1S92.] Mackay 071 the Black-bellied PloVer. ^4^ 



liiia. In reply to my inquiry asking for his experience in that 

 State he writes me ; " A few Blackbreasts always winter on the 

 coast of South Carolina, and I see a few almost daily every winter 

 on the marshes near my residence. There are as many full, deep 

 /VrticZ'-breasted birds in winter as in spring or summer. I see nA 

 reason for believing that the fully adult birds ever again assume 



a gray plumage In the spring I have occasionally shot 



specimens with blotchy or mottled breasts, evidently changing to 

 full plumage from gray." 



In addition to the above I have thought it might prove inter- 

 esting to have descriptions of a few individual birds to serve as 

 illustrations. Through the kindness of Mr. William Brewster of 

 Cambridge, Mass., I am able to refer to some examples in his 

 collection. Specimen No. 29,626 was taken Aug. 29, 1890, 

 at East Marshfield, Mass. ; it is a male. The entire lower 

 parts of this bird from the bill to the abdomen are coal- 

 black with the exception of a few small white feathers inter- 

 spersed. No. 19,170 was taken Sept. 3, 188S, at Monomoy 

 Island, Cape Cod, Mass. ; it is a male. This bird is black and 

 white on the breast and would be said to have nearly arrived at 

 full plumage. Specimen 19,171 was taken Sept. 6, 1888, at 

 Monomoy Island ; it is a male, and is black on the breast with 

 the exception of a few white feathers. Specimen 731 (Spelman 

 Collection) was taken on Sept. i, iSSi, at Rye Beach, N. H. ; it 

 is a female in full plumage. Specimen 730 (Spelman collection) 

 was taken Aug. 32, 18S1 ; it is a male. The entire lower parts 

 from the bill to the abdomen are black and white, evenly divided. 

 These data will, I think, be sufficient to make plain the point in 

 question. 



I have examined, also, about thirty of the younger birds (those 

 ill the gray and white plumage) in Mr. Brewster's collection; 

 they are from Maine, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Florida, Lower California, and San Francisco, California. Each 

 and all have ever}- appearance (to me) of being young and un- 

 developed birds. I think the reason we see and capture so many 

 more of the gray and white plumaged birds is because they are 

 younger and less wary than the old birds, which latter, being shy 

 and having been over the route a number of times previously, 

 do not stop or remain at places where they are likely to be har- 

 assed. In studying the plumage of the Black-bellied Plover, 



19 



