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Show 269 visiting the marshes, though within a few yards of its breeding- ground. Its habits seemed exactly like those of the common Piping Plover, and their notes are very similar. Its food consists of all sorts of worms and marine Crustacea which it finds close to the water's edge, following the retreating waves down and scurrying back as they come rolling in. July 7,1 found two broods of young which had left the nest but a few hours before. They were clothed in down, and were yet so weak as soarcely to be able to stand. Subsequently I found quite a number of nests containing eggs. The spot selected for a breeding- ground was a strip of bare white sand, a hundred yards, perhaps, from the ocean. The nest was simplicity itself. In all but one instance the eggs were deposited in a slight hollow scratched in the sand, without lining of any sort. In the exceptional case the owners must have been of an artistic turn of mind, for they had selected from along the shore little bits of the pearly nacre, the remnants of broken sea- shells, and upon a smooth lining of this material were placed their treasures. The effect of the richly- colored eggs as they lay on the cushion of shining nacre was very pleasing. So slight is the contrast between the eggs and the drifted sand about them that they would be difficult enough to find were it not for the tracks about the nest. As the mates came to relieve each other from setting or to bring each other food, they alighted near the nest, and thus for a little distauce about each one was a series of tracks converging to a common center, which too surely betrayed their secret. Great was the alarm of the colony as soon as my presence was known, and, gathering into little knots, they nervously attended my steps, following at a distance with low sorrowful cries. The female, when she found her nest was really discovered, hesitated not to fly close by, aud used all the arts which birds of this kind know so well how to employ on like occasions. With wings drooping and trailing on the sand, she would move in front till my attention was secured, when she would fall helplessly down, and burying her breast in the soft sand, present the very picture of utter helplessness, while the male with the neighboring pairs expressed his sympathy with loud cries. The full nest complement appears to be three, and in no instance did I find more. These are of a light clay- color, numerously marked with blotches and scratchy markings of black. In size and appearance they approach most closely to those of A. melodus, but may be easily distinguished by the different style of the spotting. Examining a good series of the eggs of mehdua in the Smithsonian, I find them to vary among themselves but little in the character of their markings. These take the form of small circular dots, very rarely becoming aggregated into blotches, and without penlike scratchings. Those of nivosus are more heavily marked with irregular blotches, while the scratchy marks are conspicuous. Three sets measure, respectively. 1.30 by 0.93; 1.27 by 0.92; 1.25 by 0.93; 1.29 by 0.93; 1.27 by 0.89; 1.24 by 0.95; 1.22 by 0.90. No. 178 179 180 181 909 910 919 914 916 917 913 • 915 918 919 430 939 433 934 935 936 937 990 760 761 Sex. cf ad. cTad. cfad. 9 ad. cfad. cf ad. cfad. 9 ad. Sad. $ ad. cfad. cfad. cf ad. cfad. cfad. $ ad. cfad, 9 ad. § ad. cfad. cfad. oiun. Inn. JUD. Locality. Santa Barbara, Cal do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do Date. Julv 4 July 4 July 4 July 4 July 7 July 4 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 7 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 July 8 Collector. H. W. Henshaw. . . . . do .... do .... do.* .... do .... do . . . . do .... do . . . . do . . . . do do .... do .... do do ... do .... do .... do .... do .... do Wing. 4.93 4.99 4.90 4.08 4.09 4.08 8. 90 4.90 4.13 4.13 Tail. 1.93 9.00 1.98 1.85 1.98 9.08 1.99 1.97 1.96 9.03 Bill. 0.60 0.64 0.69 0.61 0.64 0.63 0.59 0.60 a 63 0.63 Tareus. 0.97 0.99 a 98 6.88 0.96 0.99 0.93 0.99 0.98 0.93 |