CHARADRIUgj XANTHOCHEILUS; W M &
Australian Golden Plover.
Charadrius xanthocheilm, G h a r a d r i ^ ^ i ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ apd^Selb/IUl.Ofti^ yol. ii. pi. 85.
T his species of Golden Plover, which' I have referred to the Charadrius mnthoclieilus of Wagler, although
' Nowhere very abundant, is generally dispersed over all the colonies from Van Diemen’s Land to the extreme
north ofm^E^ ^M B k o f e '^Australia. and I saw a^ gpecjmen^ S be Museum at Sydney which tad been
procured on Melville Island ;g^^rapge^he^forA!!;is „very extensive. I obtained several specimens on the
- banks o f fh f Diemen’s Land, observed it in small numbers on the flats below Clarence
Plains, and also., killed examples on one of the islands opposite Flinders’ Island.
Its habits, manners, and^eneral^^p^^M^^^elbselv resemble those if f i l l Golden Plover ( Charadrius
Wplumalishl of Europe, that a description of one is equally characteristic of the other. Like that bird, it
-fr^qugnts open plaiq|||Mthe neighbourhood of marshy lands or the sea-beach, runs with amazing facility,
and flies with equal,
Indications of theMpture black colonring of the breast&^ br.ee^fng-plumage begin to appear early in the
spring, and as the season advances, every variety of colouring occurs from the mottled yellow o f winter to
the uniform black under-surface of summer, which latter state’ however is but seldom seen ; whence I am
induced tp^dqnTitits^geiham’ih^tQ^^SflliwMvAofjfehe southern parts of Australia.
Th£ full summer plumage is as follows :— The whole ofthe upper surface and tail very dark brown, each
feather with a series of oblong yeliowis^Snd-^^i^!^ps|mts'along their margins; primaries dark brown with
white shafts ; lores, sides o f the face, breast and all the under a broad mark
of white, which crosses the forehead, passes over the eye, down the side of the neck and along the flanks,
where it becomes .brqu& ehdl conspicuous; under wing-coverts ^ ^ iq ^ i g ,th e n e d feathers covering the
insertion of the wing uniform palevsilvery^MdM^^|j^des dark*brown; bill dark olive; legs and feet
leaden-grey.
In the winter season the black and white markings of the under surface entirely disappear, and are
replaced by a bufly tint mottled with brown, the mottled appearance b e i^ p p 4v e® S y a triangular spot of
pale brown at the tiprof each feather.
The Plate represents the bird inrthe summer and winterplumage,and o fthe natural size.