THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 145 



fully along the ground or taking wing with its wild plaintive cry, 

 "Kill-deer, Kill-deer, Kill-deer." 



Its solicitude for nest and young, and its tireless efforts to draw the 

 intruder away from them, 'are pathetic. 



During the migrations Killdeers may be seen along the seashore, but 

 for the most part they are to be associated with the inland pasture 

 fields. 



274 Aegialitis semipalmata Bonaparte. 

 Semipalmated Plover, Ring-neck. 



Adults in summer. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 4.65-5. Grayish-brown above ; 

 forehead, white ; fore part of crown and band from bill under the eye, black ; 

 throat and complete collar, white, followed by a complete black collar; rest of 

 under parts, white, tail with white tip and subterminal black bar; outer 

 feathers largely white. 



In autumn. Black markings replaced by grayish-brown. 



Common transient, occurring in May, and again July 19th to Oc- 

 tober 1st. 



Stragglers have been reported on the Delaware and Raritan, and 

 one obtained at Gloucester, May 20th, 1882, is in the collection of the 

 Philadelphia Academy. 



277 Aegialitis meloda (Ord). 



Piping Plover. 



PLATE 25. 



Adults in summer. Length, 6.25-7.50. Wing, 4.50-4.80. Pale gray above, 

 with a white forehead, followed by a narrow black bar ; a black spot on each 

 side of the breast, sometimes uniting into a breast band; tail similar to A. 

 semipalmata, but paler. 



In autumn. Similar, but black marks replaced by brownish-gray. 



Nest a mere hollow in the sand ; eggs, three to four, creamy-white, with dark 

 brown spots and markings, 1.25 x 1. 



A rare migrant, if indeed it occurs at all in the State. Formerly 

 a common summer resident, breeding on the beaches. 



In Wilson's time (1812) it was very abundant on the low sandy 

 shores of the entire seacoast, and he procured his type specimen from 

 a colony breeding in July on Scunner's Beach, at the mouth of Great 

 Egg Harbor. In 1877 Mr. Scott 1 states that they were common on 



1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 224. 



10 



