Protective Coloration in the Genus ^Egialitis. — To the protective colors 
which are usual among the shore birds I had always considered the neck 
and head markings of the genus sEgialitis a striking and curious excep- 
tion. till a short time ago when lookingat an semipalmata , which I had 
wounded, trying to hide by crouching in a hollow in the sand; and while 
admiring the perfect blending of its brown shades with the surroundings 
1 saw in its white rings one of the commonest objects of the sea shore 
the empty half of a bivalve shell. The white about the base of the bill 
was the ‘hinge,’ the collar the outer rim, and the top of the head the 
cavity of the shell, filled— as they usually are— with sand. 
In the cabinet drawer the resemblance is not so noticeable, but such 
resemblances rarely are, and it was striking among the natural surround- 
ings when I first observed it, and it is most perfect when the bird is 
crouching as it does in the presence of danger or when on its eggs. Not 
only are these shells found along the water's edge, but they are carried 
far above high-water mark by several agencies, and are common in such 
places as these birds breed in, their cavities discolored or filled with sand, 
their curved edges kept bright by exposure and friction. I now consider 
these beautiful markings a clear case of ‘protective coloration.’— 
Wm. V. Praeger, Keokuk, Iowa. 8, April, 1891. p ,11L. 
