290 KEY TO THE WATER BIRDS OF FLORIDA. 



NUriENIUS BOREALIS {Forst.). 

 Eskimo Curlew. Dough Bird. 



Adult in summer: Bill curved down- 

 ward, general plumage above mottled black 

 and tawny ; chin whitish ; throat and under 

 parts tawny buff, marked on the throat with 

 dark brown and on the breast with arrow-like brown mark- 

 ings ; flanks and sides of the body tawny, the arrow-like 

 marks being much lieavier and larger ; top of the head show- 

 ing no central stripe of buffy white. 



Adult in winter : Lacking tlie tawny color of the summer 

 plumage : more whitish on the under parts, otherwise the 

 markings being similar. 



Length, 13; Wing, 8.10; Tarsus, 2 ; Bill, 2.75 to 3.50. 



It ranges from the Arctic regions, where it 

 breeds, southward to South America. At one 

 time it was a very abundant bird on our coast 

 during the migrations, but is becoming less com- 

 mon every year. It prefers the fields to the beaches, being often found in 

 company with the Golden Plover. It is comparatively rare in Florida, but 

 occurs regularly during migrations. The eggs are pale olive gra}^ spotted 

 with dark brown, mostly at the larger end. 



Family CHARADRIID^F:. Plovers. 



Genus CHARADRIUS Linn. 

 Subgenus SQUATAROLA Cuv. 



CHARADRIUS SQUATAROLA {Linn.). 

 Black=bellied Plover. Beetle Head. 



Adult male in summer : Upper parts smoky black; feathers edged with dull white; breast 

 black except in highest plumage, showing traces of whitish on the feathers ; abdomen and under 

 tail coverts white ; forehead white ; axillars smoky black. 



Adult in winter : Upper plumage brownish mottled with gray ; under parts white ; breast 

 and sides streaked with ashy brown ; bill black. 



Length, 11.25; Wing, 7.45; Tarsus, 1.85 ; Bill, i-io- 



