1S91.I Macis.a\ on t/ie Golden Plor'er. I 7 



THE HABITS OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER {CHARA- 

 DRIUS DOMINICUS) IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



BY GEORGE H, MACKAY. 



Among the water birds which annually migrate along the 

 coast of New England, none to me possesses greater interest than 

 CJiaraih-iiis domhiicits^ the American Golden Plover. One 

 reason for this is its prolonged migration, extending from the 

 shores of the Arctic Ocean to the Argentine Republic, and prob- 

 ably to Patagonia, a distance of nearly seven thousand miles, dur- 

 ing which it apparently makes no stop after leaving Nova Scotia, 

 unless compelled to halt by storms or hurricanes, until it reaches its 

 destination. It is while making this migration that their appear- 

 ance is so eagerly watched for by the many sportsmen on the New 

 England coast, the great uncertainty of their landing in any con- 

 siderable nuiubers adding much to the interest and importance of 

 their capture. The reason they are not now as abundant as for- 

 merly, is, first, the absence of suitable feeding ground, and 

 secondly the eagerness with which they are pursued, allowing 

 them no opportunity to become attached to any one locality. 

 Civilization has encroached upon and absorbed so many of the 

 fields bordering on the coast, to which they used to resort, that 

 there is little room now left for them. 



On the Island of Nantucket I notice a very great change in the 

 amount of ground suitable for them, there being now not more 

 than one-quarter as much as formerly. This in part is due to the 

 increase of the pine trees, scrub oak, bushes, and beach grass 

 which have greatly encroached upon the open fields, and in part 

 to the absence of considerable numbers of sheep and cattle which 

 formerly roamed at large and kept down the grass ; for the 

 Golden Plover dislikes to alight or run in grass which is high 

 enough to touch the feathers of the breast. Another cause is the 

 fact that the sportsmen go out to shoot them at the commence- 

 ment of the storm which causes them to seek land, and follow 

 them up unceasingly until a change of weather gives the harassed 

 birds an opportunity to continue their interrupted migration. 

 This mode of procedure is just the reverse of what prevailed in 

 former times, when few people pursued thcni. They were then 



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