A Manual of Philippine Birds. Richard C. McGregor
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