THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 117 



States, arriving here during the early part of May and re- 

 turning shortly after the middle of September. 



Their song is pee-a-iuee, pee-wee a-jjeer, all day long. 



Their food consists of insects, the common housefly be- 

 ing apparently preferred. 



JPetref^ If •»7.soii'.s, IStonu!/ M'elrvl^ or ,fiotiier 

 Citrey'^s Chicken. — Length, seven inches; extent, four- 

 teen inches; bill, half an inch in length, l)lack; back, 

 sooty black; l)elly, grayish black; tail, black, nearly even 

 at the tip, slightly forked feathers at the base of the tail 

 both above and below, white; wings, sooty black, with 

 gray edging to the smaller feathers; legs and naked part 

 of the thighs, black; feet, black, with yellow webs; legs 

 from toes to the beginning of the feathered part three and 

 one-quarter inches. 



These birds are occasionally seen along the coast of New 

 Jersey, generally after a storm, but they spend most of 

 their time on the high seas. They breed on isolated 

 rocky islands, the female laying one white egg. 



Pine Siskin. See Pine Finch. 

 Pintail. See Pintail Duck. 



Pitil. See Titlark. 



Plover.^ Blaek-hellieil .^ or Beetle-head. — Length, 

 eleven inches; extent, twenty- two inches; bill, one and 

 one- tenth inches, black; above, coarsely mottled with 

 black, white and gray; head, gray, forehead and hind 

 neck nearly white; long wing feathers, black, with white 

 on the inner webs, tail l)arred transversely with black and 

 white; below, jet black, except the lower belly, thighs 

 and feathers under the tail, wliicli are white; sides of 

 head and neck, uniform black, lii fall the i)lumage lacks 

 the black color beneatli, being white, mottled on breast, 

 neck and sides of head with gray. During spring all sorts 



