BLACK-BELLIED PLQVEB 453 



closeil wing, drab biowu, with rather extensive white feather-tippings aud 

 edgings; rest of wing including black axillars, as in summer adult; under 

 surface white, with dull and narrow streaking or mottling of ashy brown on 

 breast and sides. Males: Total length 12.00-13.15 inches (305-334 mm.) (eight 

 specimens); folded wing 7.52-8.00 (191-203); bill along culmen 1.17-1.26 (29.7- 

 32.1); tarsus 1.80-2.00 (45.6-50.7) (ten specimens). Females: Total length 

 11.87-13.65 (302-347) (seven specimens); folded wing 7.28-7.95 (185-202); 

 bill along culmen 1.14-1.25 (28.9-31.8); tarsus 1.85-2.04 (47.0-51.7) (ten speci- 

 mens); all from California. Juvenile plumage: Top of head, hind neck, "back, 

 rump and outer surface of closed wing, dark drab brown, the feathers margin- 

 ally spotted at tips with white or pale bufiPy yellow; side of head and fore- 

 neck dingy white, narrowly streaked with ashj' brown; chin white; upper tail 

 coverts white tipped with buffy yellow; tail as in summer adults save for 

 slight buffy tinge on white portions; wing and axillars as in summer adult; 

 breast and sides dingy or buflfj'^ white, indistinctly streaked and mottled with 

 light brown; rest of under surface white; legs and feet lead-colored. Natal 

 plumage: "Upper parts, olive-yellow, spotted with black; hind neck and lower 

 parts, white; black lines on side of crown, from bill to eye, and below eye" 

 (Sanford, Bishop and Van Dyke, 1903, p. 457). 



M.\RK.s FOR FIELD IDENTIFICATION — Moderately large size (fully twice bulk 

 of Killdeer), big head, short stout black bill, strikingly black axillars (fig. 3), 

 almost white upper tail coverts, and short white band on spread wing; in addi- 

 tion, in spring, black under parts, except for abruptly white lower belly and 

 under tail coverts, together with absence of any golden color on upper surface. 



Voice — A loud, ringing irher-rell, of a distinctly mellow quality (Grinnell, 

 MS). 



Nest — On bare ground or in short grass of tundra; a mere depression spar- 

 ingly lined with dried grasses (MacFarlane, 1891, p. 429; and authors). 



Eggs — 3 to 4, pear-shaped, measuring in inches, 1.90 to 2.30 by 1.40 to 1.47 

 (in millimeters, 48.3 to 58.5 by 35.6 to 37.3); ground color light greenish or 

 rufous drab; markings dark umber or bister (Baird, Brewer and Eidgway, 

 1884, I, p. 137). 



General distribution — Almost cosmopolitan. Breeds on Arctic coast of 

 America from Point Barrow to Melville Peniusula north of Hudson Bay, and 

 on Arctic coast of Eurasia. Winters from California, Louisiana and North 

 Carolina south to Brazil and Peru, and from the Mediterranean to South 

 Africa and in India and Australia. In migration occurs throughout most of 

 the intervening areas, although ordinarily less abundant inland than along 

 the seacoast (A. O. U. Check-list, 1910, p. 127). 



Distribution in California — Fairly abundant spring and fall migrant along 

 the coast and in limited numbers in the San Joaquin Valley; winter visitant 

 in fair numbers at least as far north as Los Banos, Merced County, and San 

 Francisco Bay, and once reported in winter from the moath of the Eel River, 

 Humboldt County (C. H. Townsend, 1887, p. 199). Spring migration occurs 

 chiefly during April and May, fall migration from July to October (Willett, 

 1912o, p. 40; and authors). 



To hunters and naturalists who frequent the seashore no shore 

 bird is better known than the Black-bellied Plover. This is due to 

 its widespread distribution, striking coloration, frequent occurrence 

 in large flocks, and other distinctive features. This extensive recogni- 



