No. 48.] BIRD NAMES. 167 



Length thirteen to fourteen inches ; extent twenty-three to 

 twenty-five inches. 



Found during its migrations throughout the country; flesh 

 dehcious in the fall, far better at this time than in spring. 



GREATER YELLOW -LEGS: GREATER YELLOW - SHANKS : 

 GREATER TELLTALE: TELLTALE: TELLTALE SNIPE: TELL- 

 TALE GODWIT: TELLTALE TATTLER: VARIED TATTLER: LONG- 

 LEGGED TATTLER: YELPER: YELLOW-SHANKS PLOVER. 



Compare above names lolth those hegiiining list Xo. 49. 



Wilson says (1813) of this bird and No. 49 : " Well known 

 to our duck-gunners along the sea-coast and marshes, by whom 

 they are detested, and stigmatized with the names of the greater 

 and lesser telltale, for their faithful vigilance in alarming the 

 ducks with their loud and shrill whistle on the first glimpse 

 of the gunner's approach." These birds are equally noisy and 

 vigilant, however, when the ducks are absent, and they care very 

 Mttle about the welfare of other species than their own. 



Called also STONE SNIPE, and in a communication to Forest 

 and Stream of June 13, 1878, from Lebanon, Illinois, STONE BIRD. 



In Maine at Eastport, Machiasport, Jonesport, MiUbridge, and 

 vicinity of Frenchman's Bay, Nos. 48 and 49 are both known as 

 YELLOW-LEG or YELLOW-LEGGED PLOVER. At Machiasport, 

 however, I am told by Captain James Robinson, the best -in- 

 formed and one of the oldest gunners there, that many people 

 in his localit}^ apply the name PLOVER to this the larger species 

 only, permitting the smaller one (No. 49) to monopohze that of 

 Yellow-leg. 



Audubon speaks of its being known in Maine as the HUMILITY 

 (see ISTos. 47, 50), addin0 that this is " an appellation that ill ac- 

 cords with its vociferous habits." In 1885 I made many inquiries 

 in various parts of the state for this old name, but found only 

 one man who remembered hearing it so applied, viz., the aged 

 gunner Samuel Foote, residing near Bath, who referred to it as 

 an appellation more or less common for the species during his 

 youth, but very seldom, or never, heard now. 



In Maine at Portland and Pine Point, in Massachusetts at 



