252 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 



CHARADRIUS PLUV1ALIS. 



Feadag. 



THIS beautiful plover is extremely abundant over the whole of the 

 western counties of Scotland, where it breeds on all the hills of 

 moderate elevation. It is likewise found throughout the Outer 

 Hebrides at all seasons of the year, being scattered during the 

 breeding season in small companies in suitable localities, and 

 afterwards collected into very large flocks, which are seen 

 frequenting the machirs on the sea shore as the tides . happen to 

 regulate their movements. On the inner islands Rum, Skye, 

 Mull, Islay, Jura, Colonsay, etc. it may be observed as a constant 

 resident under similiar conditions. I have procured beautiful 

 specimens of both sexes in full breeding dress from many of these 

 localities, and I find they present no differences apart from those 

 obtained from inland and eastern districts, with the exception of the 

 under parts having numerous pure white feathers mixed with the 

 black a state of plumage which Mr Selby supposes to be peculiar 

 to the female. After the strictest scrutiny, I have failed to detect 

 the American form, Charadrius mrginicus, even as an accidental 

 visitant. Professor Baird states that it has been found occasionally 

 in Europe, but gives no particulars; and as it is well known in 

 Greenland, we should naturally expect stray visitors to travel south- 

 wards, via Iceland and the Faroe islands, where, however, it appears 

 to be quite unknown, though our British bird is found in abundance. 

 The distinction between the two species is easily made out by the 

 ash-coloured axillary feathers of the American bird, those of the 

 British Golden Plover being white. It is rather remarkable that 

 Audubon in the third volume of his Ornithological Biography 

 describes the axillaries as white, while in the fifth volume of the 

 same work he refers to a second American Golden Plover the 

 Ch. marmomtus, of Wagler with black axillaries. This mistake is 

 all the more curious when we consider that none of the recent 

 writers on American ornithology make mention of Chamdrius 

 pluvialis, and that it is now even doubtful if it is to be found out 

 of Europe. 



Where groups of plovers are met with on the moors in the 

 nesting time, their plaintive and somewhat melancholy note is one 



