American Golden Plover 131 
down the sides of the neck, wing linings and under tail-coverts, white ; 
rest of the lower parts from the chin to the abdomen, including the 
axillaries, black ; iris brown, bill and legs black. Length 9-75; wing 
7-25; tail 2-5; culmen 1-1; tarsus 1-75. A minute hind toe present 
measuring -1. 
In winter, and as generally seen in Colorado, the upper-parts are 
speckled dark brown and white, with a few spots of tawny ; and below 
white, washed with grey and slightly striped with dusky on the fore- 
neck and breast; the axillaries, however, always black; iris brown, 
bill black, legs dark bluish. 
Distribution.—Breeding far north beyond the Arctic circle in both 
hemispheres, south in winter chiefly along the sea coasts in America 
as far as Peru and Brazil. 
This Plover is rather a rare migrant through Colorado, and has 
generally been noticed in the fall on its way south. H. G. Smith 
reported two from near Denver, one a young male killed October 22nd, 
1888. Cooke shot one near Fort Collins, October 28th, and W. G. Smith 
noticed it at Loveland. There is an example from Barr in the Museum 
at Denver, and one from near Colorado Springs in the Aiken 
collection. All the records hitherto are from the plains east of the 
mountains. 
Genus CHARADRIUS. 
Bill moderate, about as long as the middle toe and claw, tip swollen 
forming a “dertrum”; wings long and pointed, the outer primary 
clearly the longest; tail short, slightly rounded, less than half the 
length of the wing; tarsus and bare part of the tibia with reticulate 
scaling throughout; u basal web between the middle and outer toes ; 
hind toe absent. 
There are several species of Golden Plovers, but only one commonly 
occurs in North America. 
American Golden Plover. Charadrius dominicus. 
A.0.U. Checklist no 272—Colorado Records—Ridgway 73, p. 187 
(C. pluvialis virginicus) ; Morrison 89, p. 181; Cooke 97, p. 68; Hersey & 
Rockwell 09, p. 116. 
Description.—Summer—Above blackish, spangled with golden-yellow 
and white ; below, including the base of the bill and sides of the face 
to the eyes, black, bordered above by white ; tail barred brown and 
grey ; wings dusky, paler at base; lining of wings and axillaries ashy- 
grey; iris dark brown, bill black, legs dusky. Length 10; wing 7-0; 
tail 2-5; culmen -85; tarsus 1-7, 
K 2 
