1899] YOUN'G THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 205 



the bird is peculiar. Charles Dixon, an English naturalist, whose 

 interesting book — " Non-Indigenous British Birds" — may not be 

 known to many readers, says of this sandpiper (he wrote in 1894): 

 " Incredible as it may seem its nest and eggs still remain unknown 

 to science, for it is impossible to accept the description of the 

 latter given by the late Dr. Brewer without authentication. There 

 can be little doubt that this species lays its eggs in the deserted 

 nests of other birds in low trees, like its old-world representative, 

 the Green Sandpiper, is known to do." Now Mr. Dixon, though 

 a high authority on British birds, seems to write too negatively 

 here, for the egg that Dr. Brewer refers to was found near Lake 

 Bombazine, in Vermont, IJ,S.A., and the bird shot as it left the 

 nest, which of course implies absolute identification. In the next 

 place our Solitary Sandpiper is rather the nearctic representative of 

 the old-world Wood Sandpiper/' Totanyis glareola ) and not theGreen 

 Sandpiper ( Totamis odoropsusj, according to Yarrell. (" British 

 Birds," 4th Ed.), and as such breeds on the ground, as is the habit 

 with that species, and not in trees like the Green Sandpiper. Since 

 1894, the nest is said to have been found several times, notably 

 one by Dr. Clarke of Kingston, in 1898 [vide '^Auk,'^ Oct., 1898). 

 With regard to the nest 1 found, in company with Dr. Clarke, we 

 made a trip to a large marsh on the south side of Amherst Island, 

 Ont., in June, 1899. This marsh covers many acres of ground 

 and is accessible according to the nature of the season, whether 

 wet or dry. A creek runs through the middle, and empties into 

 Lake Ontario near what is known as " Nut" Island. The shores 

 of the lake hereabouts are sandy, and near the marsh are fringed 

 with a growth of small poplars and willows. Inside this growth 

 of small trees is a bank of sand and pebbles, beyond which are 

 larger trees such as poplar, soft maple and willows, which grow 

 along the edge of the marsh. It was amongst these trees that I 

 found the sandpiper's nest, among some coarse grass not far from 

 the edge ot the creek, and between the lake and the marsh. Close 

 by was a good deal oi Spiraea and a rank growth of long grass and 

 some reeds. Here we noticed several Black-billed Cuckoos, and 

 two pairs of Maryland Yellow-throats. The bird sat very closely, 

 although the eggs were fresh, and rose almost at my feet. I at 

 once said to myself, "that is not a Spotted Sandpiper," noticing 



