50 



KILLDEER. 



( Oxye chus Vo ciferii s. ) 

 This is a member of the plover family, coming early 



in the spring they remain till the latter part of autumn, 

 ^hen they wing their way to the sunny south to spend 

 the winter in revelry. They are good runners, skim- 

 ming over the ground with great ease: wings are long 

 and pointed, plumage brownish above intermixed with 

 white, breast and under parts silvery white. Stony 

 fields and meadows are the home of this bird, especially 

 those which have been lately plowed, on which occa- 

 sions it feasts upon the unearthed worms and insects. 

 Its nest is made in low moist fields away from dwellings, 

 and placed on the ground, but there is not much care 

 taken to make it nice and comfortable. Four or five 

 eggs, well pointed at one end, about the size of that of 

 the crow, ground color — light ocher, thickly marked 

 and scratched with black. When the eggs are laid, all 

 of them are resting on the large end. 



COMMON TERN. 



( Sterna t'luviatilis. ) 

 The shores of the sea, rivers and large lakes are the 



home of this beautiful bird, plumage glossy white, and 

 black on the wings and tail, bill and feet generally 

 light yellow. This specie is great on the wing, flying 

 around in large circles over the water and going out 

 quite a distance from the shore. These birds are close- 

 ly related to the gulls, and the two flock together in 

 large numbers. The nest is placed along some rocky 

 shore among the weeds and grass, being composed of 

 this material. Eggs, four to six, ground work light 

 brown, covered with dark spots. 



