ANNOTATED LIST OF THE BIRDS 173 



assigned for the decrease of this species. If this be the 

 correct explanation, the bird has adapted itself to the changed 

 conditions, as it began to increase steadily as a transient about 

 1910, and is now a common summer resident even on Long 

 Beach, which is crowded with people the whole summer. 

 Few more gratifying changes have taken place in our bird- 

 life, and a sight of the little pale gray figures trotting over the 

 sand, uttering their musical piping note, provides a welcome 

 picture in a somewhat bleak and harsh landscape. I know of 

 no birds that express innocence more than the Plovers, and 

 of these none more so than the Piping. The round eyes and 

 bobbing head express interrogation rather than alarm, and 

 shooting them is a sorry travesty of sport. The close re- 

 semblance of the bird's colors to sand is extraordinary, and 

 ir proper conditions of light and position, it simply disappears 

 when motionless. It is the first of the Shore-birds to arrive 

 in spring, but departs comparatively early, and is rarely seen 

 after the middle of September. It is strictly confined to the 

 sand dunes of the outer beaches, and is accidental elsewhere 

 in our area. 



Long Island. A summer resident, generally uncommon, 

 locally common or even abundant, as on Jones Beach; elsewhere in 

 favorable localities a fairly common transient; steadily increas- 

 ing. March 3 to September 20 and exceptionally to November 7. 



ORIENT. Uncommon summer resident, local. March 4, 

 1903 to September 23, 1914. 



MASTIC. Uncommon transient. 



LONG BEACH. Formerly a rare transient, now a common 

 summer resident, March 10, 1921 (Bicknell) and March 25, 

 1917 (Janvrin) to October 17, 1915 (Fleischer) and November 

 7, 1911 (Griscom, LaDow, Rogers, and Wiegmann). 

 Accidental in 1898 at Ossining (Fisher). 



WILSON'S PLOVER (Ochthodromus wilsonius) 

 A century ago Wilson's Plover was a fairly common 

 summer resident on the coast of New Jersey. On Long Island 

 it occurred regularly, but was not very common according to 



