TllK RING PLOVER. 



group that breeds in all parteof tin- I nit. -d States. Though so fu mi liar in nil j.:ni>. it migrates 



hMx-i\ , even so lax as Sut!i \n.. rica. 



Tliis l.ii.i H-uall\ nesis iii a .. r\ -iui|.|.- inaiiiuT. but Wilson saw one of its nestii lined 

 with bit> ..f , lam-NhelN. and Minounded by :i mound or Lord- r of tin* same placed very neatly. 

 In some ca-- tli.-r. i> in. \e>tip- whatever of a nest The eggs UP four. <: a n< h cream. r 

 \ello\tixh-clay color, thickly in:irk-l with blotches of lilack. They are. large for the dice of 

 tin- liini, In-iii;: mop- than an inch uml u lialf in length. an<l a full inch in width, ta]>ering to a 

 point at on.- -n,l. 



Concerning DM teMdil MMOO, aad Ife* fldM d ' UDdsei Plover, Wilson si*-aks in 

 the following words: 



"Nothing can exceed the alarm and anxiety of them* birds during the breeding season. 

 Their cries of Kilhlter, killderr, as they winnow the air overhead, dive and course around you, 

 or run along the ground counterfeiting lameness, are shrill and incessant. Th* moment they 

 see a person approach, they fly or run to attack him with their harassing clamor, continuing 

 it over so wide an extent of ground, that they puzzle the, pursuer as to tin* particular spot 

 where the nest or young are concealed, very much resembling, in this res]>ect, the lapwing of 

 Kiirope. During the evening, and long after dusk, particularly in moonlight, their < n.-> an- 

 frequently heard with equal violence, both in the spring and full. From this circumstance, and 

 their flying about, both after dusk and before dawn, it appears probable that they see better 

 at such times than most of their tribe. They ore known to feed much on worms, and many 

 of these rise to the surface during the night. The prowling of owls may also alarm their fears 

 for their young at those hours ; but whatever may be the cause, the facto are so." 



In the months of February and March, these birds are abundant about the rice-fields of 

 South Carolina. Their flesh is not esteemed like that of other species. 



The flight of the Killdeer is something like that of the Terns, but more vigorous, some- 

 times extending to great heights. It runs with great swiftness, and in walking has a pecu- 

 liarly stiff and horizontal aspect of the body. During extreme droughts, in summer, it visits 

 pools and rivulets, but after the cooler season commences it returns to the sea-shore in small 

 flocks, when it is more silent, and difficult to approach. It is ten inches in length, and twenty 

 inches in extent of wing. 



THE RING PLOVER {Xgiolite* hioticnlo), also called Semipalmated Plover, is closely like 

 the European species of that name. Wilson was aware of this relationship, and was somewhat 

 puzzled to reconcile it. 



Andnbon gives the following account of this bird : u I have had great pleasure in observ- 

 ing the migrations of this species, particularly in early spring, when great numbers enter the 

 southern portions of the United States, on their way northward, where it is well known to 

 breed. At that period, wi attempts you may make to prevent their progress, they 



always endeavor to advance eastward ; whereas in early autumn, they will rove in any direc- 

 tion, as if perfectly aware that the task imposed upon them by Nature having Iwen accom- 

 plish.- 1. they may enjoy their ! i>ure. Those which pass the winter within the limits of the 

 Union are mostly found aloni; the shores of South Carolina, Georgia, the Florida.*, and as far 

 south as the mouths of the Mississippi ; then* Ix-ing no doubt that many remain on the coasts 

 of the Gulf of Mexico, as I have found some there early in the spring, before observing those 

 which I knew by their manners to be recently arrived. In the course of my late visit to Texas, 

 I found t IK-MI on Galveston Bay, where I observed some arriving from the westward. 



" I>urin^ r th-ir jml.ir miirrafion. they proceed rather swiftly, for, although they appear to 

 touch at every place likely to afford them food and repose, they seldom tarry long. Thus, 

 many individuals which may have been in Texas early in April, not iinfn-|u-ntly reach 

 Labrador by the middle of May, although some are a month later in reaching the ultimate 

 point of their journey, which, according to Dr. Richardson, sometimes extends a.s far as the 

 Arctic regions. 



While with us in spring, they confine thems-hes to the sandy beaches of our sea -coasts, 

 whether <m the mainland or on islands, but when they arrive at their breeding stations, they 



