y hiding,
rather than by flight. Owing to their light colors it is very difficult
to see them at any distance. They lay their eggs upon the sandy beaches
in slight, and generally unlined, hollows. The eggs have a pale clay
colored ground and are sparsely specked with small black dots. Size 1.25
x 1.00.

[Illustration 168: Ring Plover. Snowy Plover.]
[Illustration: Buffy.]
[Illustration: Clay Color.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]

Page 167

278. SNOWY PLOVER. _AEgialitis nivosa._

Range.--Breeds along the Pacific coast of the United States, and from
Texas to Manitoba in the interior. Winters on the California coast and
south to Chili.

Snowy Plovers are very much like the Piping, but are smaller (length 6.5
inches), have a longer and more slender bill, and have a small black
patch on the side of head. It is the palest colored of the Plovers.
Large numbers of them nest along the Pacific coast and in Texas; north
of Texas, in the interior, they are locally distributed. The eggs are
pale clay color, marked with small scratchy dots of black. Size 1.20 x
.90. Data.--Newport Beach, California, May 1, 1897. Nest a hollow in the
sand, a short distance above high water; lined with broken shell.
Collector, Evan Davis.

279. MONGOLIAN PLOVER. _AEgialitis mongola._

An inhabitant of the Old World, awarded a place in our avifauna because
of its accidental occurrence at Alaska.

[Illustration 169: Pale buff.]
[Illustration: C. A. Reed. SPOTTED SANDPIPER AND NEST.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]

Page 168

280. WILSON'S PLOVER. _Octhodromus wilsonius._

Range.--An abundant breeding species on the Gulf coast, coast of Lower
California, and on the Atlantic coast north to Virginia, and casually
farther.

A common Plover, which may be distinguished from others of the genus by
its comparatively large heavy black bill, and the single broad black
band across the breast, and not extending around the back of the neck.
They nest on pebbly "shingle" or in the marsh, back of the beaches.
Their eggs are an olive gray color and are spotted and scratched with
blackish brown, with some fainter markings of gray. Size 1.40 x 1.05.
Data.--Corpus Christi, Texas, May 10, 1899. 4 eggs laid on the ground
among drifted grass on a salt marsh near town. Collector, Frank B.
Armstrong.

281. MOUNTAIN PLOVER. _Podasocys montanus_.

Range.--Plains and prairies of western North America, breeding from the
cent