Part 43

"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.