CHAEADRIID^E — THE PLOVERS — OCHTHODROMUS. 



169 



Sp. Char. Adult male : Frontal crescent, extending back on each side of the crown to beyond 

 the eye, ends of greater wing-coverts, shafts of primaries, and entire lower parts, pure white ; cres- 

 centic patch covering fore part of the crown, lores, and wide band across the jugulum, black ; occi- 

 put more or less strongly sufi'used with ochraceous, especially laterally and posteriorly. Upper 

 parts (except as described) uniform brownish gray, the remiges darker. Adult female : Similar 

 to the male, but the black rephiced by brownish gray, the jugular collar tinged with ochraceous. 

 Donmy young : Crown and occiput light grayish buff, distinctly but very irregularly marbled or 

 mottled with l)lack ; back and rump similar, but more grayish, the mottling coarser and less dis- 

 tinct ; arm-wing light buff, nuittled with dusky; hand-wing wholly immaculate white. Whole 



forehead, lores, sujierciliaries, side of head, broad nuchal collar, and entire lower parts, white ; an 

 irregular but distinct postocular streak of black running into the mottling of the occiput. A large 

 bare space on each side of neck. Bill black ; eyelids grayish ; iris brown ; legs and feet pale 

 grayish flesh-color. 



Total length, about 7.75 ; extent, 16.00 ; wing, 4.50 ; culmen, .80 ; tarsus, 1.25 , middle toe, .75. 



The geographical variations of this species are not well understood, on account of lack of 

 sufficient material. An adult female from Alazatlan (winter) and two from Cape St. Lucas 

 (December) are unifomdy, though slightly, darker than eastern examples ; they also have the 

 frontal white very narrow, the brown of the lores contini;ous, extending (in two specimens, and 

 also in an adult male from Cape St. Lucas) quite broadly across the frontlet, while beneath the 

 eye the brown is very " solid " lb]' a wadth of .30 of an inch or more. It is possible, however, that 

 these differences may not prove constant. 



This Plover, first recognized as a distinct species in 1813, and dedicated to the 

 memory of Wilson by Mr. Ord, is met with, more or less commonly, along our whole 

 Atlantic coast from Long Island to Florida. It also occnrs on both coasts of Central 

 America, and probably breeds wherever it is found. Except that one is recorded by 

 Mr. Lindsley as having been taken in Stratford, Conn., so far as I know it has 

 never been traced with certainty to Xew England. It is quite probable, however, 

 that individuals may occasionally visit the northern shore of Long Island Sound. It 

 also occurs on the Atlantic coast of South America to Brazil. Audubon states that 

 it is found on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in all the Southern States, that it 

 breeds there, and that it also spends the winter in the region between Cardina and 

 the mouths of the Mississippi Kiver. That it also occurs in Texas is stated by 

 Dresser, who found it common about the coast during the summer season. He 

 noticed many on Galveston Island during his stay there in May and June, and shot 

 several speciihens, but was not able to find their nests or eggs. Dr. Merrill speaks 

 of it as an abundant resident, and as breeding on the coast of Southwestern Texas. 



VOL. I. — 22 



