484 GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



run about, preferring to dodge between bits of vegetation, rather 

 than to take flight. When moving about in this vnanner the head is 

 lowered, but at intervals the birds stop suddenly, straighten up and 

 look around. "When disturbed they have a curious habit of collaps- 

 ing, or shrinking into themselves, and stretching their bodies to the 

 full height alternately" (Cameron, 1907, p. 255). Often upon 

 alighting, after they have been in flight, the birds will immediately 

 run to some distance so that it is not always possible to follow them 

 up easily as with other shore birds. The flocks fly low over the ground, 

 and are difficult to see, except when they wheel. As they do this the 

 under surfaces of their wings show momentarily as silvery white 

 flashes. 



The nesting season is rather late, especially when considered in 

 relation to the latitude and to the time of departure of the birds in 

 the spring from their winter home. Young about one day out of the 

 shell have been found by May 29 (Warren, 1912, p. 90), and newly 

 hatched young on July 28 (Goues, 1874, p. 459), so that the nesting 

 season occupies a period of approximately two months. 



The Mountain Plover nests on the same kind of dry, half -barren 

 plains which serve as its preferred habitat at other times of the year. 

 The nests are nothing more than slight depressions in the ground, 

 usually bare but sometimes sparingly lined with dry .grass. The 

 eggs number either three or four, are pear-shaped, but much more 

 rounded than those of most other waders, and measure 1.40 to 1.60 

 by 1.05 to 1.15 inches; the ground-color is deep brownish drab, with 

 small rounded spots of deep bister or black, a little more numerous 

 about the larger end ; deeper-lying grayish markings are also present 

 (Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, 1884, I, p. 175; Coues, 1874, p. 458; 

 Goss, 1891, p. 218). 



But little seems to have been placed on record concerning the 

 habits of this species during the nesting season. Cameron (1907, p. 

 256) describes his experience with a nesting bird in Montana as 

 follows : A pair had been located in the center of a prairie-dog town 

 and one of them had shown extreme agitation at his approach. 



Running with a trailing wing she wouhl fall over ami lie struggling on 

 the ground, which . . . convinced me that she had young close by. . . . The 

 distracted parent . . . sought by feints and struggles to engage my attention. 

 All the time she kept up a short, shrill whistle, dropping at intervals to a 

 harsh note and appearing to utter these sounds without opening her beak. . . . 

 By her manoeuvres she assisted me to find her nestlings and I soon saw two 

 little pale yellow birds, spotted with black, together with an egg, on the bare 

 ground, for there was no pretence at a nest. 



Warren (1912, p. 90) records the rather common occurrence of 

 the Mountain Plover in the breeding season in portions of north-central 



