94 FEATHERED GAME 



THE TURNSTONE. '^ CALICO BACK.'' 

 CHICKEN PLOVER. ROCK PLOVER. 



(Arenaria morinella.) 



Where the sea beaches are not too thickly 

 populated with human visitors the Turnstones 

 are quite common during the summer and early 

 fall, from the middle of July to the middle of 

 September. These ''Chicken Plovers," as the 

 shore-dweller has named them, are most inter- 

 esting little birds, scurrying along the beach, 

 putting their stout little beaks under the peb- 

 bles to turn them over so as to expose to view 

 the myriad "wrigglers" dwelling beneath 

 them; it is even said that they will drive their 

 beaks through the armor of the less thoroughly 

 protected shellfish, such as the ''sea urchins," 

 and the like. They handle quite a pebble when 

 they set to work upon it, putting the bill be- 

 neath and turning it with a sudden jerk of their 

 stout little necks, or when this will not do it, 

 by settling back upon their legs and suddenly 

 straightening them at same time with the ef- 

 fort of the head and neck, or even pushing 

 against it, man-fashion, with their breasts. In 



