American Golden Plover 131 



down the sides of the neck, wing linings and under tail-coverts, white ; 

 rest of the lower parts from the chin to the abdomen, including the 

 axillaries, black ; iris brown, bill and legs black. Length 9-75 ; wing 

 7-25 ; tail 2-5 ; cukaen 1-1 ; tarsus 1'75. A minute hind toe present 

 measuring •!. 



In winter, and as generally seen in Colorado, the upper-parts are 

 speckled dark brown and white, with a few spots of tawny ; and below 

 white, washed with grey and slightly striped with dusky on the fore- 

 neck and breast ; the axillaries, however, always black ; iris brown, 

 bill black, legs dark bluish. 



Distribution. — Breeding far north beyond the Arctic circle in both 

 hemispheres, south in winter chiefly along the sea coasts in America 

 as far as Peru and Brazil. 



This Plover is rather a rare migrant through Colorado, and has 

 generally been noticed in the fall on its way south. H. G. Smith 

 reported two from near Denver, one a young male killed October 22nd, 

 1888. Cooke shot one near Fort Collins, October 28th, and W. G. Smith 

 noticed it at Loveland. There is an example from Barr in the Museum 

 at Denver, and one from near Colorado Springs in the Aiken 

 collection. All the records hitherto are from the plains east of the 

 mountains. 



Genus CHARADRIUS. 



Bill moderate, about as long as the middle toe and claw, tip swollen 

 forming a " dertrum " ; wings long and pointed, the outer primary 

 clearly the longest ; tail short, slightly rounded, less than half the 

 length of the wing ; tarsus and bare part of the tibia with reticulate 

 scaling throughout ; a basal web between the middle and outer toes ; 

 hind toe absent. 



There are several species of Golden Plovers, but only one commonly 

 occurs in North America. 



American Golden Plover. Charadrius dominicus. 



A.O.XJ. Checklist no 272 — Colorado Records — Ridgway 73, p. 187 

 {C.pluvialis virginicus) ; Morrison 89, p. 181 ; Cooke 97, p. 68 ; Hersey & 

 Rockwell 09, p. 116. 



Description. — Summer — Above blackish, spangled with golden-yellow 

 and white ; below, including the base of the bill and sides of the face 

 to the eyes, black, bordered above by white ; tail barred brown and 

 grey ; wings dusky, paler at base ; hning of winga and axiUaries ashy- 

 grey ; iris dark brown, bill black, legs dusky. Length 10 ; wing 7-0 ; 

 tail 2-5 ; culmen -85 ; tarsus 1'7. 



K 2 



