34 



BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS 



Rare in spring, sometimes common in August and September. Cohas- 

 set : " Abundant in fall, common in spring." Essex County : "Abun- 

 dant." Ipswich : " Abundant transient visitant." Nantucket : " Com- 

 mon." Springfield: "Accidental visitor. 1 ' One instance. Wellesley : 

 " Occasional inland in fall on lake shores." 



65. ^Egialitis meloda (Ord). PIPING PLOVER. 



A not uncommon summer resident and migrant along the 

 coast. Casual inland. 



(March 26) April 8 to August 10. 



Amherst: One instance. May. Bristol County : " Common transient 

 visitant along coast. A few breed." Cohasset : " Rather common in 

 late summer." Essex County : " Summer visitant. Rare." Ipswich: A 

 few summer. Breeds on sand dunes. Nantucket : " Common." Welles- 

 ley: "Sometimes rather common in fall along Lake Cochituate." 

 Springfield: " One record only." Amherst. 



Note : sEgialitis meloda circumcincta Ridgw. BELTED PIPING PLO- 

 VER. 



Although two specimens apparently referable to this subspecies have 

 been taken in Massachusetts (Marshfield, April 20, I896, 1 and East 

 Sandwich, April 5, 1884, by Dr. Charles W. Townsend) we are of 

 the opinion, that, as both are males and spring birds, it is more likely 

 that they are cases of individual variation of ^d5. meloda, rather than strag- 

 glers from the far west. 



66. Himantopus mexicanus (Mull.). BLACK-NECKED STILT. 

 Accidental from the south. The records are : Massachusetts, 



Mr. C. J. Maynard " gives it, on the authority of gunners and 

 others," as occasionally seen along the sandy beaches. 2 Massa- 

 chusetts, two specimens seen in the Boston Market by Mr. G. A. 

 Boardman, which were taken in the State. 2 There is also a speci- 

 men in the mounted collection of the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology labelled from Lynn (No. 57039). 



67. Recurvirostra americana (Linn.). AMERICAN AVOCET. 

 Accidental from the west. The records are : Natick, Lake 



iBrackett; Auk, Vol. XIII, No. 3, July, 1896, p. 256. 



2 Maynard; Nat. Guide, 1870, p. 143. 



3 Allen ; Amer. Nat., Vol. Ill, No. 12, Feb., 1870, p. 638, pp. 39, 40 of 

 separate. 



