SEMIPALMATED PLOVER 221 



At Seal Island, off the southern point of Nova Scotia, I found 

 several breeding pairs of semipalmated plover, here, probably, at its 

 most southern breeding place. On one occasion I came upon a bird 

 that performed the usual wounded bird act, falling on its side and 

 fluttering its wings as if badly injured. Presently it made off, flutter- 

 ing and dragging its spread tail on the ground, keeping up this 

 method of progression for over a hundred yards, although I had 

 stood still. I then walked in the opposite direction and found a 

 downy young running off in company with the other parent. 



On another occasion at Great Caribou Island, Labrador, one of 

 these birds appeared greatly excited at my presence, alighting near 

 me, bobbing nervously, and protesting in conversational tones. Then 

 it flew away, but immediately returned and flew by several times 

 within a few yards, apparently in great fury, but not daring to 

 hit me. 



Plumages. — [Author's note: In natal down the young semipla- 

 mated plover is darkly colored above. The entire upper parts, from 

 forehead to rump, are mottled with " deep olive buff " and black. 

 The auriculars and a broad band encircling the back of the head are 

 velvety black; there is a distinct black stripe from the bill to the 

 eye and from the lores to the auriculars. A spot under the eye, a 

 ring around the neck, and the entire underparts are pure white. 



In fresh juvenal plumage the crown, back, rump, scapulars, and 

 v/ing coverts are " buffy brow^n," narrowly edged with creamy or 

 buffy white, the edgings broadest on the wing coverts; the lores, 

 cheeks, and a broad band across the chest are " buffy brown " to 

 " sepia " ; the forehead, throat, a ring around the neck, and the entire 

 underparts are white; the tail is like the adult, but tipped with 

 " pinkish buff." The buffy edgings mostly wear away before the 

 partial postjuvenal molt, which occurs in late fall. The first winter 

 plumage is like the adult winter plumage, except that some of the 

 juvenal wing coverts are retained and the head is as in the juvenal. 

 At the next molt, a partial prenuptial, the plumage becomes practi- 

 cally adult ; only a few old wing coverts remain. 



Adults have a partial prenuptial molt in the spring involving the 

 body plumage, some scapulars and Aving coverts, and a complete 

 postnuptial molt from July to December; I have seen the wings 

 molted as early as Jul}^ 30 and as late as December 10. The sexes 

 are alike in immature and winter plumage and not very different in 

 spring, when the black markings of the female are duller or mixed 

 with grayish brown. In both sexes in winter the black markings 

 are replaced by grayish brown.] 



Food. — The semipalmated plover is an active feeder and in this 

 way is sometimes beneficial to man. In the stomachs of 12 birds 



