80 FEATHERED GAME 
gunner’s view point—easy, graceful and strong 
in flight, nimble and swift of foot—indeed, what 
plover is not? 
They arrive in New England rather later 
in the spring than do the beetleheads, and re- 
turn to warm latitudes earlier. They nest in 
the Arctic regions, as do most of the shore 
birds, which gives us very little opportunity for 
observing their breeding habits. The winter 
months are passed in the Southern States and 
beyond to the southward. Many are found at 
this season on the grassy plains which make the 
cattle ranges of Texas and northern Mexico, 
and some even go to the extreme southern part 
of South America, so that their range is a wide 
one. The family is represented in Europe and 
Asia, also, the Old World bird varying but lit- 
tle from our own. Only an expert could dis- 
tinguish one from the other, and he not always. 
Most writers claim that this bird is much 
more common in New England than is the bee- 
tlehead. While this may be so, my own ex- 
perience has been to the contrary, and I think 
that most gunners on the coast of Maine will 
take my view of it. I think I have seen in 
one great flock during the spring flight more 
