168 HISTORY OF THE ' 



plaiu ash gray, the feathers with iudistinct darker shaft streaks; rump and up- 

 per tail coverts white, barred with dusky; lower parts white, the throat, fore- 

 neck, chest aud sides streaked and otherwise marked with dusky. Young: 

 Above, ash gray, each feather bordered with whitish and with a subedgiug of 

 dusky; lower parts whitish, sometimes tinged with dull bufify on breast, etc.; 

 the neck and chest streaked and flecked with dusky, the sides indistinctly 

 barred and spotted with the same; otherwise like adult. Dotcny young: Fore- 

 head warm buff, with a central black line; over the eye a double black line; 

 crown, from center backwards, black, slightly varied with rufous and dotted 

 with buff; nape creamy buff slightly varied with blackish; upper parts black, 

 slightly varied with reddish brown and profusely dotted with creamy white; 

 under parts very slightly washed with warm buff. {Ridgway.) 



stretch of 

 Length. wing. IVi'ng. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 10.25 20.50 6.25 2.40 1.20 1.40 



Female... 10.50 20.75 6.35 2.50 1.20 1.40 



Iris dark brown; bill and claws black; legs and feet dark 

 green. 



This cosmopolitan species is quite common along the Atlantic 

 coast, and from Alaska nortliward, but is seldom met with in- 

 land, especially west of the Mississippi. 



In the early part of September, 1884, I had a very good op-, 

 portunity to observe these birds near Chatham, Massachusetts, 

 as they were feeding along the sandy beach upon minute shell- 

 fish and other small forms of life that are loosened and brought 

 to the surface by the wash of the waters upon the shore; a very 

 pretty and lively sight, as they swiftly followed and retreated 

 from the waves that continually roll upon the beach. I also 

 noticed a small flock of these birds probing for food in a marshy 

 pool of water on Monomoy Isle; occasionally wading beyond 

 their depth, apparently floating and swimming with ease. They 

 usually move in flocks, and when startled all spring into the 

 air with a sharp "Tweep, tweep," and swiftly fly in a compact, 

 wavy manner. 



These birds are reported as breeding along the Arctic coast 

 north to Greenland, and young birds have been captured. 

 Morris, in his ^'British Birds," Vol. IV, p. 293, says: "A tuft 

 of grass serves as a depository for the eggs. They are stated 

 to be four in number, of a light yellowish brown color, marked 

 at the larger end with gray and reddish spots, forming more or 

 less of a belt, and less spotted towards the smaller end." But 



