208 HISTORY OF THE 



Charadrius squatarola (Lixx.). 



BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. 

 PLATE XII. 



Migratory; rare. Arrive early in April to late in May. I 

 have no record of their return; think they go south chiefly by 

 the sea shores. 



B. 510. K. 513. C. 580. G. 235, 97. U. 270. 



HABITAT. Nearly cosmopolitan, but chiefly in the northern 

 hemisphere; breeding far north and migrating south in winter; 

 in America, to Brazil and New Granada. 



SP. CHAR. "Bill and legs strong; wings long; a very small rudimentary hind 

 toe. Summer: Around the base of the bill to the eyes, neck before and under 

 part of body black; upper parts white, nearly pure and unspotted on the fore- 

 head; sides of the neck and rump tinged with ashy, and having irregular trans- 

 verse spots of brownish black on the back, scapulars and wing coverts; the 

 brownish black frequently predominating on those parts, and the rump also fre- 

 quently with transverse bars of the same. Lower parts of the abdomen, tibia and 

 under tail coverts white, quills brownish black, lighter on the inner webs, with 

 a middle portion of their shafts white, and a narrow longitudinal stride of white 

 frequently on the shorter primaries and secondaries. Tail white, with trans- 

 verse imperfect narrow bands of black. The black color of the upper parts 

 generally with a faint bronze or coppery luster, and presenting a scale-like ap- 

 pearance; the brownish black, of the upper parts with a greenish luster. Bill 

 and legs black; iris brown. Younger and winter plumage: Entire upper parts 

 dark brown, with circular and irregular small spots of white, and frequently of 

 yellow, most numerous on the wing coverts; upper tail coverts white. Upper 

 parts white, with short longitudinal lines and spots of dark brownish cinereous 

 on the neck and breast; quills brownish black, with a large longitudinal space 

 of white on their inner webs and also on the outer webs of the shorter primaries. 

 Young: Upper parts lighter, and with the white spots more irregular or less 

 rounded; narrow lines on the neck and breast more numerous." 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 11.75 25.00 7.50 3.25 1.90 1.20 



Female... 11.50 24.50 7.40 3.25 1.90 1.20 



Iris brown; bill and claws black; legs and feet dark blue. 



I have found this species quite common upon both coasts, 

 but rare inland, where it seldom stops except to rest in its mi- 

 gratory flights to and from its breeding grounds; usually return- 

 ing leisurely along the seacoast. In its habits, it is similar to 

 the Golden Plover, which in winter plumage it somewhat resem- 

 bles, but readily known by its small hind toe, as it is the only 

 one of our Plovers that has the same. 



