192 THE DIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



a rule in April, though occasionally in March, and in July 

 begin to flock ; by the end of September few are left, and Dr. 

 Ticehurst's latest date for Kent is October loth, and a bird was 

 killed against the St. Catherine's Light on October 9th. 



The nest is usually a depression in sand or amongst shingle, 

 and occasionally in dry weed at high-water mark ; little attempt 

 is made to provide lining or decoration (Plate Si). The 

 yellowish-buff or stone-coloured eggs (Plate 57) are as a rule 

 curiously streaked with black ; they are generally three in number 

 and are laid in May, and often placed vertically, their smaller 

 end deeply buried in the sand, a method at times adopted by 

 the Ringed Plover. Both sexes incubate, though it was formerly 

 thought that in this habit they differed from the common bird. 

 The nestling (shown on Plate 81) has grey and buff down, but 

 lacks the characteristic dorsal streak of the last species, and the 

 dark band on the hind neck is also absent. 



The male in summer is sandy drab on the upper parts ; the 

 crown has a rufous tinge. The forehead and a streak above the 

 eye, the collar and under parts are white. There is a black 

 mark above the forehead, and a streak through the eye to the 

 cheeks, and a black patch on the neck. The only black on the 

 female is a streak from the bill to the eye. The bill, legs, and 

 irides are black. In winter there is practically neither black 

 nor rufous in the plumage, and the young has a similar dress, 

 but with buff margins to the feathers of the upper parts. 

 Length, 675 ins. Wing, 4'2$ ins. Tarsus, o'9 in. 



The Semipalmated Ringed Plover, Aii^ialitis semipalmatiis 

 (Bonap.), an American bird, is recorded as having been killed 

 in Sussex in April, 1916. In its summer plumage it closely 

 resembles the Ringed Plover, but there is rather more webbing 

 between the toes. 



