Shore-bird Shooting 477 



Wilson's plover 



(jEgialitis wilsonia) 



Adult male — Forehead and line over eye, white; crescentric patch 

 on forehead, and a band across the jugulum, black ; throat and 

 under parts, pure white ; back of head, back, wings, and rump, 

 brownish gray, darkest on head; greater wing-coverts tipped 

 with white forming a bar; iris, brown; bill, black; legs and 

 feet, yellowish. 



Female — Resembles the male, but the black markings are replaced 

 by brownish ; the breast is tinged with buff. 



Young — Similar to adult female, but feathers of upper parts edged 

 with paler. 



Downy young— Upper parts, grayish buff, mottled with black ; fore- 

 head, sides of head, band around neck, last joint of wing and 

 lower parts, white ; a black line behind eye. 



Measurements — Length, 7.50 inches; wing, 4.50 inches; culmen, 

 .75 inch; tarsus, 1.25 inches; middle toe, .75 inch. 



Eggs — Two to four in number ; ground col6r a deep drab with black 

 markings, most marked about the larger end ; measure 1 .45 by 

 1 inches. 



Habitat — Ranges on the coast of North and South America from 

 Virginia, casually north to Nova Scotia, to Brazil, and from 

 Lower California, casually north to San Diego County, Cali- 

 fornia, south to Peru, and in the Bahamas and West Indies. 

 Breeds probably throughout its range, and is a resident in the 

 Bahamas and West Indies and from Louisiana and Texas south. 

 Reported from Vermont. 



The southern coast of the United States is the 

 home of the Wilson's plover ; here they are abun- 

 dant and frequent the ocean beaches, going in 

 winter to South America, and from Lower Cali- 

 fornia to Peru. In May, near Cobb's Island, this 

 plover was one of the commonest beach-birds, 

 and though mated and breeding seemed to keep 



