H I A T | i i | ,A NIGRIFRONS.
Black-fronted Dottrel.
Charadrws mgnfrons, Cujr’ jprMug: Bans —T em m .P r ,^ , 47 fig 1 — Wagl Syst At , ap. 20.
_____*1, mehmops, .Viiilr \ i i j ' L e t '* \ «?, tom xxvii p. J Jp 3^ :E u c y . Meth. O n ., Part I. p. 335.
■ ■ g:i»;
Mpahtyimgnjrons, Gmild^gmi. Jiirds o£Aus^al&5 Part^pf?5.
Hiaticula nigrfrons, List of Bird&jfl Brit. Mus. Coll., Part III. p 71. . ..t
T he temperate latitudgs of Australia constitute tiie trii'a habitat of this beautiful little Dottrel; for so far as
I have been able to l@ E > it is nevertfound iilgi^northern part o ^ | b ^ S 9 ^ ^ nor C3n Van Diemen’s Land
claim it ast-.a part of {fgfapna; thecliipyetoSfti.e latter eou^rvbgg^jIeg|’genial, andTbe seas which wash
its -hurts hi mj'jtHL^MMh' md boi-n reus for t h e ^ ^ p f so delicate a^ird as the Hiaticula mgrifrom.
Even in’.. Australia » " e x p o s e d sea-beaches seero, .to J 'a ^ | ^ 4 g # d ’ it»ia'imost frequently found in the
mt! run. pools and 'lakes, retired eituafipns. It 4 w
^ .pu-Tiis r b t^ r i^ 'u t rivers nnuurw'jph» the heart i f the c o l| § y ^ f r e q u e n t ly encountered it white
g j j . t mlinl r h ^ M t ^ a r e y -1 »»<!>■ « t of w liU f rtVerTwas so fortunate as to discover its eggs. They
» V d t posit d tin h l i ground b.-idT ihi" -hi im; th S ^ ow grace" my cabinet, and are esteemed as one
Jffimy-'greatest r a r i^ v a p d tawEfch. many pleasing associationsjre attached, connected with my visit to
ilie dist int 'r g ^ f f imSEioh they wererprocuiedi’ * *
..Tie colonies o f Swapp e r, .South Australia and Nevy-Sonth Wales are equally visited by ft js bird; and
its“ f l f £ appears to he general ^ - t h o s e p o r tio n s^ A u s tra lia lying between the twenty-eighth and
thirty.-seventi degrees of soufilj l^kade^ - _ *■ ' ; . ■
No member o f the genus;is^more tame than the present; for as it trips nimbly along the sides of the
pools it fe l l' allow o f a sufficiently near appioach fo r ^ q b s b r v e r to see’ the-fcofour a t the eye, and the
brilliant r jn f o f scarlet which encircles i t ; and w h e n 5 ^ d j g | p e - wing ^merely flies to the opposite hank
oi-b t© p very short distmlce, and then alights again. P' The two eggs above-mentioned so nearly resembled" the surface o f the sand-bank upon which they were
deposited, that it * a £ h y the merest chance they were not passed by Unnoticed. In form they ne ar|
I resemble the eggs of other Dottrels, being considerably poin.ted-at Jhe smaller end; they are one inch
and three-sixteenths long by.three-quartera o f ah inch i S « P * * lf p | p j c0,0Dr’
I numerously but minutely speckled witfv'dark brown.-
The sexes I f f i R H alike inithj,colouring o f fheir plumage, and nearly so m g i g
F o r b a d , passing Qv^ the e ^ e r « r « r a d the back o f the neck,
and a broad bapd crossing the chest an$ advancing somewhat downnhe centre g g g l g f g g » stop*
o f white passes over each eye.anch«>ntinites round the back of the neck, separating the blade band from
the crown which with the b h p i^® * ^ ie r t ia is , M the middle of t a w in g , are brown; sraputenesdeep
chestnut; tips o f the greater coverts ^ f e f o rm m g t n o b s e n r e ^ d across the wing; primaries black;
throat, abdomen and under tail-coverts white; two middle tail-feathers brown at the base and W g X k
tin - the next three on each side white a tp ^ b a s e , gradually passing into blackish brown, and largely M — remainder B B 1B bill rich orange at the base and black a t th e tip ; feet
«ange flesh-eolour in some, in q t ^ ^ h f flesKcoldn>; i « p | a r k brown; eyelash brightred.
’Ihe Young have a crescentic m,ark pf a lighteri.eoldjir o O h e feathers of the upper surface, and have the
colouring o f tb* plumage a p K f t V * * I * brilliant a & i - '^ f i n e d than the adults.
The Plate represents a male Vnd a female of the natural size.