BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT. 293 



migrate through the interior as well as on the coast, and it 

 traverses almost the length of both American continents. In 

 the spring migration it begins to come northward in March, 

 and sometimes arrives in New England by the latter part of 

 the month, but after that its movement toward the pole is 

 slow and it does not reach its breeding grounds in the north 

 until the first week in June. 



Sanderlings associate sometimes with flocks of other shore 

 birds, particularly the Semipalmated Sandpipers, but, ordi- 

 narily, they are found in small flocks, unaccompanied by any 

 other species. Early comers from the north in July sometimes 

 are ruddy on the back, throat and breast. This is the remains 

 of the spring plumage, which gradually disappears as winter 

 conies on. The young birds begin to appear during the latter 

 part of August; they may be distinguished from the old birds 

 by the black spots on the back and the strong contrast be- 

 tween the white line on the wing and the black primaries. 

 Dr. Townsend records that Mr. F. H. Allen found in a gunner's 

 bag at Ipswich Beach a Sanderling with a rudimentary hind 

 toe. This is the only instance of this kind on record for Mas- 

 sachusetts, so far as I am aware. The Sanderling, like the 

 Plovers, ordinarily has no hind toe. 



The Sanderling is naturally a very unsuspicious bird, paying 

 little attention to man unless it has learned to do so by painful 

 experience. The flocks move well together, but fly rather 

 steadily and usually low, directing their course along the beach. 

 They are not much given to those graceful uniform evolutions 

 which are performed by flocks of other species, during which 

 the upper and under parts are alternately exposed to view. 

 At high tide they resort to the higher parts of the beach or to 

 some exposed sand bar, where they rest and often sleep, with 

 the head thrust into the feathers of the back. 



The Sanderling often feeds on beaches or flats by plunging 

 its bill into the sand in search of worms. At such times Audu- 

 bon found sea-worms, minute shell-fish and gravel in the stom- 

 achs of birds which he dissected; when they were seen following 

 the receding waves and wading in the returning waters he 

 found that they had eaten "shrimps and other Crustacea." 



