RINGED PLOVER 



31 



repeated. As you approach near their nests, they seem to court 

 your attention, and the moment they think you observe them, they 

 spread out their wings and tail, dragging themselves along, and 

 imitating the squeaking of young birds ; if you turn from them they 

 immediately resume their proper posture until they have again 

 caught your eye, when they display the same attempts at decep- 

 tion as before. A flat dry sandy beach, just beyond the reach of 

 the summer tides, is their favorite place for breeding. 



This species is subject to great variety of change in its plumage* 

 In the month of July I found most of those that were breeding on 

 Summers's Beach, at the mouth of Great Egg-Harbour, such as I 

 have here figured; but about the beginning or middle of October 

 they had become much darker above, and their plumage otherwise 

 varied. They were then collected in flocks ; their former theatri- 

 cal and deceptive manoeuvres seemed all forgotten. They appear- 

 ed more active than before, as well as more silent ; alighting within 

 a short distance of one, and feeding about without the least appear- 

 ance of suspicion. At the commencement of winter they all go off 

 towards the south. 



This variety of the Ringed Plover is seven inches long, and 

 fourteen in extent; the bill is reddish yellow for half its length, 

 and black at the extremity; the front and whole lower parts pure 

 white, except the side of the breast, which is marked with a curv- 

 ing streak of black, another spot of black bounding the front above ; 

 back and upper parts very pale brown, inclining to ashy white, and 

 intermixed with white ; wings pale brown, greater coverts broadly 

 tipt with white; interior edges of the secondaries, and outer edges 

 of the primaries white, and tipt with brown ; tail nearly even, the 

 lower half white, brown towards the extremity, the outer feather 

 pure white, the next white with a single spot of black; eye black, 

 and full, surrounded by a narrow ring of yellow ; legs reddish yel- 

 low; claws black; lower side of the wings pure white. 



