BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. T5T 
EGIALITIS VOCIFERA (L.). (273.) 
KILLDEER. 
A common summer resident, reaching the State generally 
amongst the earliest migrants of its family, if not the earliest 
itself. In 1869 they came on the 18th of March, and in 1884, 
on the 25th of that month, between which days in March are 
nine-tenths of their arrival records for two decades. 
At these times they are in parties of 5 to 7 or 8 individuals, 
‘“‘roaming about high in air, tracing the shore of the river, or 
running amidst the watery flats and meadows. As spring 
advances, they resort to the newly plowed fields, or level 
plains bare of grass, interspersed with shallow pools; or dry 
sandy fields. In some such situation they generally choose to 
breed, about the beginning of May. The nest is usually 
slight, a mere hollow, with such materials drawn in around it 
as happen to be near; such as bits of sticks, straws, pebbles 
orearth. * * * In some cases there are no vestiges of a 
nest. The eggs are usually four, of a bright rich cream, or 
yellowish clay color, thickly marked with blotches of black. 
* * * * Nothing can exceed the alarm and anxiety of 
these birds during the breeding season. Their cries of 
kill-deer, kill-deer, as they winnow the air over head, drive, and 
course around you, or run along the ground counterfeiting 
lameness, are shrill and incessant.” (Wilson). No locality I 
have visited in the State, where the conditions favoring their 
habits exist, has failed to have a fair representation of these 
familiar birds from March till late in October, and sometimes, 
the tenth of November. In the early part of their residence, 
they are seen in the small flocks mentioned, but after a short 
time in pairs only until in July. when the brood full grown, 
with the parents, constitute small flocks again, in which they 
are mostly seen until their departure for the winter. Dr. 
Hvoslef reports them common for the species in the southern 
part of the State, and Mr. Washburn found them the same in 
the western, while it has been mine to find them fully up to 
their observations in the central and northern to Duluth. 
When thoroughly fattened they are fairly good eating in the 
autumn. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Wings long reaching to the end of the tail, which is also 
rather long; head above and upper parts of body light-brown 
with a greenish tinge; rump and upper tail coverts rufous. 
—~lI1lz 
