SHORE BIRDS 147 



ground, in which a few blades of grass are occasionally 

 placed. Both parents assist in rearing the young. Worms, 

 small quadrupeds, and insects constitute their food. Their 

 flesh is regarded as a delicacy, and they are therefore 

 objects of great attraction to the sportsman, although they 

 often render themselves extremely troublesome by utter- 

 ing their shrill cry and thus warning their feathered com- 

 panions of the approach of danger. From this habit they 

 have received the name of "tell-tales." 



The American Ring Plover nests as far north as Labra- 

 dor, and is common on our shores from August to October, 

 after which it migrates southward. Some are stationary 

 in the Southern States. It is often called the ring plover, 

 and has been supposed to be identical with the European 

 ringed plover. 



It is one of the commonest of shore birds. It is found 

 along the beaches and is easily identified by the complete 

 neck ring, which upon dark, and dark upon light. Like 

 the sandpipers, the plovers dance along the shore in rhj'thm 

 with the wavelets, leaving sharp half-webbed footprints on 

 the wet sand. Though usually found along the seashore, 

 Samuels says that on their arrival in spring, small flocks 

 follow the courses of large rivers, like the Connecticut. 



PIPING PLOVER 



These retiring birds are very local in their range, but 

 occur at irregular intervals along the beaches and on the 

 islands in the Great Lakes region, west to several other 

 large inland bodies. Devil's Lake, North Dakota, and 



