# 
# 
Remarkable Flight of Killdeer Plover. 
On November 25tli, the New England coast 
was visited by one of the most severe north- 
east storms that has occurred for a number of 
years; when for more than sixty hours the 
wind blew a gale from the east accompanied 
with rain, sleet, and dense fogs. 
On the night of the 28th, the surfmen, while 
out on their patrol on the beach, heard the 
t peculiar cry of a bird strange to them. 
From their description of it I thought it 
| that of the Killdeer, and during the early 
morning I saw two near the station and suc- 
ceeded in capturing one. On going out on the 
beach soon after I found the birds very plenty, 
sometimes singly, and in pairs, but oftener in 
flocks from ten to twenty. They were very 
tame and seemed to be tired out, and instead 
of running out on the beaches looking for food 
they were in some sheltered place among the 
sand hills. 
I shot twelve of them, and could have killed 
many more; those that I got were very poor in 
flesh, hut all were adult birds. 
They were very plenty on the beach for 
some four or five days, when they left as sud- 
' denly as they came; and from reports I have 
heard they wore very plenty on all parts of the 
Cape, at this time. On December 1st I had oc- 
casion to go to the town of Harwich, and I 
found the birds in every old field, and even in 
the public roads, and without doubt they could 
be found at this time hack at the uplands, but 
none were seen on the beaches after the fifth 
day of their first making their appearance. 
The Killdeer is a very rare bird on this part 
of the cape. I have hunted on the beaches, 
flats and uplands for the past twenty-five years, 
and never saw but one of them before, which I 
shot in August, 1886. 
While, the Killdeer is somewhat irregular in 
its migratory habits, it is certainly not a mari- 
time bird, and just why an easterly gale should 
bring them on the coast seems very strange, as 
certainly everything in this case points that 
way, not oidy the lateness of the season and 
the actions of the birds during their short 
stay, hut by their having never been here dur- 
ing the past quarter of a century, in many 
numbers, and then immediately after the 
storm. Perhaps some of the many readers of 
the O. & O. can give us some information, if 
so, I should be pleased to see it in the columns 
of that paper at some future time. 
On January 9th, I saw a pair on Monomoy 
Island, and on January 15th saw another pair 
in about the same place, possibly may have 
been the same ones. On January 18tli, saw a 
pair on Morris Island; since that time have not 
seen any in this vicinity, or heard of any being- 
seen, and think them very rare if any. On 
February 3d, saw a Least Tern ; it came by me 
within easy gun shot, and am very certain 
I could not have been mistaken as I have had a 
large experience with them, but never before 
saw one at this season of the year. We are 
having very good shooting, and have had all 
winter. N. E. Gould. 
Chatham Life Saving Station, Dee. 8, 1888. 
On November 27tli, during the severe north- 
east gale, twenty Killdeer Plover made their 
appearance at Hampton Beach, where I saw 
them nearly every day up to December 25th, 
on which date the last one was seen. They 
seemed to prefer the few acres of tillage land 
lying between high water mark and the vast 
extent of marsh, avoiding the latter place and 
the sandy beach. Single birds were seen fre- 
quently on the highway. On December 25tli, 
rode past a Killdeer, who merely moved a few 
feet to one side in order to avoid the wheels of 
the carriage. 
Four specimens that I secured were quite 
fat, showing that they had not been deprived 
of food for any length of time. In each in- 
stance the stomach contained a few small red 
beetles, sand fleas and a quantity of gravel. 
This species being very rare here attracted 
considerable attention. One old fisherman re- 
marked that he had not seen a flock of Killdeer 
before for more than a dozen years. It would 
be very interesting to know from whence they 
came and the cause of their being here so late 
in the season. 1 was glad to see reference 
made to. this in the December O. & O., and 
think when the notes of observers in different 
localities are brought together much light will 
be shed on the subject. S. Albert, Shaw. 
Hampton, N. H. <J <fc O. XIV. Mar. 1889 p.44 
72 . 
