The Snowy Plover on the Salt Plains of the Indian Territory and Kansas

General Noiei.

409

The Snowy

Plover on the Salt Plains of the Indian Territory

and

Kansas.

— On

the iSth of June. 18S6, Ifound ^-JlgialitL^tiivosahrtinWui:^on the.saltplainsalong the

Cimarron

Ri\er, in the Indian Territory, the northern limitsof whicli extend across the line into southwestern Co-

manche

County, Kansas. Ishottwoofthe hirdswithin the State limits, attheedge ofthe phiins, and saw one more, a female, with two

voung

birds nearly half grown, which I had not the heart to disturb. Just south ofthe line, in the IndianTerritory, Isaw several of the birds, and started onefrom a nest

—

^{a depression}

marked

out in the sand, with no lining,and nothing neartoshelter or hide it from \iew.

The

nestcon- tained three eggs nearlyready tohatch. Their dimensionsare120

X

90, 120

X

^{S9, 122}

X

89; color, paleolivedrab (approacliinga light claycolor with agreenish tint),rather evenlyand thickly

marked

with irregularlv- bhaped, ragged-edgedsplashesanddotsof dark or blackish brown.

The

measurementsof the three birds shot, which on dissection provedtobe lemales, are as follows:

Length

.