162 BULLETIN 146;, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



his control. Powerful of wing stroke, trim of form as a grayhound, and erect 

 of carriage, this, the largest of our common plovers, is the athlete of the 

 wild birds of the North. Neatly vestured in his silvery white and ebony black, 

 ho is the fleetest racer of the air among a field of highly developed specialists. 

 To consider him swifter tlian the graceful long-tailed jaeger or the far-ranging 

 golden plover is indeed a startling claim, but my judgment is that the black- 

 bellied plover can pass through the air faster than any other feathered crea- 

 ture in the North. At some time in the future it will be of great interest 

 for some enterprising ornithologist to test out in his racing aeroplane the 

 various flying speeds of the northern birds. It is my prediction that the shore 

 birds will be found to lead the field there, and that the big black-bellied plover 

 will surpass them all. The Pacific godwit is a wonderful air master, darting 

 here and there with but the slightest effort, yet our plover seems to have only 

 one gear, and that high speed. This may be best appreciated during the gales 

 that are of such frequent occurrence in that storm-swept land. The bird can 

 quarter, or fly into the teeth of the wind, with such power as almost to 

 disregard it. 



The above picture is not overdrawn, for this plover is one of our 

 strongest fliers. Migrating flocks fly high in great bunches or massed 

 formations, after the manner of many ducks. When flying short 

 distances or when coming in over the flats they fly low and are often 

 strung out in lines. Their flight seems to me to be steadier or more 

 duck-like than that of the smaller shore birds. The powerful, pointed 

 wings move very swiftly ; Doctor Oberholser and I once made a num- 

 ber of accurate counts of the wing beats of this and several other 

 species in normal flight; eight counts for this plover averaged 240 

 beats a minute, or 4 beats a second; the slowest was 225 and the 

 fastest 250. 



The black-bellied plover is wont to stand erect, with head held 

 high, in an attitude of dignified yet alert repose; it can be recog- 

 nized by its bold outline almost as far as it can be seen, away out 

 on the shimmering sands. It is a wary sentinel for all of its smaller 

 companions and it is utterly useless to attempt to approach it in an 

 open situation. It runs swiftly along at the water's edge, stopping 

 frequently to look about or striking quickly at some morsel of food. 

 Dr. Charles W. Townsend (1905) says that they throw "the feet 

 well out in front as they run. Their usual stride is 3 or 4 inches, 

 but I have several times measured tracks that were 6 inches apart." 

 It is interesting to watch them bathing ; they squat down in shallow 

 water and spend much time in splashing, fluttering the wings, and 

 dipping their heads; then comes the drying process, shaking the 

 water out of the body plumage, flapping wings and wagging tails, 

 followed by a long period of careful preening. Francis H. Allen 

 writes to me of another method of bathing, as follows : 



At one time they took to bathing, one after another, and one pretty little 

 performance was to fly up about a foot and come splashing down into the water 

 with much fluttering of wings. One started this play, and another and another 



