90 PLUVIALIS SQUATAROLA. 



of pale yellowish-brown, the end of all the feathers white, 

 and the middle generally dark. The primaries are liver- 

 brown, the shafts more or less white, all except the outer 

 four marked with white on the middle and outer webs 

 towards the base ; the inner Avebs of all white, unless toward 

 the end. The secondaries are brownish-grey, tipped with 

 white ; the inner pale yellowish-brown, with alternate spots 

 of white and black along the edge. The upper tail-coverts 

 are white, with a few brown marks. The tail-feathers barred 

 with white and dark brown, the latter diminishing laterally, 

 so that the extreme feathers are nearly white. The forehead 

 and a line extending from thence along the side of the neck 

 and breast, to the axillaries, white. The lower surface of 

 the wings, the tibiae, the abdomen, and the lower tail-coverts, 

 pure white ; the immediate tail-coverts with a few brown 

 spots near the tips. The rest of the lower surface, that is, 

 the throat, neck, breast, axillaries, and anterior part of the 

 abdomen, brownish-black. 



Length to end of tail 12 inches ; bill along the ridge 1^; 

 tarsus If; middle toe 1-g-, its claw j 4 2 . 



Female in Summer. — The female has the colours lighter. 

 There is more pale yellowish-brown on the upper surface, 

 less brownish-black ; the ends of the feathers, instead of 

 being white, are ash-grey ; the lateral white line along the 

 neck is sprinkled with brown ; the throat is mixed with 

 Avhite ; the brownish-black of the breast is lighter, and mixed 

 with white ; the axillaries only being as dark as in the male. 



Length to end of tail II5- inches; bill 1^; tarsus If; 

 middle toe 1-g-. 



Habits. — The Grey Plover, which is pretty generally 

 distributed on the Continent of Europe, and is plentiful in 

 some parts of North America, seems to be with us merely 

 an annual visitor, appearing in small flocks in autumn and 

 spring, chiefly along the coast, where it frequents the muddy 

 and sandy beaches, which it searches in the manner of the 

 Golden Plover and Ringed Sand Plover, for worms, insects, 

 and small marine animals. Many individuals remain all 



