346 RINGED PLOVER. 
glide, rapidly along the surface of the flat sands, frequently szreading 
out their wings and tail like a fan, and fluttering along, to araw or 
entice one away from their nests. These are formed with little art, 
being merely shallow concavities dug in the sand, in which the eggs 
are laid, and, during the day at least, left to the influence of the sun 
to hatch them. The parents, however, always remain near the spot 
to protect them from injury, and probably, in cold, rainy, or stormy 
weather, to shelter them with their bodies. The eggs are three, some- 
times four, large for the bird, of a dun clay color, and marked with 
numerous small spots of reddish purple. 
The voice of these little birds, as they move along the sand, is soft 
and musical, consisting of a single plaintive note occasionally repeat- 
ed. As you approach near their nests, they seem to court your atten- 
tion, and, the moment they think you observe them, they spread out 
their wings and tail, dragging themselves along, and imitating the 
squeaking of young birds; if you turn from them, they immediately 
resume their proper posture, until they have again caught your eye, 
when they display the same attempts at deception as before. A flat, 
dry, sandy beach, just beyond the reach of the summer tides, is their 
. favorite place for breeding. 
This species is subject to great variety of change in its plumage. 
In the month of July, T found most of those that were breeding on 
Summers’s Beach, at the mouth of Great Egg Harbor, such as I have 
here figured ; but, about the beginning or oailic of October, they had 
become much darker above, and their plumage otherwise varied. 
They were then collected in flocks; their former theatrical and de- 
ceptive mancuvres seemed all forgotten. They appeared more active 
than before, as well as more silent, alighting within a short distance 
of one, and feeding about without the least appearance of suspicion. 
At the commencement of winter, they all go off towards the south. 
This variety of the Ringed Plover is seven inches long, and four- 
teen in extent; the bill is reddish yellow for half its length, and black 
at the extremity ; the front and whole lower parts, pure white, except 
the side of the breast, which is marked with a curving streak of 
black, another spot of black bounding the front above; back and up- 
per parts, very pale brown, inclining to ashy white, and intermixed 
with white ; wings, pale brown; greater coverts, broadly tipped with 
white; interior edges of the secondaries, and outer edges of the pri- 
maries, white, and tipped with brown; tail, nearly even, the lower 
half white, brown towards the extremity, the outer feather pure white, 
the next white, with a single spot of black; eye, black and full, sur- 
rounded by a narrow ring of yellow; legs, reddish yellow; claws, 
black ; lower side of the wings, pure white. 
