130 Birds of Colorado 



paler nifous than in N. americanus, but with the inner webs of the 

 primaries marbled with paler. Length 18 ; wing lO-O ; tail 3-75 ; 

 cuhnen 3 '6 ; tarsus 2'7. 



A mounted example in the Aiken collection taken in the fall does 

 not show the median pale stripe on the crown very clearly ; it is 

 probably a bird of the year. 



Distribution. — Breeding chiefly far north in the Barren Grounds from 

 Hudson Bay to northern Alaska, south on migration to wdnter in the 

 Gulf states and Lower California and through the West Indies and 

 Mexico as far as Brazil and ChUi. 



The Hudsonian Curlew is a rare migrant in Colorado, hitherto only 

 recorded on one or two occasions from the plains east of the mountains. 

 Beckham first reported an example which he examined, and which was 

 said to have been shot near Pueblo. Thorne, and subsequently Morrison, 

 noticed it near Fort Lyon on April 30th, 1885, and in early May, 1888, 

 respectively. Hersey and Rockwell report it as rare in the fall migration 

 at Barr. There is a single example in the Aiken collection, taken 

 September 23rd, 1900, near Colorado Springs. 



Family CHARADRIID^. 



A large family containing the Plovers and their allies, 

 in which the bill never exceeds the length of the head 

 and is generally shorter ; it ends in a characteristic 

 convex, homy terminal portion — the dertrum ; tarsus 

 reticulate without scutes ; toes, except in Squatarola, 

 always three in number ; webbing between the toes 

 variable. (For key of genera, see p. 100.) 



Genus SQUATAROLA. 



Resembling in every respect Charadrius, but with a small and distinct 

 hind toe, contrary to the general rule in the family. 



This genus contains only the Grey or Black-bellied Plover, a bird of 

 wide distribution in both hemispheres. 



Black-bellied Plover. Squatarola squatarola. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 270 — Colorado Records— Ridgway 79, p. 232 ; 

 H. G. Smith 86, p. 285 ; 96, p. 65 ; Morrison 89, p. 181 ; Cooke 94, 

 p. 183 ; 97, pp. 68, 201. 



Description. — In summer — Above mottled blackish and ashy-white ; 

 upper tail-coverts chiefly white ; tail barred black and \vhite ; primaries 

 dusky with white on the inner webs ; forehead, Une over the eye and 



