﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  353 
  

  

  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  from 
  the 
  igtli 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  12th 
  of 
  May, 
  and 
  passing 
  

   northward 
  from 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  May 
  to 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  June, 
  returning 
  from 
  the 
  ist 
  

   to 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  departing 
  for 
  the 
  south 
  from 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  September 
  

   to 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  October. 
  On 
  our 
  inland 
  waters 
  it 
  is 
  less 
  common 
  than 
  on 
  

   the 
  coast, 
  but 
  occurs 
  regularly 
  from 
  May 
  loth 
  to 
  30th 
  and 
  from 
  August 
  

   ist 
  to 
  September 
  30th. 
  It 
  is 
  common 
  along 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  the 
  shores 
  

   and 
  marshes 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  lake 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  Semipalmated 
  plover 
  or 
  American 
  ring-neck, 
  at 
  first 
  sight 
  suggests 
  

   to 
  the 
  beginner 
  in 
  bird 
  study 
  a 
  diminutive 
  Killdeer, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  smaller, 
  

   has 
  a 
  shorter 
  bill 
  and 
  tail, 
  and 
  lacks 
  the 
  ocherous 
  rump 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  

   belt 
  on 
  the 
  breast. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  of 
  a 
  beach 
  bird 
  than 
  the 
  Killdeer. 
  When 
  

   it 
  first 
  arrives 
  on 
  our 
  shores 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  learned 
  the 
  ways 
  of 
  our 
  pot 
  

   hunters 
  and 
  young 
  sportsmen, 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  unsuspicious 
  that 
  one 
  may 
  approach 
  

   within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  it. 
  While 
  visiting 
  the 
  mud 
  flats 
  in 
  August, 
  I 
  have 
  

   sometimes 
  thought 
  them 
  entirely 
  deserted, 
  and 
  have 
  stood 
  looking 
  into 
  the 
  

   distance 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  migrants, 
  when 
  suddenly 
  I 
  became 
  aware 
  that 
  these 
  

   gentle 
  little 
  birds 
  were 
  all 
  about 
  me. 
  While 
  motionless 
  they 
  were 
  quite 
  

   unnoticeable, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  ran 
  swiftly 
  along 
  with 
  its 
  peculiar 
  

   ploverlike 
  gait, 
  he 
  became 
  clearly 
  visible. 
  While 
  running 
  the 
  white 
  of 
  the 
  

   plumage 
  made 
  them 
  conspicuous 
  against 
  the 
  dark 
  ground, 
  but 
  when 
  motion- 
  

   less 
  the 
  white 
  seemed 
  merely 
  to 
  break 
  up 
  their 
  shapes 
  and 
  their 
  brownish 
  

   gray 
  backs 
  were 
  merged 
  in 
  the 
  background. 
  They 
  seemed 
  so 
  soft 
  and 
  

   chubby 
  and 
  unsuspicious 
  as 
  they 
  trotted 
  about 
  my 
  feet, 
  feeding 
  on 
  their 
  

   insect 
  fare, 
  that, 
  although 
  they 
  were 
  legal 
  game, 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   like 
  making 
  war 
  upon 
  babes 
  and 
  innocents 
  to 
  shoot 
  them. 
  Chapman 
  

   says 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  Their 
  simple, 
  sweet, 
  plaintive 
  call 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  characteristic 
  notes 
  

   heard 
  on 
  our 
  shores. 
  At 
  noonday, 
  when 
  the 
  heat 
  waves 
  

   are 
  dancing 
  over 
  the 
  marshes 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  twittering 
  

   oxeyes 
  are 
  silent, 
  one 
  may 
  hear 
  the 
  cool, 
  pure 
  notes 
  of 
  this 
  

   little 
  plover. 
  They 
  may 
  be 
  written 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  

   text 
  figure 
  ; 
  a 
  third 
  shorter 
  note 
  is 
  sometimes 
  added. 
  Even 
  

   a 
  whistled 
  imitation 
  of 
  them 
  takes 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  beaches." 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  

  