75 
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.* 
FAjYELLUS HELVETICUS. 
[Plate LIX.— Fig. 5.] 
THE bird figured in the plate was shot by the author of this 
work in the month of October, at Great Egg-Harbor ; and was by 
him supposed to be the Golden Plover. So much does it resemble 
the latter, that there are few ornithologists who would not pro- 
nounce it to be this bird, at the first view. But the writer of this 
article, from a conviction of the many changes which the species 
before us undergoes, could not rest satisfied with an opinion de- 
rived from an examination of the figure, witli its accompanying 
description, without referring to Mr. Wilson’s book of memoran- 
dums, wherein he obtained some information which induced him 
to conclude that the subject of this chapter was a young male Black- 
bellied Plover, in its autumnal dress. The note-book states that 
several were shot, differing in their appearance ; but they all had 
the small hind toe ; and that that figured had the long feathers of 
the sides, at the junction of the wings, of a pale brown ; these fea- 
thers of the remainder were black. The bill of the figure in the 
plate certainly has a greater resemblance to that of the Golden 
Plover than to the bill of the Black-bellied Plover of Plate LVH ; 
but as the bird was drawn while the author was at Egg-Harbor, 
and of course had not much leisure for accuracy, the probability is 
that he failed in this particular. 
This species visits the coasts of New York and New Jersey in 
spring and autumn; but it is most frequently met with m the 
Named in the plate Golden Plover. 
