CHARADRIID.E — THE PLOVERS — OCHTIIODROMUS. 
169 
Sp. Char. Adult male : Frontal crescent, extending back on each side of the crown to beyond 
the eye, ends of greater wing-coverts, shafts of primaries, and entire lower parts, pure white ; cres- 
centic patch covering fore part of the crown, lores, and wide band across the juguluxn, black ; occi- 
put more or less strongly suffused with ochraceous, especially laterally and posteriorly. Upper 
parts (except as described) uniform brownish gray, the remiges darker. Adult female : Similar 
to the male, but the black replaced by brownish gray, the jugular collar tinged with ochraceous. 
Downy young : Crown and occiput light grayish buff, distinctly but very irregularly marbled or 
mottled with black ; back and rump similar, but more grayish, the mottling coarser and less dis- 
tinct ; arm-wing light buff, mottled with dusky ; hand-wing wholly immaculate white. Whole 
forehead, lores, superciliaries, side of head, broad nuchal collar, and entire lower parts, white ; an 
irregular but distinct postocular streak of black running into the mottling of the occiput. A large 
hare space on each side of neck. Bill black ; eyelids grayish ; iris brown ; legs and feet pale 
grayish flesh-color. 
Total length, about 7.75 ; extent, 16.00 ; wing, 4.50 ; culrnen, .80 ; tarsus, 1.25 ; middle toe, .75. 
The geographical variations of this species are not well understood, on account of lack of 
sufficient material. An adult female from Mazatlan (winter) and two from Cape St. Lucas 
(December) are uniformly, though slightly, darker than eastern examples ; they also have the 
frontal white verj r narrow, the brown of the lores continuous, extending (in two specimens, and 
also in an adult male from Cape St. Lucas) cjuite broadly across the frontlet, while beneath the 
eye the brown is very “ solid ” for a width of .30 of an inch or more. It is possible, however, that 
these differences may not prove constant. 
This Plover, first recognized as a distinct species in 1813, and dedicated to the 
memory of Wilson by Mr. Ord, is met with, more or less commonly, along our whole 
Atlantic coast from Long Island to Florida. It also occurs on both coasts of Central 
America, and probably breeds wherever it is found. Except that one is recorded by 
Mr. Lindsley as having been taken in Stratford, Conn., so far as I know it has 
never been traced with certainty to Hew England. It is quite probable, however, 
that individuals may occasionally visit the northern shore of Long Island Sound. It 
also occurs on the Atlantic coast of South America to Brazil. Audubon states that 
it is found on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in all the Southern States, that it 
breeds there, and that it also spends the winter in the region between Cardina and 
the mouths of the Mississippi Elver. That it also occurs in Texas is stated by 
Dresser, who found it common about the coast during the summer season. He 
noticed many on Galveston Island during his stay there in May and June, and shot 
several specimens, but was not able to find their nests or eggs. Dr. Merrill speaks 
of it as an abundant resident, and as breeding on the coast of Southwestern Texas. 
