SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



249 



BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER 



Tryngites subruficollis (I'iciUot) 



A. O U. Number .;o;; See (. ulor I'late j; 



Other Name. — llill Grass-bird. 



General Description. — Length, 8 inches. Color 

 below, buff; abovo. dusky brown. Bill shorter than 

 head, slender, hard at tip ; gape wide ; tail rounded, 

 central feathers projecting; toes not i\'cbbcd. Prefers 

 dry upland fields and is rarely seen on the shore. 



Color. — .\dults i.m Summer: .-Xbove, dusky-brown, 

 finely streaked on head with pale yellowish-buff, 

 this streaking running down back of neck to feathers of 

 back and shoulders which are edged and tipped with 

 tawny ; primaries, secondaries, and coverts, grayish- 

 brown, the last two with lighter edges; inner U'cbs of 

 primaries and both Zi'ebs of secondaries, pearly wliite 

 marbled zcith black: lores, sides of head to above eye, 

 throat, breast, and all under parts, plain buff unmarked 

 e.xcept by a few brownish spots on side and chest; 



central tail-feathers, brown; others, rufous with a sub- 

 terminal dusky bar; bill, dusky; legs, dusky-greenish; 

 iris, brown. Adults i.\' Winter: The broad edgings of 

 feathers above, narrowed to whitish semi-circles ; under 

 parts, whiter ; wing and tail, as in summer. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : A depression in the ground, 

 sparsely lined with grass and withered leaves. Eggs : 

 4, grayish or pale olive-buff, sharply spotted with rich 

 burnt umber. 



Distribution. — North and South America; breeds 

 along the .Arctic coast from northern Alaska to north- 

 ern Keewatin ; winters in -Argentina and Uruguay ; 

 most abundant in migration in the Mississippi valley; 

 occasional on the -Atlantic coast in fall ; casual on the 

 Pacific coast north to St. Michael. Alaska, and to north- 

 eastern Siberia ; straggles to I!ermuda and Europe. 



The Buff-breasted Sandpiper is rather a rare 

 bird upon the Atlantic coast, and possibly always 

 has been, as it breeds in northern Alaska and 

 its main migration mute does not touch the .•\t- 

 lantic coast. 



Formerly it was very abundant in Texas, and 

 still is common there, but decreasing. The re- 

 ports of its decrease in the West are very impres- 

 sive. Apparently it is on the way to extinction. 



It is usually a very gentle and confiding bird 



and pays little attention to the hunter. It is 

 valuable as an insect eater, particularlv in the 

 West, but in its pursuit this fact is overlooked 

 and its food value only is considered. Doctor 

 Hatch found it living upon crickets, grasshop- 

 pers, ants and their " eggs,'' and other insects, 

 and on minute mollusks taken from the shores 

 of shallow ponds in the warmest part of the dav. 

 Edward Howe Forbush, in Gawc Birds. 

 IVild-Fo-a'! and Shore Birds. 



SPOTTED SANDPIPER 

 Actitis macularia (Linncriis) 



A. O, U. .\umber 263 See Color i'late .ih 



Other Names. — Peep ; Peetweet ; Teeter-peep ; 

 Teeter-tail; Teeterer ; Tip-up; Tilt-up; Sand Lark; 

 See-saw ; Sand-peep ; Sand Snipe ; River Snipe. 



General Description. — Length, 7 inches. Color 

 above, ashy-olive; under parts pure white, unspotted in 

 winter, but in summer with round black spots. Bill 

 straight, slender, and about as long as head ; outer and 

 middle toes, webbed at base ; inner toes, free ; tail, 

 rounded and half as long as wing. This is the only 

 Sandpiper which has large and distinct spots on its 

 under parts ; it nearly always teeters when alarmed ; 

 and in flight shows a white line on the wings. Found 

 most often near streams and ponds. 



Color. — .Adults in Summer: Crown and upper 

 parts, including wings, soft ashy-olive, finely varied 

 with dusky, in streaks on head and neck, elsewhere in 

 wavy irregular crossbars; line from bill to eye and 

 back of it, olive-dusky ; a line over eye and entire under 

 parts, pure white; under parts, as far as under tail- 

 coverts, ivith numerous sharp, circular black spots, more 



crowded on the female; primaries and secondaries, 

 brownish-black, largely zi'hite at base, not showing in 

 folded wing; feet, grayish flesh color; bill, flesh color 

 with black tip ; iris, brown surrounded with a white 

 ring. Adults in Winter, and Young: -As in summer, 

 but without marking above or below ; breast, slightly 

 grayish and wing-coverts more strongly outlined with 

 lighter. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : A depression in the ground 

 in the vicinity of water; rather well constructed of 

 grass, leaves, and weed stems. Eggs: 4, creamy, buffy, 

 or Krayish, blotched with blackish and purplish-gray. 



Distribution. — North and South America ; breeds 

 from tree limit in northwestern .Alaska, northern Mac- 

 kenzie, central Keewatin. northern Ungava. and New- 

 foundland south to southern California. -Arizona, south- 

 ern Texas, southern Louisiana, and northern South 

 Carolina; winters from California. Louisiana, and 

 South Carolina to southern Brazil and central Peru; 

 straggles to Great Britain and Helgoland. 



