SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 91 



2. Bill nearly twice as long 1 as middle toe and claw . pacifica, p. 93. 

 2'. Bill shorter or but little longer than middle toe and claw. 



3. Upper tail coverts white, slightly streaked . fuscicollis, p. V2. 

 3'. Upper tail coverts blackish. 



4. Wing over 5 maculata, p. 91. 



4'. Wing under '5. 



5. Wing 4.80-4.90 bairdii, p. <) 



5'. Wing 3.50-3.75 . minutilla, p. <>:.'. 



Subgenus Tringa. 



234. Tringa canutus Linn. KNOT. 



The only species of Tringa in which the middle pair of tail feathers are 

 not decidedly longer than the rest. Adults 

 in summer : upper parts grayish and 

 dusky, tinged with buff ; rump and up- 

 per tail coverts white, barred and spotted 



with dusky ; line over eye and most of f ia . 105. 



under parts pale cinnamon ; flanks and 



under tail coverts white. Adults in winter : upper parts plain gray ; under 

 parts, rump, and tail coverts white, barred or streaked with dusky except 

 on belly and under tail coverts. Young : like adults in winter but gray 

 feathers of back edged with whitish and dusky, and breast often suffused 

 with buffy. Length: 10-11, wing 6.50, tail 50, bill 1.40. 



Distribution. Northern hemisphere, chiefly on the seacoasts ; south in 

 winter nearly through the southern hemisphere ; breeding far north. 



Eggs. Deposited in a tuft of grass ; 4, light pea green specked with 

 brown. 



The knot is rare inland and apparently less common along the 

 Pacific than on the Atlantic coast. It is a beach bird, getting its 

 food from the wash of the waves. 



Subgenus Actodromas. 



239. Tringa maculata Vieill. PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 



Bill longer than tarsus ; middle pair of tail feathers pointed and longer 

 than the rest ; shaft of outer quill only, 

 pure white ; rump, upper coverts, and mid- 

 dle tail feathers, black. Adults : upper 

 parts mottled dusky, black, and buffy ; 

 chest dark gray, finely streaked with 



dusky ; chin and belly white. Young : similar to adults, but upper parts 

 striped with ochraceous, brightest on edges of tertials and tail feathers ; 

 chest buffy, finely streaked with dusky. Length : 8.00-9.50, wing 5.00- 

 5.50, bill 1.10-1.20, tarsus 1.00-1.10. 



Distribution. Whole of North America, the West Indies, and most of 

 South America, breeding in arctic regions. Occasional in Europe. 



Nest . On dry ground, in the grass. Eggs : 4, greenish drab, spotted 

 with brown. 



The pectoral sandpiper is a common migrant in the eastern United 

 States and the Mississippi valley, but less common westward. It is 

 found in flocks, on the marshes and muddy flats rather than along 

 the -beaches. 



