SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



-^43 



Color. — .Adults: Head. neck, breast, and lower 

 parts, white streaked with dusky brown on forehead, 

 crown, and back of neck, spotted with arrowhead marks 

 on front of neck, breast, and sides: chin, throat, and 

 sides of head, with small dusky markings; a conspicu- 

 ous white eye-ring with a dusky spot in front ; lores, 

 whitish ; u[<l>cr parts from lu'ck, 'u'iny-covcrts. and 

 secondaries, blacL'isli-bron'n, each feather broadly edged 

 and tipped with lighter, greater coverts and secondaries, 

 barred; quills, plain dusky brown; runtp and tail, H'liite, 

 the latter narrowly streaked with light brown ; bill, 

 greenish-dusky, lighter basully ; tegs, lii/lit chrome 

 yello'a: Young : Similar to adults, but lighter above, 



the streaks below limited to the neck and upper breast, 

 and tlie legs yclluw. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: A mere depression, usu- 

 ally unlined, in the ground. Eggs: 4, grayish or deep 

 buff, spotted with rich dark brown and lavender over 

 tlie entire surface but more thickly at large end. 



Distribution. — North and South .-Xmerica ; breeds 

 from Lake Iliamna, Alaska, and southern Mackenzie to 

 soutliern British Columbia, Ungava, Labrador, and 

 .■\nticosti Island; winters from soutliern California, 

 Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia ( casually North Caro- 

 lina) south to Patagonia; occurs in Bermuda in 

 migration. 



( )n Hatteras Island, North Carnliiia, about lookout at all times. They watch and listen and 



five miles north of its famous lighthouse, there are first to give the alarm. With shrill cries they 



is, in ordinary seasons, an extended series of leap upon the wing and go flying away, generally 



shallow, grassy beach-ponds. During the month collecting into a company as they proceed. 



Drawing by R. 1. brasliL-i 



GREATER YELLOW-LEGS (J nat. size) 

 Easily attracted to decoys, hence a favorite with gunners 



of May, these are inhabited by large numbers 

 of shore birds of many kinds. 1 have seen here 

 at least ten thousand on the wing at a time when 

 disturbed from their feeding by the discharge 

 of a .gun. 



.'\mong the feathered squadrons there are 

 always many Yellow-legs. \Micn Hudsonian 

 Curlews are absent the Greater Yellow-legs is 

 the largest bird among them. This gathering 

 place at Cape Hatteras is similar to many others 

 all up and down the coast. Yellow-legs are the 

 sentinels of such assemblies, and keep a sharp 



Sometimes they do not go far, but circle back 

 and fly about in the offing, rarely ceasing to call. 

 In motion their wing-beats are deliberate, and, 

 when approaching others among which they are 

 preparing to settle, they ha\-e a way of slowly 

 sailing on extended wings that renders them an 

 easy shot for the .gunner. 



Yellow-legs are extensively hunted, although 

 as food their flesh does not rank so high as some 

 others of the Sandpiper family, as for example 

 Woodcock and Upland Plovers. They are shot 

 chiefly over wooden inodels cut out and painted 



