PLOVERS. 99 
have become comparatively rare. Of the one hundred 
known species, six visit eastern North America—the 
Black-breasted, Golden, Piping, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, 
and Killdeer Plovers. Only the last two of these are 
common enough to deserve mention here. 
Kildeer, The Killdeer, with the exception of 
AHyialitis vocifera. the Piping Plover, is the only bird of 
Plate XI. this family that nests with us. It is 
irregularly distributed in the northeastern States, but its 
noisy call, kildee, kildee, and striking markings render it 
a conspicuous bird even where it is uncommon. It fre- 
quents uplands and lowlands, fields and shores, but prefers 
the vicinity of water. Its nest of grasses is made on the 
ground, and its four eggs are whitish, spotted and scrawled 
with chestnut, chiefly at the larger end. 
The Semipalmated or Ring-necked Plover looks like 
a miniature of the Killdeer, but, in addition to other dif- 
ferences, has only one band on the 
Myialitia breast. The male has the upper parts 
semipalmata. brownish gray, the under parts, nape, 
vtncsalers and forehead white, while the breast- 
band, crown, and cheeks are black. In the female these 
black areas are brownish gray. This Plover visits our 
shores and beaches during its northward migration in 
May and southward migration in August and September. 
Thanks to its small size, it is not hunted as game, and 
for this reason is almost as common as the little Peeps 
or Ox-eyes, with which it often associates. Its call is a 
simple but exceedingly sweet and plaintive two-noted 
whistle. 
