ONTARIO. 



The Snowy Plover is a western bird very seldom seen east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, and would not have been mentioned 

 here, but for the following notice of it which appears in the 

 Atik, for Oct. 1885. It is contributed by Mr. Seton, of Toronto. 

 " A specimen of this bird was shot here by Mr. I. Forman, 

 Ma}^ 1880, and is now in the rooms of the Toronto Gun Club. 

 It was at the time in company witli some Piping Plovers. This 

 specimen answers in general to the description in Coues's Key 

 and fully in regard to the bill ; it differs in being much lighter 

 in plumage. I had no opportunity to make measurements, but 

 in the same case were Meloda and Seinipalmata and comparison 

 with these makes me almost certain that it is Cantiniia. The 

 bill is noticeably long, black and slender. I never met the 

 bird before and have no material to aid me in settling the 

 point." 



If Mr. Seton has correctly identified the specimen described, 

 it can only be regarded as a casual straggler from the far west 

 which mav not be seen here again. 



Family APHRIZID^. Surf Birds and Turnstones. 



Subfamily ARENARIIN^. Turnstones. 



Genus ARENARIA Brisson. 



118. ARENARIA INTERPRES (Linn.). 283. 



Turnstone. 



Adult in summer pied above with black, white, brown and chestnut red, 

 the latter color wanting in winter and in young birds ; below from the breast 

 (which is more or less completely black) throat, most of the secondaries, 

 most of the primaries, and bases and tips of the tail feathers white ; bill 

 black ; feet orange ; length, 8-g inches ; wing, 5^-6 ; tail, 2^ ; bill, ^, almost 

 recurved ; tarsus, i ; tibiae bare but a little way. 



Hab. Nearly cosmopolitan. In America from Greenland and Alaska to 

 the Straits of Magellan ; more or less common in the interior of North 

 America, on the shores of the Great Lakes and the larger rivers. Breeds in 

 high latitudes. 



In the " Birds of Ohio," Dr. Wheaton says that " Mr. 

 Sinnett observed this species on the coast of Texas in the 

 breeding sea'son, and believes that they breed there. The eggs 

 are described as olive-green, with brown spots." 



119 



