Shore Birds of Gape Ood. 
John C. Oahoon. 
Piping Plover, JEgialitis melodia , (Oi'd.) Pale 
Ring-neck, “Clam bird,” or more commonly 
“Mourning Bird” on Cape Cod. A common 
summer resident. The first ones in the spring 
arrive at Monomoy Island from the 8th to the 
10th of April, increasing until May 1st at which 
date the migration is at its height. They are 
usually in pairs when they arrive, and on Mon- 
omoy they commence to nest about the last of 
May or first of June. I have instances of their 
nesting as early as May 10th and as late as 
July 20th. Wherever I have found their eggs 
on Monomoy and other islands off the Cape, 
they have been laid on the bare sand on the 
high beaches above high water mark. The 
nest is usually a slight depression in the sand, 
but it is sometimes lined with small pieces of 
shells and sea weed. The eggs are usually four 
in number and the ground color is so near like 
that of the sand upon which they are deposited 
that it requires a sharp eye to discern them. 
Whenever a person approaches the vicinity of 
their nesting site, they resort to various de- 
vices to entice them away. They make a feint 
of being wounded by dropping one of their 
wings as if it was broken and fluttering along 
as if in great pain, and a person who has not 
seen this habit performed by other birds would 
be certain to be deceived. Another devise is to 
alight on the beach a short distance from a per- 
son, then run along a few yards and crouch 
! down, fluttering their wings and acting as if on 
j their nest. They will remain in this position 
until the person approaches quite near them, 
when they jump up and run along and repeat 
the performance. The young, as soon as they 
leave the eggs are able to run about on the 
beach and when discovered will try and make 
their escape by running away, but as soon as 
they are overtaken will crouch on the sand and 
will make no movement to get away, even 
when taken in the hand. When the old birds 
are nesting they seldom go out on to the flats to 
feed at low tide, but feed on tiny marine ani- 
mals washed up by the surf and small insects 
found on the beaches. As soon as the young; 
are full grown they are seen in small parties by 
themselves, or in company with the feemipal- 
mated Plover on the flats, the old birds, how- 
ever, being usually in pairs. The old birds 
commence to leave about the middle of August ,i 
the young linger several weeks longer and then 
they too start on their journey south. They 
run very swiftly and it is exceedingly hard 
work to catch one wounded. They alight and 
the very instant their feet touch the beach 
they are running along as fast as their propell- 
ing muscles can move them, with their heads 
drawn in close to the shoulders. The note of 
this bird is a soft plaintive whistle, quite pro- 
longed, which is shortened when quickly re- 
peated. It is from these mournful notes that 
it receives the appellation of “Mourning Bird.’ 
It was abundant in former years on the east 
part of the Cape from Chatham to Province- 
town, but there has been a great decrease 
during the last five seasons. 
O.&o. XIII. Oat. 1888 p.155 6 
a set of two eggs of the Sanderling. ' 
Phe latter was collected on May 22, 1892, 
jy J. H. Sears, and named on his author- 
:y. They were collected at Ipswich Beach 
n the sand, and are probably the only 
*gs of this species taken in this county, 
least. Frank A. Brown. 
O. & O.Vol.17, Sept. 1862 p.140 
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