78 



SHORE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



SUBGENUS PODASOCYS COUES. 



>EQIALITIS MONTANA (Towns.). 



Mountain Plover. 



Summer plumage : Forehead and stripe 

 over the eye, white ; a stripe of black from the 

 bill to the eye ; front of crown, black ; rest of 

 upper plumage, including back and crown, 

 grayish butt' tinged with tawny; throat, white; 

 breast, faintly washed with tawny butt'; rest of 

 under parts, white ; axillurs, white. 



Winter plumage: Entire upper plumage, in- 

 cluding crown, buff gray; feathers, faintly 

 edged with tawny; throat, whitish; breast, 

 more or less tinged with buff or brownish 

 white ; rest of under parts, pure white ; axil- 

 lars, white. 



Length, 8.75; wing, 6; tarsus, 1.60; bill, .95. 



" Temperate North America from the great 

 plains, westward; accidental in Florida." (A. 

 O. U.) 



The Mountain Plover is strictly an inland species, rarely, if ever, frequent- 

 ing the shores and marshes of the coast. It ranges from Central Kansas to the 

 Rocky Mountains, migrating in winter, southward, to Southern and Lower 

 California and Mexico, and probably along the Gulf c-ast in some localities, 

 as it has been taken in Florida. It breeds from Kansas northward to the 

 British boundary. The eggs are three, grayish olive, spotted with dark 

 brown. 



