86 THE GAME BIRDS 
shading into white at the base of the tail. 
Feet and bill black. In the immature and 
winter plumage all this is changed, however, 
and the bird loses nearly all its black color; 
the back becoming mottled brown and white, 
the breast nearly white, with a few darker 
markings; even the legs and bill assuming 
a lighter tone; and these birds shot at the 
different seasons of the year assume all the 
various grades between these two plumages. 
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These birds are often confounded, more 
particularly in the gray phase, with No. 100, 
but they are easily distinguished by the pres- 
ence of the minute hind toe, which is lacking 
in the Golden Plover (see No. 100). 
Extent of wings 25 inches. Length of bird 
111 inches. Eyes brown. 
This bird is found in nearly every quarter 
of the globe, and migrates North and South 
with the changes of the season. ‘The flocks 
frequent the beaches at low water, and, when 
the flats are covered, they retire to the 
marshes, there to await the fall of the tide to 
