462 The Water-fowl Family 



Whether breeding on the inland moors of the 

 Hebrides or the heather-covered hills of Shetland, 

 these birds have their housekeeping affairs well 

 arranged. The female cares for the duties of 

 incubation, while the male, on guard a short dis- 

 tance away, gives a soft whistle to warn her of 

 approaching danger; then both leave the vicinity 

 of the nest, usually long before the sharpest eye 

 can discern where their treasures lie. Fresh eggs 

 may be found from the end of April to the begin- 

 ning of July, many birds remaining in flocks until 

 well into the breeding season. The eggs are laid 

 on a few pieces of grass and heather in the moss, 

 but sometimes a more ambitious architect will 

 fashion from these materials a well-formed and 

 commodious nest. 



AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER 1 

 ( Charadrms dominicus) 



The various plumages of the American golden plover closely resemble 

 the species just described. The only difference in the breeding 

 plumage is found in the under wing-coverts and axillary plumes, 

 which are gray instead of white. The golden spots of the upper 

 parts are usually less marked. In the winter plumage and the 

 young the species are not distinguishable except by the color 

 of the axillaries. 



Measurements — Length, 10.50 inches; wing, 7.09 inches; culmen, 

 .92 inch ; tarsus, 1 .70 inches ; middle toe, .90 inch. 



Eggs — Four in number; ground color, various shades of drab, 

 blotched with dark brown and black, the markings most 



1 This species is fully described in the " Upland Game-Bird " 

 volume of the library. 



