will be of a pale buff color barred with a dull-brown, the 

 buff and brown being nearly of the same width. Both 

 species become less common north of southern Cali- 

 fornia during the late winter months. 



Color Same as the long-billed curlew, except that it 

 is a little paler on the under parts, and the mottling 

 shows more distinctly on the back. The axillars are 

 pale buff, distinctly barred with light brown. 



Nest and Eggs The same as the long-billed curlew. 



Measurements Total length, including bill, which 

 varies but little in this species, about 17 inches; wing, 

 9, and bill about 3y 2 inches. 



BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER 

 (Charadrous squaterola) 



The largest of the family Charadridae is the black- 

 bellied plover. In its plumage, both summer and win- 

 ter, it closely resembles the golden plover, as the black 

 on the sides of the head, front of neck, breast and abdo- 

 men disappear from both species in their winter plum- 

 age. But, notwithstanding this, they can easily be dis- 

 tinguished by the small rudimentary hind toe of the 

 black-bellied species, the other having but three toes. 

 A few specimens of the golden plover have been taken 

 on the Coast, but it is of rare occurrence. The black- 

 bellied plover is reasonably common along the coast 

 line, but it is not seen to any great extent in the interior 

 valleys. 



Color Upper plumage, dull brown, mottled with gray, 

 the top of the head being somewhat darker; under 

 parts, nearly white and the sides and breast streaked 

 with brown. In the summer the throat and belly are 

 black. 



Nest and Eggs The nest is usually made on the up- 

 lands, where four eggs are deposited of a pale olive, 

 spotted with brown. 



Measurements Total length, 11 inches; wing, 7%, 

 and bill, l 1 ^ inches. 



THE MOUNTAIN PLOVER 



(AEgialitis montana) 



The mountain plover is very plentiful on the plains 

 of southern California during the winter months. This 

 little bird as a table delicacy is not surpassed by any 

 of the long list of shore birds. In fact it is perferred 

 by many to the far-famed jack snipe. It is an upland 

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