72 



GOLDEN PLOVER 



these birds are probably induced to seek the more remote arctic 

 regions of the continent to breed and rear their young in, where 

 the country is more open, and unincumbered with woods. 



The Golden Plover is ten inches and a half long, and twenty- 

 one inches in extent; bill short, of a dusky slate color; eye very 

 large, blue black; nostrils placed in a deep furrow, and half co- 

 vered with a prominent membrane; whole upper parts black, 

 thickly marked with roundish spots of various tints of golden yel- 

 low ; wing coverts and hind part of the neck pale brown, the lat- 

 ter streaked with yellowish ; front, broad line over the eye, chin 

 and sides of the same, yellowish white, streaked with small pointed 

 spots of brown olive; breast grey, with olive and white; sides un- 

 der the wings marked thinly with transverse bars of pale olive ; 

 belly and vent white; wing quills black, the middle of the shafts 

 marked with white; greater coverts black, tipt with white; tail 

 rounded, black, barred with triangular spots of golden yellow; legs 

 dark dusky slate; feet three-toed, with generally the slight rudi- 

 ments of a heel, the outer toe connected as far as the first joint 

 with the middle one. The male and female differ very little in 

 color. 



