shores, like the Ring-Plovers: they have a very remarkable habit
of stirring .the soil w it^ thdir feo^to .pat Hi/motion,' warms and
aquatic ins^pts,; their exchtsive/ood. Th^y are pyp-q npetiirnal
than diurnal. They lay in the sand éfauu*£ fpudla%e:, cggp, t.Xhd
young vefjy soon, a fttrth e y are ha^^e^jfoljpjsy /thé motfigr, arid
pick up the food which she with great care pöin^out th thenu.
The Piping Plover is seven inches long, and fpnrteppa^^Etenti
the bill is bright yelIo#slightly tiqgpd with o ra^-iKp.
length, theiwse black: the eyelids are bright yeliqw and fhe'jridps
dark brown. The plumage above generally, with the .
ruption of the ring cm the neck, is of an extremely pató.brdwn'i\h
or dusky, inclining strongly to whitish £^h: the, front! part
head between: the bill and eye§, aidLMie whole
from the chin .to the tip of the lower^ad-cover^nand^^l-udiiigl
the under wing-coverts and long axillary fèathérs re pure,white: '
the head and breast are ornamented, the former with niblack
crescent* that runs transversely between the eyes add b0ufid|jtjie
white forehead on one side, and the ash-coloured parts of the heard
on fare other; the latteaHby a curved band.ïp«fujits sides, forming
the ring or half-collar round the neck, but narrow, anil almost
interrupted before. The wings are four and three*quart$è imehès;
long, and reach when closed « the tip of the taiii?Ae.wiijg^0vP«^.
are darker than the back feathers, and arte all edfedwalh" -white; i:'
the larger c h e rts are broadly tergainated with white, constituting
the band across the wings: thp quill-feathers
secondaries are broadly white inside with*margins -of the same:
the primaries are blackish at the point, shafted*?nd>JKquely
centred with white; the fourjóuter ones are blaeMs^töi^^heir
outer margins where the others are white, The tail is twh and a
half inches in length, nearly square at .tfp,;4eing much less
rounded than in the Semipalmated species, wipte beneath för half
its,length,"and blackish at tip; the ^ e r ; ^ - ^ a h h e r r i s wholly
white, the next whit®; and with a single spot "of felaek,
which on 'the third eigtefifls. mjich more,, ^adSiill mope/bat th #
fourth* and fifth, tiffi^fe lasti^ r o erely teriaiaat&IKfvgtfewhite. th#
middle ohes being .wholly; dually fronptbe whit,? of f le base. The
feet's are greenish yfafo w' tinged with orange, and the nails M-ack.
ThosSeahthors who dds^jbe tthe autumnal plumage as much
darker, are still BpSnuting, under- 'the erroneous' opinion which
they had rejected,, jgf this.bding, the^am^with theftf?. semipcMmpfl /# .
On the contr^y,',it is, if anything',stijl-paler at that seaCoh» >and
considerably resembles t h ^ o f the ydjjfig’birds, wbidhiare digltth-
guish'ed' by the -absfeiibe* of;-the neck ring tend sinfeipltaT cre^remt,
land the bill being entirely raacMsh.
As will Appear by tafoirang. Oft Japdting
TloyiFS, this species is commonly met witjbduidng th® wftol#
summer along the sandy p ^ s t s of ; the GnitediptateS,
approach o'f winter retiring southvit lays in fhfe m©nth*bf &ulfbn
i the sandy beach, three ot_ fofur eggs*. vqrf-largedog the^bird, of'an
obscure clay colour, all sprinkled'with numerous • reddlRfr spots.
^It runs rapidly,. holding the wings half expander; and utters *a
very soft and mellow cry.
VOL. IV.-----X