BIRDS OF 



The Piping Plover is a more Southern bird than the Ring 

 neck, and evidently does not penetrate far into Ontario. I have 

 met with it at the Beach, but only on two occasions. It has 

 also been found on the island at at Toronto, but is more com- 

 mon along the north shore of Lake Erie, and Mr. Saunders 

 reports it as breeding at Point Pelee, at the western end of that 

 lake.- When sitting quietly among the shingle of the beach, the 

 colors of this little bird harmonize so well with its surroundings 

 that quite a number may be close at hand without being 

 observed. The birds seem aware of this, and when suspicious 

 of danger, sit perfectly still till it is time to fly, when they rise 

 simultaneously and move off with a soft, plaintive, piping note. 



117. iEGIALITIS NIVOSA Cass. 278. 



Snowy Plover. 



Male in breeding dress ; above, pale ashy-gray, little darker than in 

 meloda. Top of head with a fulvous tinge. A broad black coronal bar from 

 eye to eye. A narrow black post-ocular stripe, tending to meet its fellow on 

 the nape, and thus encircle the fulvous area. A broad black patch on each 

 side of the breast ; no sign of its completion above or below ; no complete 

 black loral stripe, but indication of such in a small dark patch on either side 

 of base of upper mandible. Forehead, continuous with line over the eye, 

 sides of head, excepting the black post-ocular stripe, and whole under-parts 

 excepting the black lateral breast patches, snowy white. No white ring 

 complete around back of neck. Primaries blackish, especially at bases and 

 ends, the intermediate extent fuscous ; shaft of first, white, of others white 

 for a space ; nearly all the primaries bleachiug toward bases of inner webs, 

 but only on some of the inner ones with a white area on outer webs. 

 Piimary coverts like the primaries, but white-tipped. Greater coverts 

 like the back, but white-tipped Secondaries, dark-brown, bleaching inter- 

 nally and basally increasing extent from without inwards, their shafts white 

 along their respective white portions. Tertiaries like back. Several inter- 

 mediate tail feathers like back, darkening toward ends ; two or three lateral 

 pairs entirely white ; all the feathers more pointed than usual. Bill slender 

 and acute, black. Legs, black. Length, 6-50 to 7-00 ; extent, 13-50 to 

 14-00 ; wing, 4-00 to 4-25 ; tail, 2-00 or less. 



Hab. Western Province of North America ; in winter, both coasts of 

 Central America, and Western South America to Chili. 



iiS 



