560 THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 



beautiful figure. Such an one did I meet in June (1881), 

 among the Herring Gulls on the rocky shoals of Georgian Bay. 

 This species varies greatly with age and with the seasons. 

 Its winter habit, of mottled brown and gray above, and 

 white or whitish beneath, is greatly inferior to that of the 

 summer. In all stages of growth it may be distinguished 

 from the young of the Golden Plover by its much larger 

 bill, and by the more extended webbing between the outer 

 and middle toes, as also by its hind toe. A conspicuous 

 feature of this bird is its large, bright black eye, with a 

 white ring around it in summer, giving it the name Ox- 

 eye among gunners. It has a loud, shrill, whistling note. 

 Its food is insects, worms and berries. Audubon and Wil- 

 son both give accounts, as from their own observations, of 

 this Plover's breeding in the high inland regions of the 

 Middle States, but at present its nidification seems to be 

 known only in very high northern latitudes. The 4 eggs, 

 2.00X1.40, are brownish or yellowish-drab, rather heavily 

 marked with brownish-black about the larger half, the rest 

 of the surface specked with the same. 



THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 



Occasionally during the day I see moderate flocks of the 

 Golden Plover (Charadrius fulvus var. virginicus) coming 

 from their gleanings in the lately reaped grain-fields, or 

 flying along the shore of the lake. Just as a most magnifi- 

 cent autumn sunset is tinging the whole atmosphere with 

 its varied hues, a flock of fifty or more coming off the land 

 meet as many more coming in from the lake, and the con- 

 joined flocks, blending completely, perform a great variety 

 of most graceful evolutions. They cut circles above the 

 point, make broad sweeps about the edge of the lake, now 

 flying high, now low, now tipping their backs toward me, 



