﻿354 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Aegialitis 
  meloda 
  (Ord) 
  

   Piping 
  Plover 
  

  

  C 
  It 
  a 
  r 
  a 
  d 
  r 
  i 
  u 
  s 
  m 
  e 
  1 
  o 
  d 
  u 
  s 
  Ord. 
  Edition 
  of 
  Wilson's 
  Ornithologv. 
  1824. 
  7:71 
  

  

  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  210, 
  fig. 
  177 
  

   Aegialitis 
  meloda 
  A. 
  0. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  277 
  

  

  melo'da, 
  Lat., 
  melodious 
  

  

  Description. 
  Upper 
  parts 
  pale 
  whitish 
  ash; 
  primaries 
  dusky 
  with 
  

   white 
  middle 
  sections; 
  secondaries 
  and 
  greater 
  coverts 
  mostly 
  white; 
  base 
  

   of 
  tail 
  and 
  its 
  outermost 
  feathers 
  white, 
  others 
  with 
  blackish 
  terminal 
  portions, 
  

   slightly 
  tipped 
  with 
  white; 
  a 
  black 
  belt, 
  usually 
  broken 
  on 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   jugulum 
  and 
  narrow 
  on 
  back 
  of 
  neck, 
  being 
  widest 
  on 
  sides; 
  a 
  short 
  black 
  

   band 
  on 
  the 
  forecrown, 
  not 
  reaching 
  from 
  eye 
  to 
  eye; 
  frontlet, 
  throat, 
  collar 
  

  

  and 
  under 
  parts 
  pure 
  white; 
  legs 
  and 
  

   base 
  of 
  bill 
  yellow 
  or 
  orange 
  ; 
  terminal 
  

   half 
  of 
  bill 
  black 
  ; 
  eyelids 
  orange. 
  This 
  

   is 
  the 
  whitest 
  of 
  our 
  little 
  plovers. 
  

  

  Length 
  6.5-7.5 
  inches; 
  extent 
  14; 
  

   wing 
  4.5-4.75; 
  tarsus 
  .85-95; 
  middle 
  

   toe 
  and 
  claw 
  .75; 
  bill 
  .45-48. 
  

  

  The 
  Piping 
  plover. 
  Pale 
  ring-neck. 
  

   Beach-bird, 
  or 
  Beach-flea 
  inhabits 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  United 
  States, 
  breeding 
  as 
  far 
  

   north 
  as 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  and 
  

   Manitoba, 
  and 
  wintering 
  from 
  Carolina 
  

   and 
  the 
  gulf 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  West 
  Indies. 
  

   In 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  is 
  threatened 
  with 
  

   extirpation. 
  Though 
  it 
  was 
  common 
  

   along 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  east 
  coasts 
  of 
  

   Long 
  Island 
  in 
  Giraud's 
  time, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  practically 
  limited 
  as 
  a 
  breeding 
  

   species 
  to 
  Gardiners 
  island, 
  Ram 
  island 
  and 
  similar 
  localities 
  in 
  eastern 
  

   Suffolk 
  county. 
  It 
  imdoubtedly 
  bred 
  in 
  former 
  years 
  along 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  and 
  

   Lake 
  Ontario, 
  and 
  Mr 
  Todd 
  found 
  several 
  pairs 
  nesting 
  at 
  Presque 
  Isle, 
  Pa., 
  

   in 
  1900, 
  but 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  no 
  definite 
  breeding 
  record 
  for 
  western 
  New 
  York. 
  

   The 
  following 
  records 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  are 
  before 
  inc. 
  

  

  Piping 
  plover. 
  Aegialitis 
  meloda 
  (Ord). 
  Specimen 
  from 
  

   Lake 
  Ontario 
  now 
  in 
  State 
  Museum. 
  | 
  nat. 
  size 
  

  

  Owasco 
  Lake. 
  Fall 
  1876. 
  

   Lockport, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Aug. 
  20, 
  

  

  Birds 
  Cen. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  p. 
  30 
  

   1885. 
  J. 
  L. 
  Davison 
  

  

  