CHARADRIID^ — THE PLOVERS — OCHTMODROMUS. 169 



Sp. Char. Adult male: Frontal crescent, extending liack on each side of the crown to beyond 

 the eye, ends of greater wing-coverts, shafts of primaries, and entire lower parts, pnre white ; cres- 

 centic patch covering fore part of tlie crown, hires, and wide liand across tlie jiiguhiiu, bhick ; occi- 

 put more or less strongly suflused with ochraceous, especially laterally and posteriorly. Upper 

 parts (except as described) uniform brownish gray, the remiges darker. Adult female : Similar 

 to the male, Lut the black replaced by brownisli gray, the jugular collar tinged with ochraceous. 

 Doumtj young • Crown and occiput light grayish liuff, distinctly but \ery irregularly marbled or 

 mottled with black ; back and rump similar, but more grayish, the mottling coarser and le.ss dis- 

 tinct ; arm-wing light buti', mottled witli dusky; hand-wing wholly immaculate white. Whole 



forehead, lores, supercOiaries, side of head, broad nuchal collar, and entire lower parts, white ; an 

 irregular but distinct postocular streak of black running into the mottling of the occiput. A large 

 bare space on each side of neck. Bill lilack ; eyelids grayish ; iris brown ; legs and feet pale 

 grayish flesh-color. 



Total length, about 7.75 ; extent, 16.00 ; wing, 4.50 ; culmen, .80 ; tarsus, 1.25 ; middle toe, .75. 



The geographical variations of this species are not well understood, on account of lack of 

 sufficient material. An adult female from ilazatlan (winter) and two from Cape St. Lucas 

 (December) are unitbrndy, though slightly, darker than eastern examples ; they also have the 

 frontal white very narrow-, the brown of the lores continuou.s, extending (in two specimens, and 

 also in an adult male from Cape St. Lucas) c^uite broadly across the frontlet, while beneath the 

 eye the brown is very "solid" for a width of .30 of an inch or more. It is possible, however, that 

 these .differences may not prove constant. 



This Plover, first recognized as a distinct species in 1813, and dedicated to the 

 memory of Wilson by Mr. Ord, is met with, more or less commonly, along our whole 

 Atlantic coast from Long Island to Florida. It also occurs on both coasts of Central 

 America, and probably breeds wherever it is found. Except that one is recorded by 

 JVIr. Lindsley as having been taken in Stratford, Conn., so far as I know it has 

 never been traced with certainty to New England. It is quite jjrobable, however, 

 that individuals may occasionally visit the northern shore of Long Island Sound. It 

 also occurs on the Atlantic coast of Soitth America to Brazil. Audubon states that 

 it is found on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in all the Southern States, that it 

 breeds there, and that it also spends the winter in the region between Gardina and 

 the mottths of the Mississippi Kiver. That it also occurs in Texas is stated by 

 Dresser, who foitnd it common about the coast during the summer season. He 

 noticed many on Galveston Island during his stay there in May and June, and shot 

 several specimens, but was not able to find their nests or eggs. Dr. Merrill speaks 

 of it as an abundant resident, and as breeding on the coast of Southwestern Texas. 



VOL. I. — 22 



