144 PR.ECOCIAL GRALLATORES — LIMICOLiE. 



and as the female glides from her nest, if approached, even when the intruders are still 

 at a distance. .She runs a certain distance, and if she succeeds in enticing the party 

 away, will then take to flight. In a few instances, when the bird was surprised by a 

 near approach before she left, she pretended lameness, and fluttered at their feet. 

 The eggs were found iu June, and some even as late us fJuly, and quite fresh. When 

 the ground was covered with newly-fallen snow the nests were more readily recog- 

 nized. When approached the female usually left lier position at a quick pace —  

 between a run and a walk — and in no case was she known to fly up directly from 

 her eggs. In one instance, where the presence of a nest was suspected, but the exact 

 locality of which they were not able to discover, the party withdrew to a distance 

 and watched, when the female, after resorting to various manoeuvres to hide the place, 

 at last revealed it by finally settling down upon her eggs. 



The eggs of this species have a ground of various shades of drab, differing in 

 several specimens, and varying from a light greenish drab to a very deep shade, 

 unmixed with any other color. Others have a ground of a pale rufous-drab. All are 

 marked with blotches of a deep umber, approaching to blackness. These markings 

 are smaller and more scattered around the pointed end ; but are larger and become 

 confluent, with intensified spots, around the obtuse apex. Their average length is 

 about 1.91 inches, and their average breadth 1.31 inches. Their maximum length 

 is 2 inches, their minimum 1.84 ; their breadth varies from 1.25 to 1.35 inches. 



Charadrius dominicus fulvus. 



THE PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER. 



Charadrius fulvus, Gmel. S. N. I. 1788, 687. — CouES, Elliott's Piybilof Islands, 1873, 179 (Prybilof 



Islands, Alaska). 

 Charadrius fulvus, a. fulvus, CoUES, Birds N. W. 1874, lli* (synonym}-). 

 PI aviulis fulvus, Bonap. Compt. Rend. 1856, 417. 

 Charadrius dommicus fulvus, Kidgw. Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus. Vol. 3, 1880, 198, 221 ; Norn. N. Am. 



B. 1881, no. 515 a. — Ooues, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 582. 

 Charadrius xanlhocheilus, Wagl. Syst. Av. 1827. — Cassin, U. S. Expl. Exp. 1848, 239. 

 Charadrius tahitcnsis. Less. Man. II. 1828, 321. 

 Charadrius cjlaucopsus, Forst. Descr. An. ed. Lieht. 1844, 176. 

 Charadrius loiujipcs, " Ticm.m. ]\Ius. Lugdnn." 



Chariidrius auruius oricntalis, Temm. & Schleg. Fauna .Jap. 1845, pi. 62. 

 Charadrius auratus, Schuenok, Reise Amur. 1860, 410. 



Hab. Whole of Asia, and islands throucfhout the Pacific Ocean ; Prybilof Islands and coast 

 of Alaska (numerous specimens in National Museum). 



Char. Similar to G. dominicus, but wing much shorter, and color much more golden, the 

 upper surface being almost continuously washed with golden yellow. Average measurements: 

 Wing, 6.40 ; culmen, .92 ; tarsus, 1.72; middle toe, .90. 



The only American specimens of this form of the Golden Plover, which ranges throughout the 

 islands of the Pacific, besides Southern and Eastern Asia, are from the islands and coasts of Alaska. 

 They are all in the wintei' ]ilumage, suggesting the probability of their being mere migrants to our 

 shores. The very fine specimens iu the collection, obtained chiefly by Messrs. Lucien M. Turner 

 and E. W. Nelson, of the U. S. Signal Seivice, at St. Michael's, Norton Sound, are perfectly typical 

 of the race, most of them being continuouslj^ golden yellow above, relieved only by the black 

 spotting. The jugulum is also deeply tinged with this color. There are no specimens in the 

 summer plumage, from any locality, in the coUection, so we are unable to point out the exact 

 differences from the corresponding stage of C. dominicus} Altogether we have examined in this 



1 Since the above was written, the National Museum has come into possession of an adult male in 

 changing plumage, from New South Wales (Xo. 71561, obtained from the New South Wales Museum), 



