WILSON S PLOVER. 7 



deposits on the ground. * The eggs of the light coloured 

 species, formerly described, are of a pale cream colour, 

 marked with small round dots of black, as if done with 

 a pen. 



The ring plover, according to Pennant, inhabits 

 America down to Jamaica and the Brazils ; is found 

 in summer in Greenland ; migrates from thence in 

 autumn ; is common in every part of Russia and 

 Siberia ; was found by the navigators, as low as 

 O \vhyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands, and as light 

 coloured as those of the highest latitudes, f 



195. CUAR4DRIVS WILSONIUS, WILSON. WILSON'S PLOVER. 

 WILSON, PLATE LXXIII. FIG. V. 



OF this neat and prettily marked species I can find 

 no account, and have concluded that it has hitherto 

 escaped the eye of the naturalist. The bird from which 

 this description was taken, was shot the 13th of May, 

 1813, on the shore of Cape Island, New Jersey, by my 

 ever-regretted friend j and I have honoured it with his 

 name. It was a male, and was accompanied by another 

 of the same sex and a female, all of which were fortu- 

 nately obtained. 



This bird very much resembles the ring plover, 

 except in the length and colour of the bill, its size, and 

 in wanting the yellow eyelids. The males and females 

 of this species differ in their markings, but the ring 

 plovers nearly agree. We conversed with some sports- 

 men of Cape May, who asserted that they were acquainted 

 with these birds, and that they sometimes made their 

 appearance in flocks of considerable numbers ; others 

 had no knowledge of them. That the species is rare 

 we were well convinced, as we had diligently explored 

 the shore of a considerable part of Cape May, in the 

 vicinity of Great Egg Harbour, many times at different 



* BEWICK. f Arctic Zoology, p. 485. 



f Tills description, from vol. is., of the original edition, is written 

 by Mr Ord. 



