692 



U. S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



Oxyechus, Reich.' 

 AEGIALITIS VOCIFERUS, (Linn.) Cassin. 



Kill-deer. 



Charadnus veciferus, Linn, Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 253— Was Am. Om. VII, 1813, 73; f5g. pi. lis.— Nutt. Man. II, 

 22.— AuD. Om. Biog. Ill, 1835, 191: V, 577; pi. 225 — Ib. Syn. 22i— Is. Birds Am. V, 1842, 

 207, pi. 317. 

 ^legialtes vodferus, Bon. List, 1838. 

 Oxyechus vociferus, Reich. Syst. Av. 1853, pi. xviii. 

 Charadrius torquatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 255. 

 Charadnus jamaicensis, Gm. I, 1788, 685. 

 FicnREs — CtTEsBT's Carolina, Birds, pi. 71.— Buff. PI. Enl. 286.— Wilson's Am. Om. VII, pi. 59, fig. 6.— Ano. B. of Am. 

 pi. 225, oct. ed. V. pi. 317. 



Sp. Ch. — Wings long, reaching to the end of the tail, which is also rather long. Head above and upper parts of body light 

 brown with a greenish tinge, rump and upper tail coverts rufous, lighter on the latter. Front and lines over and under the eye, 

 white, another band of black in front above the white band ; stripe from tlie base of the bill towards the occiput, brownish 

 black; ring. encircling the neck and wide band on the breast, black ; throat white, which color e.xtends upwards around the 

 neck ; other under parts white. Quills brownish black with about half of their inner webs white, shorter primaries with a large 

 spot of white on their outer webs, secondaries widely tipped or edged with white. Tail feathers pale rufous at base ; the four 

 middle, light olive brown tipped with white and with a wide subterminal band of black ; lateral feathers widely tipped with 

 white. Entire upper plumage frequently edged and tipped with rufous. Very young, have upper parts light gray with a 

 longitudinal band on the head and back black ; under parts white. Total length about 9^ inches, wing 65 ; tail 3} inches. 

 Hab. — North America to the Arctic regions, Mexico, South America. 



From its peculiar note, tlie "Killdeer" is one of the few hirds of our country known to all 



classes and ages of the people. It is common throughout North America, wandering apparently 



in the winter season into the southern division of this continent, and to the islands of both the 



Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 



List of specimens. 



* Oxyechus, Reich. Syst. Av. 1853, Introd. xviii. 



