﻿246 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  of 
  October. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  spring 
  records 
  for 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  the 
  flight 
  

   passing 
  rapidly 
  over, 
  about 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  May. 
  On 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  June 
  1895, 
  

   a 
  large 
  flock 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  turnstones, 
  sanderlings 
  and 
  

   Semipalraated 
  sandpipers, 
  visited 
  Canandaigua 
  lake, 
  and 
  similar 
  visitations 
  

   are 
  occasionally 
  reported 
  from 
  Lakes 
  Erie 
  and 
  Ontario. 
  

  

  The 
  Black 
  -bellied, 
  Whistling, 
  or 
  Gray 
  plover 
  is 
  well 
  Imown 
  to 
  the 
  

   gunners 
  of 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  coast, 
  who 
  also 
  call 
  it 
  Beetle-head 
  and 
  Bull- 
  

   head 
  plover. 
  Though 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  Golden 
  plover, 
  its 
  flesh 
  is 
  inferior, 
  

   probabiv 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  frequents 
  the 
  muddy 
  shores 
  and 
  feeds 
  on 
  

   marine 
  insects, 
  while 
  the 
  Golden 
  plover 
  is 
  more 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  fields, 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  berries 
  and 
  grasshoppers. 
  The 
  plaintive 
  whistle 
  of 
  this 
  plover 
  

   is 
  often 
  heard 
  high 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  in 
  migration 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  themselves 
  

   are 
  quite 
  beyond 
  vision. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  louder, 
  shriller 
  whistle 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Golden 
  plover, 
  consisting 
  of 
  several 
  notes, 
  the 
  second 
  prolonged 
  and 
  receiv- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  greatest 
  accent. 
  They 
  are 
  shy 
  birds, 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  approach, 
  or 
  

   to 
  decoy 
  within 
  range. 
  Their 
  flight 
  impresses 
  one 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  strength 
  

   and 
  sufficiency. 
  Time 
  and 
  distance 
  seem 
  of 
  little 
  account 
  to 
  this 
  bird 
  as 
  

   he 
  starts 
  for 
  fresh 
  feeding 
  groimds, 
  or 
  leaves 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  

   for 
  his 
  journey 
  to 
  Hudson 
  bay. 
  

  

  Charadrius 
  dominicus 
  Muller 
  

  

  American 
  Golden 
  Plover 
  

  

  Plate 
  30 
  

  

  Charadrius 
  dominicus 
  Muller. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Sup. 
  1776. 
  p. 
  it6 
  

   Charadrius 
  virginianus 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  213, 
  fig. 
  178 
  

   Charadrius 
  dominicus 
  A. 
  0. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  -^o. 
  272 
  

  

  chard' 
  drills, 
  Lat., 
  plover; 
  domi'nicus, 
  Lat., 
  of 
  St 
  Domingo 
  

  

  Description. 
  Bill 
  rather 
  short; 
  legs 
  moderate; 
  wings 
  long; 
  no 
  hind 
  

   toe; 
  legs 
  reticulate 
  with 
  hexagonal 
  scales. 
  Summer: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  black 
  

   spotted 
  and 
  margined 
  with 
  golden 
  yellow 
  and 
  whitish, 
  most 
  strongly 
  on 
  

   the 
  crown 
  and 
  back; 
  forehead, 
  line 
  on 
  side 
  of 
  head 
  above 
  the 
  eye 
  extending 
  

   down 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  breast 
  white 
  ; 
  entire 
  under 
  parts 
  black 
  ; 
  tail 
  gray, 
  

   barred 
  with 
  dusky; 
  axillars 
  and 
  lining 
  of 
  wings 
  ashy; 
  primaries 
  blackish, 
  

   central 
  parts 
  of 
  their 
  shafts 
  and 
  basal 
  part 
  of 
  inner 
  webs 
  white 
  ; 
  bill 
  black 
  ; 
  

   legs 
  duskv 
  bluish. 
  Winter: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  fuscous, 
  spotted 
  and 
  barred 
  with 
  

  

  