CHARADRIID.E — THE PLOVERS. 29 



a. alexandrina. Lores always crossed by a dusky stripe. In summer, 

 pileum brownish gray or dull buff. Wing, 4.40 : eulmen, .r.5-.tj0 ; tarsus, 

 1.02-1.12; middle toe, .55-.60. Hab. Europe, etc. 



fi. nivosa. Lores usually entirely white (never with a continuous or distinct 

 dusky streak). In summer, pileum pale brownish gray or grayish buff. 

 Wing, 4.20-4.30; eulmen, .90; tarsus, .90-1.05; middle toe, .55-. CO. Hab. 

 • estern America ; Yucatan ; Cuba. 

 B. Nape without trace of white or dusky collar. 



a. Culmen equal lo or longer than the middle toe, the bill slender. 



6. JE. mongola. In summer, whole breast and nape clear cinnamon-rufous, and 

 top of head tinged with the same; lores, suborbital region, and auriculars 

 black, the former bordered above by a white line, sometimes meeting over the 

 forehead; chin, throat, foreneck, belly, and crissum pure white; upper parts 

 brownish gray. In winter, the rufous entirely absent ; forehead and lower parts 

 white, the breast crossed by a faint grayish brown bar, darkening into a dusky 

 patch on each side; auriculars and loral streak somewhat dusky. Wing, 5.15- 

 5.40. Hah. Asia in general, breeding northward; Choris Peninsula, Alaska. 



JEgialitis semipalmata (Bona)).) 



SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. 



Popular synonyms. Semipalmated Ring Plover; American Ring Plover-; Ring-neck; 



Beach Bird. 

 Tringa hiaticula Wilson, Orn. vii, 1813, 65, pi. 59, f. 3 {nee Linn.). 



Charadrivs hialtcula Obd, ed. Wils. vii, 69. 

 Charadrius semipalmatus Bonap. Comp. List. 1838, 15. 

 JEgialitin semipalmatus Cab. 1856.— Cass, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 094.— Baied. Cat 

 N. Am. B. 1859, No. 507.— Coues, Key, 1872, 214; Check List t 1874, No. 399; 2d ed. 1882, 

 No. 586-Ridgw. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 517. 

 jEgialitis semipalmata B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 154.— A. O. U. Check List, 

 1886, No. 274.-RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 176. 



Hab. North America in general, breeding in the arctic and subarctic districts, migrat- 

 ing south in winter throughout the tropical regions, as far as Brazil and Peru. Bermudas; 

 whole of West Indies; Galapagos. 



"Sp. Char. Small; wing-s long; toes connected at base, especially the outer to the 

 middle toe. Front, throat, ring around the neck, and entire under pars white; a band of 

 deep black across the breast, extending around the back of the neck below the white ring. 

 Band from the base of the bill, under the eye, and wide frontal band above the white 

 band, black Upper parts ashy brown; quills brownish black, with their shafts white in 

 middle portion, and occasionally a lanceolate white spot along the shafts of the shorter pri- 

 maries; shorter tertiaries edged with white; greater coverts tipped with white. Middle 

 feathers of the tail ashy brown, with a wide subterminal band of brownish black, and nar- 

 rowly tipped with white; two outer tail feathers white, others intermediate, like the mid- 

 dle, but widely tipped with white. Bill orange-yellow al base, black terminally ; legs pale 

 flesh color. Female similar, bu1 rath r lighter colored. Young with the black replaced by 

 ashy brown, the feathers of the upper parts bordered with paler. Downy young. Above, 

 pale grayish brown, mottled with black; a frontal orescent, broad nuchal collar, and entire 



lower parts white. 



"Total length, about 7 inches; wing, 1.75; tail, 2, 



"Common during the migrations, generally in small flocks. In 

 spring the migrations extend from April 2 tfa bo May 30th, and 

 in Fall from July 3ls1 to the lasl of October. The 2d of .Ink. 

 lsT'l. I obtained several specimens of this Bpecies near Chicago. 



