WILD WINGS 
246 
cjLiiet of the summer sea and the gentle Southern zephyrs, 
with which his ])laintive and not consj^icuous mellow flute- 
note harmonizes in the pleasing and quieting andante maes¬ 
toso. Superflcially he is close of kin to the Semipalmated 
Plover, our familiar “ Ring-neck,” and at first glance might 
be mistaken for it. But closer acquaintance dispels the illu¬ 
sion. There is less of dash and restlessness in this Southern 
“ Ring-neck,” else he too might seek the arctic with his 
cousin. Coloration, too, conforms to this impression of charac¬ 
ter, in that blacks are modulated to grays. The bill, though, 
is larger, tracing a line of special kinship with the large 
Black-bellied Plover, or “ Beetle-head.” 
Wdiile the eggs of the Oyster-catcher, owing to their size, 
are rather easy to find, it requires careful searching to find 
those of our little plover. Singularly they are but three, 
though the allied Ring-neck and Piping Plover lay four, — 
another hint at his general moderation of temj^erament. The 
nest-spot is merelv a hollow scratched in the dry shingle 
above the beach, usually where there are pebbles and shells, 
sometimes, however, under a weed or low shrub. In marking 
and coloration they blend wonderfully with their surround¬ 
ings, and one must look sharp to see them. I remember well 
finding the nest with the usual three eggs on a stretch of 
gravelly shingle on a sandv key off the coast of South Caro¬ 
lina, and having occasion to find it again to photograph it, 
in a hurrv at that, as the party were im]:)atient to proceed on 
the cruise, I found myself for quite a while completely baffled. 
I should have given up, but for the exasj^eration at my blind¬ 
ness which made me determined to find it. When my eyes, 
at length, separated the eggs from the stones, I realized that 
I had passed it a score of times. 
One of mv prettiest experiences with my sedate little friend 
was when cruising among the Florida Keys. We had landed 
