104 PLOVERS 



neck ; f oreliead, collar, and under parts white ; 



front of crown black ; rump and sides of tail bright 



ochraceous yellow ; rest of upper parts dull olive 



^^^^^ I brown. Young : similar to adults but duller, with 



l^^^^p-^gHij j^j^jIj rusty on back. Length: 10.00-11.25, wing- 



^^g^ 6.20-6.75, bill .70-.90, tarsus 1.40-1.55. 



^^^WWm Distribution. — Whole of temperate North Amer- 



'^^^pM^^ . ica, breeding- throughout its range, wintering from 



u.^* • - ^'ii^T^ sm California and the Gulf coast of the United 



F' V>0 Killdeer States and West Indies south to northern South 



America. 

 Nest. — A slight depression in bare ground. Eggs : 4, dull buff y, 

 spotted with dark brown and black. 



The killdeer is everywhere too common to need description, and 

 even its name, dinned in our ears from morning till night from 

 roadside puddles, barnyard, and meadow in the shrill kill-dee', kill- 

 dee' , kill -dee' , kill-dee', becomes almost tiresomely familiar. Vocifer- 

 ous at all times, the plover becomes doubly so when the little downy 

 striped young are trotting about in the short grass. Then the cries 

 and frantic endeavors of the old birds to lead the intruder another 

 way by running ahead, limping, falling over, fluttering the spread 

 wings and tail, and uttering low notes of pain, would be ludicrous 

 if not done in tragic earnest. Vernon Bailey. 



Subgenus -^gialitis. 

 274. -SJgialitis semipalmata Bonap. Semipalmated Plover. 



Size small ; distinct basal webs between front toes ; bill very small and 



short, less than middle toe Avithout claw, the basal half yellow in adults. 



Adults in summer : throat encircled by a black collar, 



bordered above on back of neck with a white band ; 



face black, with a white bar across forehead ; upper 



parts brownish gray, under parts white. Adults in 



F*. im|fi;-]|prT ! winter : black of summer plumage replaced by dark 



H^L ^«»i*»' i^ I gray. Young: like winter adults, but with feathers 



^Bk of upper parts edg-ed with buffy. Length : 6.50-7.50, 



|B^I^ wing 4.65-5.00, bill .48-.55, tarsus .95-1.05. 



Hp^ TJistrihution. — In North America, breeding far 



r ^ north, wintering from Texas to Brazil, Peru, and the 



'^' " ■ Galapagos Islands. 



Nest. — A depression in the ground, sometimes lined with grass and 



leaves. Eggs : 4, dull buffy or olive buff, spotted with dark brown and 



black. 



" This species is quite common in suitable localities throughout 

 the continent. They are often met with upon low, marshy ground, 

 but seem to prefer the sandy shores to barren lands." (Goss.) 



277a. ^gialitis meloda circumcincta Bidgw. Belted Pip- 

 ing Plovek. 

 Middle and inner toes without basal web. Adult male in summer : upper 

 parts buffy gray, a black bar across chest and one across front of crown ; 



