

298 



PR.ECOCIAL GRALLATOIIES — LIMICOL.E. 



^1 



about tlie second oi' third woek in ilaivli, when it beeomt's very abundant on tlu' 

 grassy prairii'S. It is in iioor condition when it arrives in spring, and soon goes far- 

 ther ncu'th; a lew liii.m'r, liowever, until May Id. Some reappear in July, and liv 

 the Hrst of Septend)er have iieeonie aliundant. but begin to leave about the niiddlf ol 

 that month, few being seen after the first week in October. Their stomaehs wimv 

 usually found HUed with snails. In Northern Illinois, where this bird is a very cdiii- 

 nion summer resident, ]Mr. Xelson states that it arrives early in April and dejiarts in 

 .Sei)tember, frecpienting the borders of marshes and uncultivated prairies. At first 

 it is dithctdt of approach, but it beeonu's entirely reckless during the breeding-season, 

 when it hovers over the heads of intruders. Not being ap]ireeiated as game, it is 

 said to be but little hunted in that part of the country. Dr. trooper mentions having 

 met with this bird at the western base of .MuUan's Pass in Montana, but adds that 

 it is not known to occur west of the nioiuitains. He also saw the young of this spe- 

 cies on the ])lains of the Tpper Missouri in June. Mr. J. A. Allen noticed it in 

 Colorado in August. Mr. Ki<lgway informs me that it is quite abundant on all the 

 prairies of Southern Illinois. He also met witli it in July on Kamas Prairie in Ttah. 

 where a few were seen in the grassy fields. In Southern Wisconsin, IMr. Kumliin 

 informed me, in IHoi this liird, then very eiunmon there, was known as the •• I'rairic 

 Plover " and also as the '• Prairie Sni])e," and was nuich more common on the prairies 

 than in the ojienings, arriving early in April. 



(liraud, in his "Pirds of Long island," mentions finding this sjjeeies very ))lentiful 

 on the Shinnecock Hills and on Montauk Point — esjiecially at the latter place, in 

 these hilly districts the ea])tui'e of this bird by the nnmoiuiti'd sjiortsman is easier 

 than it woidd hv in a level region, as advantage can be taken of the inequalities of 

 the. ground to aiijiroaeh within shooting distance. Tln^ customary mode of pursuing 

 it, however, is in a vehicle. In this manner it is more readily a]»i)roaehed; and liy 

 most hunters its pursuit in any other way than by riding is regarded as hopeless. 

 On the Shinnecock Hills and on Hempstead I'lains (iiraud found this s]iecies (|uite 

 common, and it is there variously known as the '• Ui)land," the ••Piehl.'' and tiie 

 "Grass Plover." It was everywhere very wary and difficult of a])pr()ach. On the 

 ground it has an erect and gi'aceful gait. AVhen alarmed it runs rajjidly for a 

 short distance before taking wing, uttering a whistling note as it rises. Its Higlit 

 is very rajiid, and it frequently goes entirely out of sight before it re-alights. It 

 usually keei)S on the dry open ground, feeding on grasshojjpers, u])on other insects. 

 and on seeds. In the month of August it is generally in very fine condition, and is 

 highly prized as ganu". When feeding, these birds scatter about, all moving off the 

 instant an alarm is given. They migrate southward in the latter part of August. 

 and perform the journey by night. Some stragglers, however, remain behind until 

 late in Septeud)er. 



The Upland Plover is found in favoring hx^alities in various parts of New Eng- 

 land, usually in hilly and uninhabited tracts not far from the coast. Occasionally 

 it is met with in more inland regions, as in elevated and Ijarren districits in New 

 Hampshire, and jn'obably also in Maine. I have foiuul it breeding in Khode Island 

 near Narragansett Bay, and on high groiuids near Carlisle, Pa. In the latter place 

 the nest was a mere de])ression in a ploughed field, with only a few pieces of decayed 

 grass-stems to keejt the eggs from the damp soil. 



This species seems to have been only imperfectly known to our earlier ornitho- 

 logical writers. Wilson and Nuttall were luiacquainted with its eggs, and Audubnu 

 saw them for the fii'st time in my cabinet in 1S3(). Wilson, who was the first to 

 describe it, met with it near the botanical garden of his friend liartram, on the banks 



