600 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —LIMICOL^. 



brown with white or yellow edging and notching. AxUlars and lining of wings ashy-gray as 

 in summer ; but, as in Sqiiatarola, the chief difference is in tlie under parts, whicli have no black, 

 being grayish-white, clearest on chin, belly, and crissum, the throat and sides of head strealied, 

 the breast and sides of necli and body mottled, witli dark grayish-brown. Legs not perfectly 

 black. This is the state in wliich the golden plover is generally seen in the U. S., thongli 

 beautiful black-belhed birds may be found late in the vernal migration. N. Am. at large ; 

 breeds in the Arctic regions ; passes N. and S. in great waves, in spring and fall, affording fine 

 sport at the latter season. Eggs 4, similar to those of Squatarola, smaller, and usually paler 

 clay color, sometimes whitish ; markings of same tone and pattern ; size 1.80-2.00 X 1.35- 

 1.40. This is the usual "field plover" of sportsmen; a well-known and highly-esteemed 

 game-bird. 

 582. C. d. ful'vus. (Lat. fulmis, yellowish.) Asiatic Golden Plovek. Similar ; more suffused 

 with yellow on head, especially along the superciliary stripe ; smaller ; length about 9. .50 ; 

 wing 6.50 ; tail 2.60 ; tarsus 1.60 ; middle toe and claw 1.10 ; bill 0.95. Alaska, from Asia. 

 683. C. pluvia'lis. (Lat. pluvialis, rainy.) European Golden Plover. Like C. dmmnictis, 

 and of same size. Lining of wings white. Greenland, from Europe. 

 218. .ffiGIA'LITES. (Gr. alyiaXirqs, a doer by the sea.) RiNG PLOVERS. A genus not easy to 

 define with precision, owing to the difi'erences in details of form which the numerous species 

 present. Best distinguished from Charadrius \>y color : upper parts not speckled ; lower never 

 extensively black. Bars or rings of color about head and neck. Sexes usually distinguishable, 

 though similar. Tarsus not twice as long as middle toe without claw. Plates of fi'ont of tarsus 

 tending to enlarge in two or three special rows, instead of uniform reticulation. We -have 5 

 perfectly good N. American species, a variety of one of these ("?), and two European estrays. 



Analysis of Species [adult males). 

 Bill entirely black. 



Rump chestnut; two black bands on throat and breast vociferus 584 



Rump plain; one black baud on breast. Bill stout wilsonius 585 



Rump plain ; no complete black bars on breast. Bill slender nivosus 591 



Bill orange or yellow, black-tipped ; or black with orange at base. 



Semipalniate ; web between inner and middle toe evident, that between outer and middle reaching 

 to end of second joint of middle. 



Heavy black bands on head and neck ; colored ring round eye semipatmatus 586 



No evident web between inner and middle toe; that between outer and middle only reaching to end 

 of first joint of middle. 

 Heavy black bauds on head and neck ; one on side of head. 



No colored ring round eye. Wing about 5.00 hiaticula 580 



A colored ring round eye ; wing under 4.50 curonicus 590 



No black band on side of head ; colored ring round eye. 



Ring around neck incomplete metodus 567 



Ring around neck complete circumcinctus 588 



584 ^:. voci'ferus. (Lat. vociferus, voice-bearing, noisy. Fig. 419.) Kildeer Plover. ,J 9 i 

 adult : Above, grayish-brown, with an ohve shade, and in high plumage a slight bronzy lustre. 

 Rump and upper tail-coverts bright-colored, very variable in tint, from tawny or orange-brown 

 to cinnamon-brown or chestnut. Forehead with a white band from eye to eye, more or less 

 prolonged as a superciliary streak, and a blaclt baud above it. A white collar around hind 

 neck continuous with white of the throat. A black coUar around back of neck, continuous 

 with a black pectoral band. Back of the latter a black pectoral belt. Thus the fore-parts are 

 encircled with one complete black ring, behind which is a black half-ring on breast, before 

 which is a complete white ring. A white stripe over and behind eye ; a dusky stripe below 

 eye. Under parts entirely pure white, except the two pectoral belts. Primary quiUs blackish ; 

 a white space on the outer webs of most of them, forming an oblique series, and a longer white 

 space on their inner webs. Secondaries mostly white, but with black areas in increasing size 

 from within outward. Long inner secondaries, or tertiaries, like the back. Tail-feathers singu- 



