214 
CURSORES. 
bird. It has a sweet, soft, and musical note, which 
is uttered with a somewhat deceptive effect, and is 
often heard proceeding from various quarters at the 
same time, without our being able to discover its 
source. The flight of this bird is extremely swift, 
and there are few of its kind that are fleeter of foot. 
It will run in a straight line before you with such 
speed that it requires a keen eye to follow it. The 
nest of the Piping Plover consists merely of a small 
hole scooped out of the sand, often near the base of 
a tuft of grass. The female lays four eggs, which 
are mostly hatched by the warmth of the sand, ac- 
quired by exposure to a hot sun. The female, how- 
ever, always sits upon them by night and during 
rough weather. The young leave the nest immedi- 
ately upon being released from the shell, and run 
about with great activity; and upon the approach 
of danger they squat so close to the ground, which 
they very much resemble in color, that it is difficult 
to discover them. 
Although the Plovers are generally abundant on 
all our Atlantic coasts, yet their haunts are by no 
means confined to such localities. Many which fre- 
quent the sea during the Spring, retire far inland to 
breed, and some species are seldom known upon the 
* coast. Of those which inhabit our meadows and low 
grounds, we will select the Kildeer Plover, as the 
most familiar and the most beautiful. 
Almost every farm-house can boast of its pair of 
Kildeers, which may be seen skimming most grace- 
fully over the fields and meadows, repeating their 
