THE UPLAND PLOVER 285 



Upland plover are no longer found abundant any- 

 where excepting in the West and South. 



They have vanished entirely from many of the East- 

 ern fields, but are still fairly abundant in Illinois, the 

 Dakotas, and Indian Territory. Mr. Hough says this 

 bird fairly swarms at times on the lower table-lands of 

 Utah and Colorado and overruns Kansas and Ne- 

 braska in large flocks ; but they do not decoy regularly 

 enough to warrant the use of decoys, and the shooter 

 need not waste time in putting out a flock. In a few 

 instances he shot them over decoys made of dead birds, 

 but could hardly say that they drew in to the flock, nor 

 is it certain that they will pay more than the slightest 

 attention to an imitation of their whistle. They are 

 especially fond of ground that has recently been burnt 

 over. 



Before becoming familiar with the gun these birds, 

 like all others, are quite tame. Dr. Coues says he 

 found them so tame in Kansas that they were de- 

 stroyed without the slightest artifice, and that he had 

 seen them just escape being caught with the crack of a 

 coach-whip. Mr. Van Dyke, in a magazine article, has 

 given us an interesting account of shooting these birds 

 in standing corn. He killed seventeen birds in one 

 field, many of the shots being within twenty-five feet, 

 and made one double shot. This is the only instance 

 I know of where the birds have been walked up and 

 shot at close range. I should have been tempted to 

 buy the field. I doubt if they are to be found any- 

 where to-day as tame as described by Coues. They 

 learn quickly that man is their enemy, and the fear be- 

 comes, I believe, a matter of instinctive heredity. 



