134 Birds of Colorado 
Genus AGIALITIS. 
Bill of varying size; tail never reaching half the length of the wing, 
hardly graduated ; webbing of toes rather variable ; with only one, or 
an incomplete, black bar across the chest. 
A considerable genus of wide distribution ; three species and one 
subspecies are common in the United States, and two of these, 4’. meloda 
circumcineta (the Belted Piping Plover), and A. nivosa (the Snowy 
Plover), should occur in Colorado. The former is a common bird of the 
Mississippi Valley and has been, taken at Cheyenne, and is recorded 
by Dawson, (99) from, Julesburg ; it is well known in Nebraska. The 
latter is common in Utah, and was found nesting by Goss in south-west 
Kansas. Both are included in the key. 
Key To THE SPECIEs. 
A. Inner and outer toes webbed to the second joint; bill short, 
black and orange in colour. . semipalmata. 
B. Web only between the middle and inner toe to the first joint. 
a. Bill short and stubby, black and orange; a narrow black 
collar across the fore-neck. 4 circumcincta. 
b. Bill slender and black, no collar, merely a patch of dusky 
on either side of chest. ££, nivosa, 
Semipalmated Plover. Agialitis semipalmata. 
A.0.U. Checklist no 274—-Colorado Record—Cooke 97, pp. 68, 201. 
Description.—Adult—Above brownish-grey, below pure white; a 
black ring round the fore-neck, bordered above by a white half-collar 
on, the back of the neck continuous with the white throat below ; front 
of the face black, with a white patch across the forehead ; wing chiefly 
dusky, with white on the secondaries and coverts ; tail mostly white- 
tipped, outer-feathers nearly all white; iris hazel, eyelids bright 
orange, bill black, orange at base ; legs pale flesh. Length 7-10; wing 
4-75; tail 2-3; culmen -52; tarsus -95; toes webbed to the second 
joint. 
In winter the black on the head and neck is replaced by the brown 
of the back; young birds have the feathers of the upper-parts edged 
with buffy. 
Distribution.—Breeding chiefly from Labrador to Alaska; south in 
winter to the Gulf coast and southern California, and thence to the 
West Indies, Chile and Patagonia. 
The Semipalmated Plover is a rare straggler on migration in Colorado. 
It was obtained at Loveland by H. G. Smith, May 6th, 1890, and at 
Grand Lake, Middle Park, in the fall by Carter. There is an example 
