356 
RINGED PLOVER. 
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 dis- 
play the same attempts at deception 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 Som- 
mers's Beach, at the mouth of Great Egg Harbor, 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 theatrical and deceptive manoeuvres 
seemed all forgotten. They appeared more active than before, as well 
as more silent ; alighting within a short distance of one, and feeding 
about without the least appearance of suspicion. At the commencement 
of winter they all go off towards the south. 
This variety of the Kinged 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 curving 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 tipped with white ; interior 
edges of the secondaries, and outer edges of the primaries white, and 
tipped 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 yellow ; claws black ; lower side of the wings pure 
white. 
