BIRDS OF KANSAS. 217 



Iris dark brown; bill and claws black; legs and feet bluish 

 gray. 



A strictly marine bird, one only found inland upon the salt, 

 sandy plains or along the shores of salt water; breeding within 

 their range as far south as Cuba. 



Their food consists of Crustacea and various minute forms of 

 life. They are similar in actions to the Semipalmated, and fully 

 as silent; at least I never heard one utter a note except as the 

 young are approached when they are very demonstrative or 

 when suddenly flushed, which, in the breeding season, is very 

 difficult to do, as they prefer to escape by running, dodging, and 

 squatting the moment they think they are out of danger, in hopes 

 that you will pass them unobserved, as the sandy lands they in- 

 habit closely resemble their plumage in color, and you will cer- 

 tainly do so should you look away or fail to go directly to the 

 spot. 



June 18th, 1886, (the first discovery of the birds east of Great 

 Salt Lake), I found them nesting and with young upon the salt 

 plains, as located above, and startled one from her nest; a mere 

 depression worked out in the sand to fit the body. It was with- 

 out lining, and nothing near to shelter or hide it from view. It 

 contained three eggs (a full set), nearly ready to hatch; dimen- 

 sions: 1.20x.90, 1.20x.89, 1.22x.89; ground color pale olive 

 drab (approaching a light clay color, with a greenish tint), rather 

 evenly and thickly marked with irregular-shaped, ragged-edged 

 splashes and dots of blackish brown; in shape, rather pyriform. 



SUBGEXUS PODASOCYS COUES. 



"Bill rather small and slender (much as in Oxyechus), but longer than the 

 middle toe; tarsus considerably more than twice as long as the middle toe. Tail 

 short, even, scarcely reaching to the ends of the folded wings. Plumage ex- 

 ceedingly plain." 



.SJgialitis montana ( TOWNS.). 



MOUNTAIN PLOVER. 

 PLATE XII. 



Summer resident in western to middle Kansas; common. Ar- 

 rive about the first of April; begin laying early in May; return 

 late in the fall. 



B. 505. Pv. 523. C. 592. G. 239. 101. U. 281. 



