152 BIRDS OF ONTARIO. 



streaks; nunp anil upper tail coverts, like the back; tail, axillais ami lining of 

 wings, beautifully barred with black and white ; quills, entirely blackish ; bill 

 and feet, very dark olive-green. Yonii;/: — Duller above, less speckled, juguluni 

 merelj' suffused with grayish-brown. Length, 8-9 ; wing, o ; tail, 2^ ; l)ill, 

 tarsus and middle toe, each about 1-1^; tibis, bare, §. 



Hab. — North America, breeding throughout the temperate portions (more 

 connnonly north\\'ard), and migrating southward as far as Brazil and Peru. 



Nest, a hollow in the ground, not far from water. 



Eggs, clay color with a reddish tinge, thickly marked with reddish and 

 blackish brown. 



As its name implies, this is a solitary l)ird, uowliere abundant, 

 yet widely distributed. It is seen during the summer months in 

 Southern Ontario. Piof. Macoun reports it as "of frequent occur- 

 rence on the ])lains''()f the North-West, and it has been found in 

 Alaska. 



In the "List of Birds of Western (Ontario," pul)!ished in the Cana- 

 dian S/)iirfsunni (ukJ SatttralLst, for November, 1SS2, it is stated that 

 "in the summer of lcS79 this bird bred ver}^ commonly along the 

 streams in Middlesex, but has since then been (juite rare." Most of 

 those I have seen near Hamilton have risen unexpectedly from some 

 pool by the roadside, frequently from places where cattle have been 

 in the habit of visiting to obtain water. I have not seen more than 

 two together. In their motions they are <]uiet and sedate, l)ut have 

 the habit peculiar to others of this class, of nervously jerking their 

 hinder parts in a manner ajjparently satisfactory to themselves, 

 though what particular 2)urpose is served by it, is not to us apparent. 

 From leaving seen this sj^ecies in all the summer months, T have 

 placed it on the list as a rare sunnner resident here. 



I have often fancied myself in close proximity to its nest, but 

 so far I have not found it. I may state, however, that I do not 

 search for eggs, and, therefore, do little collecting during June and 

 July. 



There is no tioulilc in deciding the bi'eeding range of a conunon 

 species, but the reverse is the case with a rare bird. In the " Birds 

 of Manitoba," several of the observers mention it as probably breed- 

 ing, but Macoun states positively: "Frequent throughout the Winni- 

 pegosis region, along the route of 18X1, Itreeding, for young were 

 observed with some down yet." It is repi)rted as breeding at .several 

 j)oints in Alaska, Vjut even thei-e it is not al)undant, and the eggs are 

 still rare in collections. 



