552 Hathaway, Notes on Rhode Island Birds. [bet. 



never seen one of the eastern form in this state and do not know of any 

 in local collections. 



Machetes pugnax. Ruff. — Mr. William T. Bowler shot an immature 

 female on September 7, 1909, on the Point Judith marsh, which was in 

 company with two Pectoral Sandpipers. This is the third record for the 

 state and is now in my collection. 



Tryngites subruficollis. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. — Additional 

 records for this rare fall migrant are as follows: Mr. I. R. Sheldon shot one 

 near the " causeway " on the island in Point Judith Pond on September 2, 

 1905. Mr. C. B. Clarke shot a female September 23, 1904, at Little Comp- 

 ton, which I purchased of him for my collection. He took another specimen 

 at the same locality on the early date of July 22, 1906. 



Charadrius dominicus dominicus. Golden Plover. — This fall 

 migrant is fast becoming one of our rarest shore birds. In August and 

 September of 1909. quite a number were taken on the Point Judith marsh. 

 I have two females, shot August 21, and a male and female shot August 30, 

 of that year which are in worn breeding plumage and moulting. About 

 half of the feathers on the throat and belly are black, the rest white, giving 

 the bird a mottled appearance. Mr. C. B. Clarke who obtained the birds 

 informed me that during fifteen years shooting he has seen but very few 

 in this plumage. 



.flSgialitis meloda. Piping Plover. — The Piping Plover is an ex- 

 tremely rare summer resident and migrant in this state. A pair have bred 

 for five years on a pebbly beach in Newport County. I was informed of 

 their presence at this spot in 190S, and visited the locality on June 4, 1909, 

 readily found the adults and judged from their actions that they had young. 

 In 1910 I paid them a second visit on June 19, and after a wait of an 

 hour under a blind, I saw three young a few days old running along the 

 beach. June 4, 1911, I found them in the same spot and the female led me 

 a chase of a hundred yards, acting as if she had a broken wing. I spent an 

 hour under the umbrella blind, and at last saw two young less than a week 

 old feeding along the sandy beach. The old birds did not come near the 

 young at any time and were very wary. My last trip was on May 26, 1912, 

 found the birds as usual, and hiding under the blind, in less than three 

 minutes the female ran up the beach beyond high water mark and vanished 

 from sight among the pebbles, which she so closely resembled in color. 

 It took me but a moment to reach the spot where I saw her fade from sight, 

 and there in a slight hollow in the sand on a few pieces of broken shells 

 were four eggs, which I photographed. It is remarkable, that one of the 

 Limicoke family, which has to run the gauntlet of such a host of gunners 

 in their migration, should safely return to nest year after year in the same 

 identical spot. 



Ectopistes migratorius. Passenger Pigeon. — There is no definite 

 breeding record that I can find of this bird though it formerly bred here in 

 abundance. In Forbush's ' History of the Game Birds, Water Fowl and 

 Shore Birds ' on page 346 I find " Roger Williams (1643) says that the 



