Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor);
Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Bourns & Worcester);
Palawan (Platen, Whitehead); Ticao (McGregor). Northern Asia,
south in winter to China, Malay Archipelago, and Australia.

"Adult in breeding plumage.--Similar to O. geoffroyi, but smaller, bill and tarsus much shorter; a broader black line along sides of face; ear-coverts entirely black; the white throat separated from the rufous chest-band by a narrowly indicated line of black. 'Bill black; feet somewhat bluish black, toes darker; iris dark brown.' (Stejneger.) Length, 190; culmen, 19; wing, 127; tail, 53; tarsus, 30.

"Adult female in summer plumage.--Similar to the male, but less richly colored; rufous chest-band never so pronounced; facial markings less developed, the black bands on the forehead often obsolete. 'Bill black; feet dark gray, with an olive tinge; toes darker, blackish; iris dark hazel.' (Stejneger.) Length, 178; culmen, 20; wing, 140; tail; 47; tarsus, 30.

"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs from the summer plumage in wanting the facial markings and the rufous chest. Very similar to the winter plumage of O. geoffroyi, and distinguished chiefly by its smaller size, shorter bill, and shorter tarsus; there is also a little more brown on the ear-coverts.

"Young.--Similar to the adults in winter plumage, but darker brown, all the feathers edged with sandy brown; eyebrow, sides of face, and under surface of body with a strong tint of sandy buff. 'Bill, angle of mouth, and ring round eyes black; legs clear gray; tarsus tinged with yellowish, toes with blackish, and soles with reddish; iris dark brown.' (Stejneger.)

"The exact method by which the rufous chest of the summer plumage is gained is not easy to discover. In some specimens in winter dress there is a distinct narrow line of brown across the fore neck; in most of the series of skins in the Museum this is wanting, as it is also in young birds. It may therefore be a sign of very old birds only, as there are traces of brown feathers in an old bird which has not quite attained its full summer plumage. In the specimen in question it is also evident that the rufous breast is being acquired by a change of color in the feather, from brown to rufous, as well as by a molt. Probably only very old birds go through this double process, as in the majority of specimens the rufous breast appears to be gained by a molt only. When first developed all the rufous feathers are edged with white.

"A young bird is described by Dr. Stejneger as somewhat resembling the adult: 'The brownish gray of the back is paler, and each feather narrowly edged with isabella-color, with which also the lower parts are suffused. On the pectoral region a buffish tinge replaces the rufous collar, and the black markings are absent from the head, the cheeks and ear-coverts being slightly dusky; the forehead between the bill and the eyes whitish, suffused with isabella-color.'

"The winter plumage and young livery of the western and eastern forms of O. mongolus are, as might have been expected, very difficult to distinguish, but the western form seems always to have a longer tarsus (about 32 mm.), whereas the eastern form has the tarsus about 28 mm." (Sharpe.)

94. OCHTHODROMUS VEREDUS (Gould).

EASTERN DOTTEREL.

Charadrius veredus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1848), 38.
Ochthodromus veredus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
232; Hand-List (1899), 1, 153; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 23.

Palawan (Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White). Mongolia and China,
in winter to the Moluccas and Australia.

"Adult in summer plumage.--Similar to O. geoffroyi, but with a longer and more slender bill, and distinguished by its smoky brown axillars, under wing-coverts, and quill-linings. Upper parts uniform brown, with slightly indicated rufous edgings to many of the feathers; alula, primary-coverts, and quills dark brown, first primary only having a white shaft, and no white present on inner webs of quills; secondaries uniform dark brown, with an obsolete white fringe to the tips; innermost secondaries like back; tail-feathers brown, with white tips and a subterminal shade of darker brown, outer feather white along outer web; crown brown like back, slightly washed with rufous, as also the hind neck, where, however, there is no distinct collar as in O. geoffroyi; forehead white to middle of eye; eyebrow, sides of face, and throat white; lower throat, fore neck, and chest bright chestnut, extending down the sides of the upper breast and followed by a horseshoe mark of black; breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts pure white; under wing-coverts and axillars dark smoky brown, with ashy whitish tips; quill-lining also dark smoky brown. 'Bill deep olive-brown, blacker on the terminal portion; feet light brownish flesh-color; toes washed with gray, blackish on joints; claws black; eyelids grayish black.' (Swinhoe.) Length, 215; culmen, 25; wing, 165; tail, 61; tarsus, 44.

"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs from the summer plumage in wanting the rufous chest-band. Above dark brown, including crown; forehead and eyebrow isabelline white, hinder part of the latter shaded with sandy buff, which color also pervades the sides of face and of neck, and forms a faint collar round hind neck; throat isabelline white; lower throat, fore neck, and chest pale brown; remainder of under surface white; under wing-coverts, axillars, and quill-lining smoky brown." (Sharpe.)

Genus ÆGIALITIS Boie, 1822.

This genus includes a number of small plovers not differing greatly from Charadrius except in size and colors; the plumage is never spotted and, with the exception of a more or less complete dusky band across the chest, the lower parts are pure white.

Species.

a1. A black or rusty band across fore breast.

b1. Shafts of primaries dark, excepting of the first which may be
partly or entirely white. ... dubia (p. 109)
b2. Shafts of all the primaries white. ... peroni (p. 111)

a2. A smoky brown band on sides of fore breast or faintly across breast. ... alexandrina (p. 112)

95. ÆGIALITIS DUBIA (Scopoli).

LITTLE RINGED PLOVER.

Charadrius dubius Scopoli, Del Flor. et Faun. Insubr. (1786),
2, 93.
Ægialitis dubia Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 263;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 154; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898),
4, 241, fig. 54 (head); Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 25;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 23.

Basilan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Cagayancillo (McGregor);
Calayan (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett);
Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Everett); Mindanao (Everett, Steere
Exp., Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros
(Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp.,
White); Panay (Steere Exp.); Sibuyan (McGregor); Tablas (Bourns &
Worcester). Europe and northern Asia to Japan, in winter to India,
Africa, and Malay Archipelago; accidental in California and Alaska.

"Adult male.--Above light brown, a little darker on rump and central tail-coverts; sides of rump and lateral upper tail-coverts pure white; wing-coverts like back; feathers round the bend of wing darker brown; alula blackish with white tips; primary-coverts blackish; primary quills blackish, internally lighter brown, with dark shafts to all the primaries except the first, where it is white; secondaries dusky, lighter and more ashy brown internally, inner secondaries smoky brown, with a good deal of white on both webs, the long inner secondaries like the back; tail ashy brown, tipped with white, and with a subterminal black bar, outer feathers more distinctly edged with white, the two outermost almost entirely white, with a black patch on inner web corresponding to the subterminal bar on the rest of the feathers; base of forehead, lores, feathers above and below eye, and ear-coverts black; a broad frontal band of white, followed by another broad band of black above the eye, which is again succeeded by another black line, which widens out above the eye and forms a distinct eyebrow; hinder crown as far as nape ashy brown; round the neck a broad white collar, continuous with the white throat, and followed by a broad band of black on lower hind neck, and continued across fore neck, widening out on the sides; cheeks, throat, and under surface pure white, including under wing-coverts and axillars. 'Bill dusky black; feet flesh-color; iris dusky brown; ring round eye bright yellow.' (Emin.) Length, 173; culmen, 15; wing, 117; tail, 60; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 20.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but with the markings not so well developed, especially the black markings of the face and the black bands on the hind neck and fore neck, the latter being much mixed with brown. 'Bill black; feet pale flesh-color; iris dark brown; ring round eye bright yellow.' (Hartert.) Length, 165; culmen, 16; wing, 117; tail, 60; tarsus, 25.

"Young.--Differs from the adults in wanting the black on the head, as well as the black collars on the mantle and fore neck; general tone of the plumage more rufescent than in the adults, and the whole of the upper surface varied with wavy lines of pale sandy buff, before which is a subterminal dusky bar; forehead pale sandy buff; ear-coverts dusky blackish; the collar on the fore neck composed of brown feathers, with generally a tinge of sandy buff on the throat. The black markings on the head and the black collars are gained by a molt in the following spring. There appears to me to be also a change of feathers especially on the neck collar." (Sharpe.)

This little plover was abundant along the Baco River in the vicinity of Balete, Mindoro, where it nested on the extensive gravel-flats exposed by low water. A nest found April 24, 1905, was a slight hollow, lined with a mosaic of small pebbles. The three eggs measure 30.4 by 21.8; 28.9 by 21.8; 30.9 by 21.8. Their ground-color is very pale gray, almost white, carrying a considerable number of small lilac-colored spots. Small spots and irregularly shaped markings of dark brown are scattered over the entire surface, but are more numerous on the larger end.

"A resident species, usually met with about small fresh-water streams in the interior." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

96. ÆGIALITIS PERONI (Bonaparte).

MALAY SAND PLOVER.

Charadrius peroni Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. (1856), 43, 417.
Ægialitis peroni Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 273;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 154; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898),
247, pl. 6, fig. 8 (egg); Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 25;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 23.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Calayan
(McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Fuga (McGregor); Leyte (Everett);
Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere
Exp., Everett); Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Steere Exp.); Palawan
(Lempriere, Whitehead, Platen); Romblon (McGregor); Sibutu
(Everett); Sibuyan (McGregor); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester); Ticao (McGregor). Greater Sunda Islands to Celebes.

"Adult male.--Above light ashy brown, darker on rump and central upper tail-coverts; sides of rump and lateral upper tail-coverts pure white; wing-coverts like the back, with a band of dark sepia-brown along marginal coverts; greater coverts broadly tipped with white; alula and primary-coverts dark brown, with white tips, the shafts conspicuously white; inner primaries white toward base of outer web; secondaries dark brown, white at ends of outer web, increasing in extent toward the innermost; long inner secondaries like the back; four center tail-feathers dark brown, next pair smoky brown, next pair white with a little smoky brown at the ends, remainder pure white; crown rufous, with a nuchal collar of pure white, this collar followed by a broad black band on hind neck overspreading mantle; forehead white, reaching to above eye and separated from rufous of crown by a tolerably broad band of black; a distinct loral streak of black; sides of face and ear-coverts with a black band along upper margin of the latter; cheeks and under surface pure white, with a large black patch on each side of fore neck; under wing-coverts and axillars white; quills below ashy gray. 'Bill black, orange at base; feet gray, claws black; iris warm chocolate-brown; orbital ring pure orange.' (Everett.) Length, about 150; culmen, 16; wing, 95; tail, 39; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 20.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but without the black band across forehead; black on mantle and hind neck represented by dark brown mixed with rufous; black patch at the side of fore neck replaced by dark brown mixed with rufous, with a tinge of the latter color spreading across fore neck. 'Bill black, base yellowish; feet purplish gray; iris dark brown.' (Everett.) Length, 140; culmen, 16; wing, 102; tail, 38; tarsus, 27.

"In some specimens, apparently very old males, the black band is continued right across the fore neck.

"Young birds resemble the adults, but have no facial black markings or any black or rufous on the mantle or sides of the chest, the whole of the upper surface being uniform ashy brown, with broad sandy-buff margins." (Sharpe.)

This little plover differs from Ægialitis dubia and Æ. alexandrina in having a comparatively stout bill.

Whitehead took three eggs of the Malay sand-plover at Cape Engaño, Luzon, on May 26, 1895. They are described as follows: "Shape short ovate. Ground-color pale cream; the whole shell with small blotches, streaks, and zigzag pencillings of rich sepia and pale lavender. Measurements 30 mm. by 22 mm. The three eggs were deposited on the bare sand among sea-drift and only a few yards above high-water mark. The female was shot. On the same day young plovers nearly ready to fly were captured." (Grant and Whitehead.)

97. ÆGIALITIS ALEXANDRINA (Linnæus).

KENTISH PLOVER.

Charadrius alexandrinus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10, (1758), 1, 150.
Ægialitis alexandrina Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
275; Hand-List (1899), 1, 154; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 26; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 24.

Bohol (Everett, Steere Exp.); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor);
Cuyo (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen,
Everett, Steere Exp.); Panay (Steere Exp.); Siquijor (Steere Exp.);
Ticao (McGregor). Europe and central Asia to China and Japan,
in winter to Africa, Indian Peninsula, and Australia.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Above pale earthy brown, with faint remains of paler margins to the feathers; wing-coverts like back, marginal ones blackish brown, greater series darker brown with a narrow white edging to the tip; alula and primary-coverts dark sepia-brown, the latter fringed with white at the tip; quills sepia-brown, with white shafts to the primaries, which are pale brown on inner web; inner primaries for the most part white toward the base of outer web; secondaries dusky brown with white tips, inner ones also white along the margins of both webs, innermost long secondaries brown like back; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts dark sepia-brown, lateral ones white, forming a patch on each side; the four center tail-feathers dark sepia-brown, paler toward the base, and having white shafts to the center ones, three outer feathers white, next ones smoky brown, with white shafts; crown ashy brown, washed with light tawny-rufous, especially distinct toward nape; hind neck and sides of neck white, forming a collar; forehead and a distinct eyebrow white, with a broad black band separating white of forehead from brown of crown; eyelid and loral streak black; feathers below the eye and sides of face white, with a black patch on hinder ear-coverts; cheeks and under surface pure white, with a patch of black on each side of chest; under wing-coverts and axillars white; quills below light ashy like the lower primary-coverts. 'Bill black, with the base of lower mandible of a dusky flesh-color; tarsi dusky, toes darker, claws black; iris brown.' (Macgillivray.) Length, 165; culmen, 18; wing, 105; tail, 43; middle toe with claw, 18.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but with less rufous on the head, this being represented by a tinge over the eye and round the nape; black band on the fore part of crown absent; black patch on each side of the chest represented by a brown patch with a rufous tinge. Length, 165; culmen, 18; wing, 109; tail, 48; tarsus, 28.

"The Kentish plovers which attain their breeding plumage in the plains of India are certainly much brighter in color than any which are seen in Europe. The black forehead and patch at the side of the chest are also strongly developed. Occasionally a rufous tinge overshades the back.

"The adult bird in winter plumage differs from the summer plumage in the entire absence of bright rufous on the head, and the black markings on the face and sides of the breast are also not developed. The head is like the back, the forehead and eyebrow are white, the lores dusky, and there is always a more or less distinct white collar united to the two sides of the neck.

"Young birds in first winter plumage only differ from the adults in having the whole upper surface distinctly marked with pale edges to the feathers." (Sharpe.)

This plover appears to be a winter visitant to the Philippines and may be found in small flocks along the seashore wherever there are tide-flats. It differs from both Æ. dubia and peroni in being slightly larger and in having an incomplete band on the fore breast.

Subfamily HIMANTOPODINÆ.

Genus HIMANTOPUS Brisson, 1760.

Bill long, slender, straight, and pointed; wing long and slender, reaching well beyond tip of tail, first primary much the longest; tail short and square; legs extremely long and slender; bare portion of tibia equal to three-fourths of tarsus, the latter two and one-half times as long as middle toe with claw; toes webbed at base; hind toe wanting.

98. HIMANTOPUS LEUCOCEPHALUS Gould.

AUSTRALIAN STILT.

Himantopus leucocephalus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1837), 26;
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 317; Hand-List (1899), 1,
156; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 34; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 24.

Basilan (McGregor); Mindanao (Cuming, Everett, Steere Exp.,
Celestino). Greater Sunda Islands, Moluccas, Australia, New Guinea.