216 HISTORY OF THE 



Eggs usually four, 1.27x.95; ground color light gray to creamy 

 buff, finely and rather sparsely speckled or dotted with blackish 

 brown and purplish gray; in shape, abruptly pyriform. 



^gialitis nivosa Cass. 



SNOWY PLOVER. 

 PLATE Xn. 



Summer resident on the salt plains along the Cimarron River, 

 in the Indian Territory, the northern limits of which extend 

 across the State line into southern Com.anche county; quite com- 

 mon. Arrive about the first of May; begin laying the last of 

 May. 



B. 509. R. 521. C. 591. G. , . U. 278. 



Habitat. Western North America, north into northern Cali- 

 fornia, east to Kansas, Texas and Cuba; south in winter to Chili. 



Sp. Char. "Bill slender, wholly deep black, as long as the middle toe. 

 Adult male: Foreliead, superciliary region, indistinct nuchal collar and entire 

 lower parts pure white; a baud across the fore part of the crown, auriculars and 

 transverse patch on each side of the breast black. Upper parts rather light 

 brownish gray, the crown and occiput usually tinged with light reddish buff. 

 Primaries dusky, with white shafts, the inner quills marked with white; inner 

 secondaries almost wholly white. Two outer tail feathers wholly white, the 

 rest growing gradually darker to the inner pair, which are wholly dusky. Adult 

 female: Similar to male, but the black markings less distinct (sometimes nearly 

 obsolete). Bill and eyelids deep black; iris deep brown; legs dull slate color; 

 toes black; interior of mouth fleshy white. Young: More ashy above, the black 

 markings replaced by ashy; feathers of the upper parts indistinctly bordered 

 with whitish. Downy young: Above, pale grayish buff, interrupted by a white 

 nuchal collar, the whole of the colored portion irregularly mottled with black. 

 Forehead, lower parts and 'hand wing' white. A distinct postocular streak of 

 dusky." 



The Kansas birds, and specimens since collected by Mr. Sen- 

 nett, in Texas, are lighter in color, and present a more bleached 

 appearance than the California specimens examined; but, as the 

 birds vary somewhat in shadings, it is probable that with a larger 

 number before us the difference would be less apparent, and re- 

 move the thought at first entertained, that they were entitled to 

 sub-specific separation. 



stretch of 

 Length. •wing. ll'/ng. Tnil. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 6.60 13.50 4.10 1.95 .95 .60 



Female... 6.50 13.20 4.00 1.80 .95 .60 



