Sandpipers SHORE AND MARSH BIRDS. 



but lie has every reason to believe that they were formerly 

 shot along the Virginia coast in spring on their way to the 

 breeding-grounds ; he says, " one such place shipped to New 

 York City in a single spring, from April 1 to June 3, up- 

 wards of six thousand Plovers, a large share of which were 

 Knots." This was about thirty years ago, but it neverthe- 

 less serves to illustrate what kind of treatment these birds 

 received in those as well as later days, and bears out the 

 current belief of to-day that the Knots have in a "great 

 measure been killed off." The "fire-lighting" method of 

 capturing them was, " for two men to start out after dark at 

 half-tide, one of them to carry a lighted lantern, the other 

 to reach and seize the birds, bite their necks, and put them 

 in a bag slung over the shoulder." It is well to think that 

 this also took place many years ago, and was stopped by law, 

 to the honour of true sportsmen, who, after all that is said 

 against them, have done much to stop the butchery of game. 



Pectoral Sandpiper : Tringa maculata. 



Grass Snipe. 



Length : 9-9.50 inches. 



Male : Above black and reddish ; white stripe over eye ; neck short. 

 Below whitish, washed on neck and breast with dusky, broken 

 by brown lines. JRump black ; wings dusky ; some tail feath- 

 ers tipped with white. Bill straight, half as long as head, 

 flesh-coloured tipped with black. Feet dusky greenish. 



Season : Common migrant ; August to November. 



Breeds : In Arctic regions. 



Bange : The whole of North America, the West Indies, and the greater 

 part of South America. Of frequent occurrence in Europe. 



A fresh-water Sandpiper, found in wet meadows with 

 Wilson's Snipe. It comes in late summer from its northern 

 breeding-grounds in flocks of variable size, and remains as 

 long as the insects upon which it feeds hold out. Its habits 

 are more like those of the Snipes than of Sandpipers, and 

 its flesh has a similar sweetness, lacking the rankness of the 

 true Shore-birds. It has a loud, wiry call : " Tweet-tweet- 

 weet ! " which it often repeats when on the wing. In the 



240 



