PIPING PLOVER. ; 91 
the coast of Alaska (Harting), and one is recorded from San Fran- 
cisco, Calif. (Ridgway). In each case the bird was far from. home, 
for the breeding grounds of the species are in southern Europe, 
central Asia, and north to about 60° latitude. The species winters 
in the northern half of Africa, and in Asia south to India, and the 
atc Archipelago. 
Piping Plover. Agialitis meloda (Ord). 
"Blending range. —The northern limit of the piping plover’s breed- 
ing range is in Nova Scotia (Bryant), the Magdalen Islands in the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence (Bishop), southern Ontario (Saunders), central 
Manitoba (Bendire), southern Saskatchewan (Macoun), and proba- 
bly southwestern Keewatin (King). It is very local in its distribu- 
tion during the breeding season, and is unknown over most of the 
district mentioned above. Formerly it nested on the coast of Vir- 
ginia at Cobbs Island (Kirkwood), and was fairly common as a breeder 
on the New Jersey coast (Scott). Now it is rare as a breeder any- 
where on the Atlantic coast south of Nova Scotia, though still nesting 
at a few localities south to southern New’ Jersey (Stone). In the 
interior it nests as far south as Erie, Pa. (Todd); the lake shore in 
northern Ohio (Jones) ; near Lake Michigan i in northwestern Indiana 
(Woodruff); and west to central Nebraska (Bruner, Wolcott, and 
Swenk). 
Winter range.—The coast of Texas ‘(Gennett) and the coasts of 
Florida (Scott) and Georgia (Worthington) constitute the principal 
winter home of this species. Indeed, it is probable that records at 
other places represent stragglers. The West Indies are commonly 
included in the winter range, but the species seems to be only casual 
in migration south of the United States. It was taken once in Porto 
Rico in August (Gundlach); Jamaica in November (Gosse); a few 
in Cuba in April of a single year (Gundlach); several on three islands 
of the Bahamas in May (Bangs) and July (Bonhite) ; three indi- 
viduals in the Bermudas in the fall (Reid). It has occurred occasion- 
ally on the New Jersey coast in winter (Stone). 
Spring migration.—Dates of spring arrival are very irregular. The 
average date on Long Island, New York, is April 7; earliest March 
24, 1884 (Dutcher) ; eastern Massachusetts, average April 12, earliest 
March 26, 1893 (Mackay); southern Ontario, average May 16, ear- 
liest May 1, 1891 (Fleming). Some other dates of arrival are: Cum- 
berland, Ga., March 10, 1902 (Helme); near Newport, R. I., March 
24, 1903 (King); Erie, Pa., April 16, 1900 (Todd); Oberlin, Ohio, 
May 13, 1907 (Jones); Sioux City, Iowa, May 8, 1904 (Rich); Gib- 
bon, Nebr., May 4, 1888 (Thatcher); Indian Head, Saskatchewan, 
May 16, 1892 (Macoun). ‘Thus, in general, migration up the Missis- 
sippi Valley is much later than at. corresponding latitudes on the 
