XLIV 



THE PLOVERS 



THERE are, including the European golden plover, 

 an occasional visitor, and several other extra limit- 

 al birds, fifteen plover on the check-list of North Ameri- 

 can birds. Most of these birds (although it is lawful 

 everywhere to shoot them at certain seasons) are unde- 

 sirable as marks, on account of their size, and their flesh 

 is not sufficiently good to warrant the killing. I would 

 strongly urge sportsmen to spare the ring-plover, the 

 little ring, the piping, the snowy, and semi-palmated 

 plover and the others — even the familiar kill-deer, 

 which I must confess has more than once called for a 

 shot from my gun as he sailed overhead uttering the 

 shrill whistle which gave him his name. 



The plovers are distinguished from the snipes and 

 sandpipers by their bill, which is more pigeon-shaped. 

 The bill of the snipes and sandpipers is longer and 

 slimmer. We have observed that the best of all the 

 plovers of the sportsmen is not a plover but a sand- 

 piper. 



Of the true plovers, the only birds worthy of the 

 sportsman's attention are the American golden plover 

 and the black-bellied plover, the European golden 

 plover, a rare visitor ; the Pacific golden plover, which 

 is, from the sportsman's point of view, the same as the 

 American golden plover, and the mountain plover. 

 Of these in their order. 



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