214 CURSORES. 



bird. It has a sweet, soft, and musical note, which 

 is uttered with a somewhat deceptive effect, and is 

 often heard proceeding from various quarters at the 

 same time, without our being able to discover its 

 source. The flight of this bird is extremely swift, 

 and there are few of its kind that are fleeter of foot. 

 It will run in a straight line before you with such 

 speed that it requires a keen eye to follow it. The 

 nest of the Piping Plover consists merely of a small 

 hole scooped out of the sand, often near the base of 

 a tuft of grass. The female lays four eggs, which 

 are mostly hatched by the warmth of the sand, ac- 

 quired by exposure to a hot sun. The female, how- 

 ever, always sits upon them by night and during 

 rough weather. The young leave the nest immedi- 

 ately upon being released from the shell, and run 

 about with great activity; and upon the approach 

 of danger they squat so close to the ground, which 

 they very much resemble in color, that it is difficult 

 to discover them. 



Although the Plovers are generally abundant on 

 all our Atlantic coasts, yet their haunts are by no 

 means confined to such localities. Many which fre- 

 quent the sea during the Spring, retire far inland to 

 breed, and some species are seldom known upon the 

 coast. Of those which inhabit our meadows and low 

 grounds, we will select the Kildeer Plover, as the 

 most familiar and the most beautiful. 



Almost every farm-house can boast of its pair of 

 Kildeers, which may be seen skimming most grace- 

 fully over the fields and meadows, repeating their 



