BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 69 



The Wandering Tatler was of course to be expected in this region, for it is 

 a common bird on the coast of California, and was found by Mr. Belding at 

 Cerros Island,^ while it has occurred as far to the southward as the Galapagos. 

 Mr. Frazar, however, seems to have been the first to detect it in the region of 

 which this paper especially treats. He met with it only twice, on October 1 

 and 22, both times on a rocky point that juts out into the sea near San Jose 

 del Cabo. On the first occasion he saw nine birds, of which seven were 

 secured. Their attitudes when standing on the rocks were like those of Oyster- 

 catchers, but their actions more nearly resembled those of the Spotted Sand- 

 piper, although none of the " teetering " motions which are so characteristic of 

 the latter were observed. During his second visit to this point only one 

 bird was found. 



Actitis macularia (Linn.). 



Spotted Sandpiper. 



Tringoides macularius Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region), 



548 (San Jest'). 

 Actitis macularia Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 273, (Cape 



Region). 



On comparing fifteen specimens (all autumn birds) of this Sandpiper from 

 the Cape Region with a large number of eastern examples I find that the bills 

 of the former are almost invariably longer, although the other dimensions do 

 not appear to be greater. In coloring, the Lower California birds are in no 

 way peculiar. A" male shot on September 1 has the entire abdomen, as well 

 as the breast posteriorly, sparsely but coarsely spotted with dull black. 

 Another male, taken on October 26, also shows a few fine dusky spots on 

 the flanks and anal region. In both specimens the spotted feathers are fresh, 

 unworn, and evidently a part of the winter plumage, although Mr. Ridgway 

 describes this ^ as without spotting on the under parts. 



Mr. Belding, in his list of birds seen on May 17, 1882, at San Jose del Cabo, 

 characterizes the Spotted Sandpiper as " rare," but Mr. Frazar found it at this 

 place in consideralde numbers during the whole of September, and less numer- 

 ously, but still rather frequently, in October, up to the 26th. He also noted 

 it as " not rare " at Carmen Island on March 6, and his collection contains a 

 bird taken at Triunfo on April 8. Mr. Brj'ant reports it from Magdalena 

 Baj^ and Ensenada, and adds that " Mr. Anthony has seen it in the fall, and 

 Mr. Belding May 12, at San Rai\iel." 



The Spotted Sandpiper visits Central America and the northern portions 

 of South America in winter, but it is not known to breed south of the United 

 States. To the northward, along the Pacific coast, its summer range extends 

 to Alaska. 



1 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus , V. 1883, 532. 



2 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2J ed., 1896, 170. 



