4 CHARADRIUS HIATICULA. 



spread out their win^s and tail, dragging themselves 

 along, and imitating the squeaking of young birds ; if 

 you turn from them, they immediately resume their 

 proper posture, until they have again caught your eye, 

 when they display the same attempts at deception as 

 before. A flat, dry, sandy beach, just beyond the reach 

 of the summer tides, is their favourite place for 

 breeding. 



This .species is subject to great variety of change in 

 its plumage. In the month of July, I found most of 

 those that were breeding on Summers's lieadi, at the 

 mouth of Great Egg Harbour, of a light shade ; but, 

 about the beginning or middle of October, they had 

 become much darker above, and their plumage other- 

 wise varied. They were then collected in flocks; their 

 former theatrical and deceptive manreuvres seemed all 

 forgotten. They appeared more active than before, 

 as well as more silent, alighting within a short distance 

 of one, and feeding about without the least appearance 

 of suspicion. At the commencement of winter, thej 

 all go off towards the south. 



This variety of the ringed plover is seven inches 

 long, and fourteen in extent ; the bill is reddish yellow 

 for half its length, and black at the extremity; the 

 front and whole lower parts pure white, except the side 

 of the breast, which is marked with a mrvinir streak 

 of black, another spot of black bounding the trout 

 above ; back and upper parts, very pale brown, inclining 

 to ashy white, and intermixed with white; uin^s, 

 pale brown ; greater coverts, broadly tipt with white ; 

 interior eles of the secondaries, and outer edges of the 

 primaries, white, and tipt with brown ; tail, ne:irly even, 

 the lower half white, brown towards the xtremity, 

 the outer feather pure white, the next white with a 

 single spot of black ; eye, black, and full, surrounded 

 by a narrow ring of yellow ; legs, reddish yellow- ; daws, 

 black ; lower side of the wings, pure white. 



