KILDEER PLOVER. 
9 
196 . CHARADRIUS VOCIFERUS, LINNiEUS AND WILSON. 
KILDEER, PLOVER. 
WILSON, PLATE LIX. FIG. VI. 
EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
This restless and noisy bird is known to almost 
every inhabitant of the United States, being’ a common 
and pretty constant resident. During’ the severity of 
winter, when snow covers the ground, it retreats to 
the sea shore, where it is found at all seasons ; but no 
sooner have the rivers broke up, than its shrill note is 
again heard, either roaming about high in air, tracing 
the shore of the river, or running amidst the watery 
flats and meadows. As spring advances, it resorts to 
the newly ploughed fields, or level plains bare of grass, 
interspersed with shallow pools ; or, in the vicinity of 
the sea, dry bare sandy fields. In some such situation 
it generally chooses to breed, about the beginning of 
May. The nest is usually slight, a mere hollow, with 
such materials drawn in around it as happen to be 
near, such as bits of sticks, straw, pebbles, or earth. In 
one instance I found the nest of this bird paved with 
fragments of clam and oyster shells, and very neatly 
surrounded with a mound or border of the same, placed 
in a very close and curious manner. In some cases 
there is no vestige whatever of a nest. The eggs are 
usually four, of a bright rich cream or yellowish clay 
colour, thickly marked with blotches of black. They 
are large for the size of the bird, measuring more than 
an inch and a half in length, and a full inch in width, 
tapering to a narrow point at the great end. 
Nothing can exceed the alarm and anxiety of these 
birds during the breeding season. Their cries of kildeer, 
kildeer, as they winnow the air overhead, dive, and 
course around you, or run along the ground counter- 
feiting lameness, are shrill and incessant. The moment 
they see a person approach, they fly or run to attack 
him with their harassing clamour, continuing it over 
