220 
AMERICAN RING PLOVER. 
briskly to avoid us, and concealed themselves so closely by squatting, that 
it was very difficult to discover them even when only a few feet distant. 
This species, like the Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus, forms no nest ; 
and whilst the latter scoops a place in the sand for its eggs, the Ring Plover 
forms a similar cavity in the moss, in a place sheltered from the north winds 
and exposed to the full rays of the sun, usually near the margins of small 
ponds formed by the melting of the snow, and surrounded by short grass. 
Some of these pools are found on the tops of the highest rocks of that 
country. The eggs, like those of all the family, are four, and placed with 
the small ends together. They are broad at the larger end, rather sharp at 
the other, measure 1A inches in length, 7 •§■ inches in their greatest breadth, 
are of a dull yellowish colour, irregularly blotched and spotted all over with 
dark brown of different tints. The young are at first of a yellowish-grey 
colour, prettily marked with darker spots on the shoulders and rump. As 
soon as their parents dismissed them, they were observed searching for food 
among the drying cod-fish, and along the beaches. • 
By the 12th of August, all the individuals which had bred in Labrador 
and Newfoundland, had taken their departure, migrating southward in com- 
pany with the Phalaropes and Schintz’s Sandpipers. Many of these birds 
proceed by our great lakes and rivers, they being sometimes seen in Septem- 
ber along the shores of the Ohio and Mississippi. At this period they are 
now and then observed on ploughed lands, where they appear to procure dif- 
ferent species of seeds and insects. Along the whole extent of our Atlantic 
shores they are numerous at this season, and great numbers are killed, the 
flesh of the young birds especially being juicy and tender. 
The flight of this species is swift and sustained. They are fond of associat- 
ing with other birds of similar habits, and are generally unsuspicious, so that 
they are easily approached. When on wing, their notes are sharp, sonorous, 
and frequently repeated. The young members of my party were often much 
amused by witnessing our pointer chasing the old birds, whilst the latter, as 
if perfectly aware of the superiority in speed, would seem to coax him on, 
and never failed to exhaust him by flying along the declivities of the rocks 
up to their summits, and afterwards plunging downwards to the base, thus 
forming great circuits over a limited range. Their food consists of small 
Crustacea, mollusca, and the eggs of various marine animals. The old males 
are very pugnacious in the breeding season, and engage in obstinate conflicts, 
drooping their wings, and trailing their tail fully spread out in the manner 
of some species of Grouse on similar occasions. 
Ring P:over, Tringa Hiaticula, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. vii. p. 65. 
Charadrius semipalmatus, Bonap. Syn., p. 296. 
