BIRDS CHARADRIDAE- 
! AEGIALITIS MELODUS. 
695 
This species considerably resembles Hiaticula minor, of Europe, and H. torquata, of the 
same continent also, with both of which it has been confounded. It is intermediate in size 
between the two, and, in fact, can only be distinguished from the former with some difficulty. 
It appears to inhabit the whole of North America. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex and 
age. 
Locality. 
When col- 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
2379 
2378 
898 
660:2 
5565 
6605 
6437 
O 
8 
Aug. 16,1845 
Aug. 16,1845 
May 4,1853 
May 7,1856 
May 3,1854 
Lieut. Trowbridge.. 
8.00 
7.25 
7.00 
15.00 
13.40 
15.50 
7.50 
5. CO 
Dr. Cooper 
A riamnholl 
AEGIALITIS MELODUS, (O r d .) C a b . 
Piping Plover. 
Charadrius melodus, Ord, ed. Wik. VII, 1824, 7].— Bon. Am. Om. IV, 1832, 74; pi. xxiv.— Nutt. Man. II, 
18.— Aud. Orn. Biog. Ill, 1835, 154: V, 578; pi. 220.— Ib. Birds Am. V, 1-42, 223; 
pi. 321. 
Aegialtes melodus, Bon. List, 1838. 
Aegialitis melodus, Cab. Jour. 1856, 424. 
Charadrius hiaticula, Var. Wils. Am. Orn. V, 1812, 30 ; pi. xxxvii. 
Charadrius okeni, Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, No. 24. 
Figures.— Wilson, Am. Orn. V, pi. 37, fig. 3.— Bonap. Am. Orn. IV, pi. 24,%. 3.— Aud. B. of Am. pi. 220 ; oct . 
ed. V, pi. 321. 
Sp. Ch. — About the size of the preceding; bill short, strong. Mult. Forehead, ring around the back of the neck, and 
entire under parts, white, a band of black in front above the band of white ; band encircling the neck before and behind black, 
immediately below the ring of white on the neck behind. Head above and upper parts of body light brownish cinereous ; 
rump and upper tail coverts lighter, and often nearly white ; quills dark brown, with a large portion of their inner webs 
and shafts white ; shorter primaries with a large portion of their outer webs white ; tail at base white, and with the outer 
feathers white ; middle feathers with a wide subterminal band of brownish black, and tipped with white . Bill orange at base, 
tipped with black ; legs orange yellow. Female. Similar to the male, but with the dark colors lighter and less in extent. 
Young. No black band in front; collar around the back of the neck ashy brown. 
Total length, about 7 inches ; wing, 4j ; tail, 2 inches. 
Hab. — Eastern coast of North America. Nebraska, (Lieutenant Warren .) Louisiana, (Mr. G. Wurdemann.) 
Specimens from the survey of Lt. Warren, collected by Dr. F. V. Hayden in the valley of 
the Kiver Platte, are in plumage apparently perfectly mature, and one which has never been 
accurately described nor figured by any author. In these specimens the black ring around the 
neck is perfect in front, and very conspicuous in both males and females, though narrower 
and less distinct in the latter. Usually in specimens obtained on the Atlantic coast, the ring 
alluded to is interrupted in front and assumes the form of two large spots on the side of neck 
or upper part of the breast, in which plumage this bird has been described and figured by both 
Bonaparte and Audubon, as cited above. The figure by Wilson represents the more mature 
bird. 
There are no specimens of this bird in the present collection from west of the Rocky 
mountains. 
