Page:The Common Birds of Bombay.djvu/180

164 deal, so one might fall in with a flock on the Flats, or about Worlee or Colaba; but it is not likely. The Ring Plovers, or Sand Plovers, (Ægialitis) have more right to a place in our list, for they are regular shore birds, loving sandy beaches, and they swarm all along the coast in the cold season. On the Esplanade you will meet them in scores, especially in the morning. I dare say they generally pass for "snippets," but comprehensive as that genus is, it cannot be stretched to take in the Ring Plovers. They are true Plovers, three-toed and swift running, with broad heads, large eyes and stout bills. They live in small parties, running nimbly before you on the sands, or getting up and flying ahead with a swift and sinuous flight, not far above the ground. There are several species of them, which it would be useless to describe separately here. They are all small, sandy-coloured birds, with a dusky collar from which they get their common name. The one which frequents our Esplanade is the Indian Ring Plover (Ægialitis phillipensis).

In December last year (1899), when the famine inland drove many strange birds to Bombay for a living, a flock of forty or fifty large Plovers appeared on the Esplanade and remained for some weeks. They attracted much attention and were productive of letters in the newspapers. These belonged to the species which Jerdon calls the Black-sided Lapwing (Chettusia gregaria). It is a greyish brown bird, with wings and tail partly white and partly black. It is said to be common in the Punjab and north-west.

One bird of the Plover connection remains, which, though rather rare in most parts of India, seems to