BAY BIRDS. 329 
twelve, about the last of April. These may be found on 
the bare pastures early in the morning, but they resort 
to arable fields about eight or nine o’clock to feast on the 
worms which they prize so much. They fly very rapidly 
at this time, so that they make excellent targets on which 
to practice wing-shooting. They re-unite in dense 
masses after the breeding season is over, and keep together 
until the cold weather sets in, when they begin their 
southern migration. They are fond of frequenting the 
sand bars of rivers in the evening during the autumn 
months to sand themselves and quench their thirst, 
and so anxious are they to reach these places as soon as 
possible, that they do not take even the most ordinary 
precautions azeinst foes. 
The killdeer plover (Agialitis vociferus), which de- 
-Tives its name from its sharp, peculiar note, is found all 
over the Continent, but is most abundant in the West- 
ern States. It may be recognized by its white forehead, 
black bands on neck and breast, black bar on crown, 
black bill, tawny rump, white tail with orange-brown 
through part of it, and from one to three black bars, 
white secondaries, and grayish legs. It associates with 
its congeners, and with curlews, tatlers, sanderlings, and 
other bay birds. Wilson’s plover (Zgialitis wilsonius), 
which is a sea-shore species, is of a pale ash-brown color, 
and has a black bar on the crown, a broad band across the 
throat, a dark bill, and flesh-colored legs. The ring 
neck, or semi-palmated plover (Zgialitis semipalmatus), 
is about one-third the size of the killdeer, which it closely 
resembles in color, but it has the bright orange eyclid 
which is wanting in the latter, and also in Wilson’s 
plover. This species is scattered over the country, 
but its favorite resorts are muddy flats or sandy 
shores, over which it runs in small groups, while 
searching for food. It is rather tame, for it only 
runs a few yards after being alarmed ere it comes 
