80 FEATHERED GAME 



gunner 's view point easy, graceful and strong 

 in flight, nimble and swift of foot indeed, what 

 plover is not? 



They arrive in New England rather later 

 in the spring than do the beetleheads, and re- 

 turn to warm latitudes earlier. They nest in 

 the Arctic regions, as do most of the shore 

 birds, which gives us very little opportunity for 

 observing their breeding habits. The winter 

 months are passed in the Southern States and 

 beyond to the southward. Many are found at 

 this season on the grassy plains which make the 

 cattle ranges of Texas and northern Mexico, 

 and some even go to the extreme southern part 

 of South America, so that their range is a wide 

 one. The family is represented in Europe and 

 Asia, also, the Old World bird varying but lit- 

 tle from our own. Only an expert could dis- 

 tinguish one from the other, and he not always. 



Most writers claim that this bird is much 

 more common in New England than is the bee- 

 tlehead. While this may be so, my own ex- 

 perience has been to the contrary, and I think 

 that most gunners on the coast of Maine will 

 take my view of it. I think I have seen in 

 one great flock during the spring flight more 



