344 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



distinct from the membranous portion; nasal groove short and wide, the 

 nostrils appearing in it as an open slit; gape small; legs lengthened, tarsi 

 longer than toes, mostly reticulate; middle and outer toes webbed at the 

 base; hind toe usually wanting; wings long and pointed. 



Plovers are birds of conspicuous black and white coloration, strong 

 flight and whistling notes, sometimes mellow, sometimes piercing, but 

 always far-reaching. They are somewhat gregarious in habits, but do not 

 fly in such dense flocks as sandpipers. They run with ease and often 

 indulge in peculiar antics especially at the breeding season. There are 

 about 75 species of Plover distributed in all regions of the woiid, 8 of which 

 are foimd in North America. 



Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus) 



Lapwing 



Tringa vanellus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. lo. 

 Vanellus vanellus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 2. 



1758. 

 1895. 



i: 148 

 No. (269) 



vanel'lus, Lat. diminutive of vannus, fan, alluding to the wing strokes 



Description. Bill slender, shorter than head; legs long; middle and 

 outer toes webbed at base, inner toe free, hind toe small; wings very long, 

 rounded, second to fifth primaries longest; primaries broad, the first three 



or four narrowed toward the tip; sec- 

 ondaries long and wide; long tapering 

 recurved crest; plumage of upper parts 

 iridescent ; top and front of head, throat 

 and forebreast black; sides of head and 

 neck, under parts and most of tail white, 

 the latter with broad, black terminal band; 



upper parts iridescent green, passing to 



\ '^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ bluish black on the wing feathers ; bill 



black ; legs red. Female slightly duller 

 V -V with shorter crest. 



11 Length 13 inches; wing 8.5-9; "tail 



F \ 4 ; tarsus 2 ; middle toe i ; bill i . 



Lapwjn;i 



Vrtnillu*; vanellus (Linnaeus). From speci- 

 men in Slate .Museum, i nat. size 



This famous palearctic species is 

 still common in Europe in spite of the 

 hundreds of thousands of its eggs which 

 are sent yearly from the lowlands of 



