176 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



mottled with black, this forming a di-stinet marbling on crown 

 and occiput, where the ground-color is lighter and clearer buff; 

 lower jiarts immaculate pale buff. Length 8.00-9.10, wing 

 6.00, culmen .80-.90, tarsus 1.50-1.60, middle too .70. Eggs 1.47 

 X 1-11, varj'ing from light olive to deep cream-color, rather 

 sparsclj- and irregularly speckled and lined with dark brown, 

 black, and purplish gray. Hab. Western North America, east 

 to the Great Plains; accidental in Florida. 



281. .^. montana (Towns.). Mountain Plover, 

 c'. Tarsus less than twice as long as bill, measured from antericn- point of 

 loral feathering; chest with a black, grayish, or rustj- band, some- 

 times interrupted in the middle portion. (Subgenus .^■Egialitis 

 BoiE.) 

 d\ ^ape crossed by a more or less distinct white collar. 



e'. Bill decidcdh^ shorter than middle toe, very stout (except in 

 -(2?. ditb'ui), its basal half light-colored (orange or yellow in 

 life), except in ^. dubia. 

 /'. A distinct web between base of inner and middle toes. 



Above grayish brown; forehead, ring round hind- 

 neck, and lower parts white. Summer adult: 

 Lores, fore-part of crown, and broad band across 

 chest black (usually' duller in female). Winter 

 plumage : Similar to summer dress, but black 

 markings replaced by gra_yish brown. Young: 

 Similar to winter plumage, but feathers of upjier 

 parts margined terminallj- with light buff. Doicny 

 young: Above pale grayish brown, mottled with 

 black ; frontal crescent, collar round hind-neck, 

 and entire lower parts white. Length 6.50-7.50, 

 •wing 4.65-5.00, culmen .48-.55, tarsus .95-1.05. 

 Eggs 1.26 X -H pale dull buffy or olive-buflf, 

 speckled or irregularly spotted, chieflj' on or 

 around larger end, with dark brown or black. 

 Hab. "Whole of North America, breeding far north- 

 ward ; south, in winter, throughout West Indies, 

 Middle America, and northern South America, to 

 Brazil, Peru, and Galajiagos... 271. JE,. semipal- 

 mata Bonap. Semipalmated Plover. 

 /*. No web between base of inner and middle toes. 



'f- Upper parts deep grayish brown, as in JE. scinipal- 



inatn. 



h>. Bill stout, the basal half light-colored (yellow or 



orange in life); no whitish bar behind black 



patch on fore-part of crown. (Plumage verj' 



similar, at all stages, to that oC ^E. srmipal- 



