CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. IQI 



Breeding Notes. — A very noisy species that is quite abundant 

 at the Magdalen Islands, where I found four nests in 1897, but I 

 have not observed it in Ontario. It is an interesting bird running 

 along the sandy beach at a great speed and stopping now and 

 again to utter its shrill note. Being so much lighter in color it 

 is at once distinguished from CE. semipahnata, as well as by its 

 note. The first nest I found was on the i6th of June. It was on 

 one of the sandy bars of Grindstone Island. The nest consisted 

 of a little hole scooped out on a small hummock of sand, and was 

 tessellated as it were with broken pieces of clam shells, after the 

 manner of the Ring Plover of Great Britain. No grass or bits 

 of bark are used as with CE. sermpalmata. The other nests were 

 identical, the eggs being fresh in the second week in June. (Rev. 

 C.J. Young) In the latter part of June, 1888, the writer found 

 three nests of this species on the sands of Brackley Beach, Prince 

 Edward Island. They were mere holes in the sand or rather 

 fine gravel and broken shells and without any lining whatever. 

 The bird and its surroundings were so much alike that it was only 

 by accident that any nests were found. Mr. W. Saunders writes 

 that he has an egg which is probably of this species from Long 

 Point, Lake Erie, and also a young bird, only a few days old, 

 taken on Point Pelee, Lake Erie, and that the birds are still to be 

 found in these and other suitable localities in summer. 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Two specimens, taken at Toronto, Ont., by Mr. S. Herring. 

 One set of four eggs taken on Grindstone Island, Magdalen 

 Islands in June 19th, 1897, by the Rev. C. J. Young. 



2770. Belted Piping Plover. 



CEgicditis meloda circumcincta Ridgw. 1874. 



This form is quite common on Sable Island nearly 100 miles 

 east of Canso, N.S., and breeds there in numbers every year. 

 The writer procured specimens on the island in August 

 1899 and saw no difference between them and those taken at 

 Indian Head, Assa., in 1892. No doubt this is the form men- 

 tioned under the head of Piping Plover by Seton-Thompson in 

 his Birds of Maidtoba. This species did not reach Deep Lake, 

 Indian Head, Assa., until May i6th, 1892. In three days they 

 were common. Shortly after the)' dispersed to breed, only a few 



