^''' ASGJALITIS VOCIFERDS. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EU(!S. 

 Ejj!/s, plaeed on tlie ground in a depression of the soil on a little grass. They are fiom two to four in number, decidec?- 

 }y pyriforni in shajje, greenish-brown in color, finely and plentifully dotted with very dark-brown and black. Dimensions 

 from 1IO.\1-40 to 112xl-50. 



HABITS. 



On the first (lay of December, 1870, !is I was walking along the beach, near the bar- 

 racks, at Key West, I observed a small flock of about half a dozen birds running in front 

 of me, occasionally uttering a low, mellow whistle. I at once .saw that they were some- 

 thing new to me but, as they were extremely wild, it was some time before I could obtain 

 a specimen, but at last I secured one by taking a long shot, made just as they were rising, 

 when the rest flew away and I never saw them again. Thus the history of the Mountain 

 Plover, for such the stragglers proved to be, in our section, is easily written, but judging 

 from this instance and from published accounts, this Plover does not diifer strikingly in 

 habit from many of its allies. 



.aiGIALmS VOCIPERUS. 

 Killdeer Plover. 



JSt/ia/ilis vociferus Baird, Birds N. A.; 1858, 692. 



DESCRIPTION. 

 Plate XV. Young. 



Sp. Ch. Form, slender. Size, large. Bill, long and slender. Tail, long and rounded. Tertiaries, nearly reaiching' 

 the tips of the elon^atid wings. Sternum, stout, outer marginal indentations, considerably deeper tlian inner. Tongue,, 

 not long, thin, and slender, horny at extreme tip which is pointed. Sexes, similar. 



Color. Adult. Above, greenisli-brown. Rump, upper tail coverts, and base of tail, cinnnm m-red; and outer pair o£ 

 feather-: gf l^itter, white, b.mded with black, while the tips of all but central pair are tipped with white which is preced 

 ed by a broad band of black. Wings, d;irk-brown, with lines on inner webs, elongated spots on primaries, tips, and ba^o- 

 of secondaries, white. Forehead and line t'lrcmgh eye, white, above and helow which is a band of black, passing back oi 

 eye. B:nM.t'i, wit', -.v- lij'i i.tt :a U i.i lol i.- bio'c of n!c"c, abjve whijh, Iwhind, is a band of reddis'i, and helow is a 

 broad ring of black which rapidly narrows beliind, however; beneath this, after an interval, us a band of black on breast. 



Youi'j. Siuil ir to the adult, but every feather above is edged with reddish, while the tliroat and space between the- 

 black bands arc tinged with it. 



Ncstlinys. Are covered ab\)vewith ayellowish-ash downmixedwith rufous. Beneath, white, tinged on the sides witlj 

 rufous. The black bands on the head are much as in the adult but the lower one is continuous, unitinir behind. There is, 

 however, iHit one ring below, the continuous upper. Eyelids, red, iris, brown, bill, black, and feet yellow, in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Known from all other Plovers by the the two black b^indson the throat and breast, and cinnamon rump. Distribu- 

 ted in sunnuei- throughout North America, not very cimimon inNew England. Winterain the South. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Avenige mea-iure»ients of spfciniens from North America. Length, Kl'Oft; stretch, 20'25, wing, 6-'50; tail, 4'0(i; bili„ 

 ■7.5; tarsus, 1-45. I,ouge-t specimen, U)'50; greatest extent of wing, ai'OO; longest wing, 6 75; tail, 4'.5(); bill, '90; tarsus, 

 I"65. Shortest spti-imea, St 50; siual'est extent of wing, lil'.50; shortest wing, fi'25: tail, 3'5(l; bill. "60; tarsus, V'SO. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EtiCS. 



F.i/iis, jilnccd on the liToundin a slight depression of the soil, on a little grass, etc.; four in miiuber, abruptly /lyriforira 

 in shap?, creamy inc dor, spotteil and lined with d irk-hrownand umber, hut there arc; more spots than lines. Dimensions* 

 frcjm l-0Cxl-."!5 !o TCS x l-.W. 



HABITS. 

 On a December evening, some years ago, I stepped from the deck of a steamer upon 

 a wharf at Fernandina in Florida, well-pleased to find the sidid land beneath my feet once 

 more, for the weather during the voyage, had been unusually stormy and I, among others. 



