CHARAUBIID^ — THE PLOVERS. 23 



Bill very large (as long as, or longer than middle toe), the terminal half of 

 , the culmen much arched, the base of the gonys forming a decided angle ; 

 tarsus about one and one half times to nearly twice as long as middle 

 toe Subgenus Ochthodromus 



BiU slender, wide at base, much longer than middle toe ; tarsus more than 

 twice as long as middle toe Subgenus Podasocj/s. 



Genus CHARADRIUS Linnjsus, 

 Subgenus Squatarola Cuvier. 



Squatarola CnviEB, E6g. Anim. i, 1817, 467. Type, Tringa squatarola Linn. 



Chab. a rudimentary hind toe. Legs reticulated with elongated hexagons anteriorly, 

 of which there are Ave or six In a transverse row; fewer behind. First primary longest. 

 Tail slightly rounded. 



But a single specie^ of this subgenus is known, this being the 

 well-known "Beetle-head*' or "Bull-head" Plover of eastern 

 gunners, a bird of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. 



Charadrius squatarola (Linn.) 



BLACK-BELLIED FLOVEB. 



Popular synonyms. Beetle-head or Bull-head; Plover of eastern gunners and sportsmen; 

 Bottle-head; Black-breast. 



Tringa sauatarola LiNN. S. N. ed. 10, 1758, 149; ed. 12, 1766, 252. 

 Gharadrius squatarola Naum. Vog. Deutsohl. vii, 1834, 250.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, 

 No. 270.— BroGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 173. 

 Tringa helvetica Linn. S. N. ed. 12, 1766. 250. 

 Sguatarola helvetica Cuv.— Cass, in Ba'ird's B. N. Am. 1858, 697.— Baibd, Cat. N. Am. B. 

 1859, No. 510.— OouBS, Key, 1872, 243 ; Cheek List, 1874, No. 395 ; 2d ed. 1882, No. 580 ; Birds 

 N. W. 1874, 448.— EroGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 513.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i. 

 1884, 132. 

 Gharadrius Kelveticus LlOHT.— NuTT. Man. ii, 1884, 26. AuD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 280, p). 

 334; Synop. 1839, 221; Birds Am. v, 1842199, pi. 315. 

 Gharadrius apricarius Wilson, Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 41. 



Hab. Nearly cosmopolitan, but chiefly the northern hemisphere; breeding in the ex- 

 treme northern parts of its range, migrating in winter to southern portions, exi ending, in 

 America, as far as Brazil and Colombia. Bermudas, and throughout the West Indies. 



Sp. Chab. Bill and legs strong; wings long; a very small rudimentary hind toe. Sum- 

 mer plumage: Around the base of the bill to the eyes, neck before, and under parts of 

 body, black; upper parts grayish white, nearly pure and unspotted on the forehead; sides 

 of the neck and rump tinged with ashy, and having irregular transverse spots of brownish 

 black on the baok,soapulars, and wing-coverts; the brownish black frequently predomi- 

 nating on those parts, and the rump also freciuently with transverse bars of the same. 

 Lower part of the abdomen, tibia, and under tall-ooverts, white. Quills brownish black, 

 lighter on their inner webs, with a middle portion of their shafts white, and a narrow longi- 

 tudinal stripe of w£ite frequently on the shorter primaries and secondaries. Tail white, 

 with transverse Imperfect narrow bands of black. The black color of the under parts gen- 

 erally with a faint bronzed or coppery lustre, and presenting a scale-like appearance ; the 

 brownlsfr black of the upper parts with a greenish lustre. BiU and legs black; iris brown. 

 Vounger.and winter plumage : Entire upper parts dark brown, with circular and irregular 

 small spots of white, and frequently of yellow, most numerous on the wing-coverts; upper 



