late Arctic Expedition, Major Feilden obtained a female which
had apparently been nesting in lat. 78° 48' N. in Buchanan
Strait, Smith Sound; but birds from other and more western
localities in Arctic America have either been proved, or may
fairly be supposed to be, examples of an allied species,
JE. semvpalmata. The latter is smaller than our bird, and
has no white patch above and behind the eye : the pectoral
band is narrower, and the middle and outer toes are united
at their base by a very distinct web. Tracing the arctic
range of the Ringed Plover eastward, the species is foundffii
summer along the whole northern line of the Old World
from the North Cape, and Novaya Zemlya, to the winter
quarters of the “ Yega,” close to Behring’s Straits./
Throughout Europe the Ringed Plover is generally distributed
in suitable localities, becoming rarer in the interior
of compact countries like Russia, and more abundant in
those which present a varied coast; line, or large rivers.. In
the northern regions it is a migrant, but in the temperate
portions it is resident, and some of the largest individuals
are to be found amongst those which permanently inhabit
the British Islands, and the opposite coasts of France and
Holland. In the southern portions of Europe the smaller
race predominates, and to this, in all probability, belong the
birds which are found in Madeira, the Oanarie% and
northern Africa, and which range in winter to the southern
extremity of th a t; continent. . In Egypt, Captain Shelley
obtained none but the smallermdividuals, but it is tolerably
certain that some of the larger race also .go as far as-th'e Red
Sea. In Turkestan, ;it is said .to breed; but in China it
appears to be replaced b j JEi placHa^ Gray, which has also
occurred in India, and has been recorded in error as our
bird. A single specimen of the Ringed Plover was, however,
obtained ;by Dr. Scully at Gilgit, and; one been recorded by
Mr. Hume from Sultanpur, about thirty miles south of Delhi.
(Str. Feath. viii. p. 197.); The late Mr.?Gou!d has stated that
he possessed an undoubted specimen from Port Stevens, in
Australia.
The male in summer has the beak black at -the point,
orange-yellow at the base; the irides brown; forehead white,
with a black band above it reaching to the eyes on each side ;
lore, space under the eyes, and the ear-coverts, black; top of
the head and nape of the neck hair-brown ; below this, and
all roundthe neck a collar of white, followed by a gorget of
black; the back, wing-coverts, and tertials, hair-brown; the
wing-coverts tipped with white, forming a continuous bar of
that colour, which is conspicuous when the bird is. on the
wing; the primaries almost black, the distal portion of each
quill-shaft white; upper tail-cOverts and the base: of the tail-
feathers hair-brown, passing into greyish black, towards the
end, the middle pair the longest, the next, four on each side
tipped with white.; the outer feather on each side entirely
white in the fully adult, but spotted in others; chin and
throat white; across the neck a broad collar of black ;
breast, belly, vent, and under tail-covert.s, white; under
wing-coverts and the axillary plume white; legs and toes
orange ; the elaws black.
The whole length of the adult bird is . seven inches and
three-quarters.. From the c a r p a l J ^ ^ to the end of: the
wing, five‘ inches- and a half : thé~wings pointed in shape ;
the first quill-feather jthe longest. • :. ; t
Adult females in summer have ike black bands and collar
narrower than in the males, and the cplours npt quite so|
decidedboth sexes in winter hav.e-the black and the white
less pure in colour. . . -
Young birds of th e ; year, have the beak almost entirely
black; they have no -black band over the white one on the
forehead; jh e lore, ear-coyerts, and the collar round the
lower-'part of the nepkare only dusky brown ; .lege and toes
pale yellow. .
Yarieties of this .species are not common, but Mr. h.
Bond has one,-shot in Orkney, which is nesrljt-white with
dusky maikings; and Mr. J. Whitaker, of Rainwprth
-Lodge, Notts, has one with a stone-buff mantle,, .