116 BULLETIN 142, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



But in immature and winter plumages the form can be recognized 

 only by size; and, as the measurements of the two forms overlap 

 and intergrade, only the extremes can be positively named. The 

 matter is further complicated by the fact that the migration and 

 winter ranges of the two forms overlap. This form, scolopaceus, 

 is by no means rare on the Atlantic coast, and griseus occurs reg- 

 ularly on the Pacific coast; intermediates are most abundant in the 

 central valleys, but occur on both coasts. 



Spring. — The long-billed dowitcher is a rather early spring mi- 

 grant; the migration starts in March; the main flight through the 

 United States is in April; and it reaches its northern breeding 

 grounds in May. Dr. E. W. Nelson (1887) says of its arrival in 

 northern Alaska : 



In spring, the middle of May, as the snow disappears, and the first pale 

 leaves of grass begin to thrust their spear-points through the dead vegetable 

 mat on the ground, or as early as the 10th on some seasons, this peculiar snipe 

 returns to its summer home. At the Yukon mouth I found them on May 12, 

 when they were already engaged in love-making, though the ground was still, 

 to a great extent, covered with snow, and only here and there appeared a 

 thawed place where they could feed. Toward the end of this month they are 

 plentiful, and their curious habits and loud notes make them among the most 

 conspicuous denizens of the marshes. 



Courtship. — Doctor Nelson (1887) writes: 



These are very demonstrative birds in their love-making, and the last of 

 May and first of June their loud cries are heard everywhere about their 

 haunts, especially in morning and evening. Two or three males start in pur- 

 suit of a female and away they go twisting and turning, here and there, 

 over marsh and stream, with marvelous swiftness and dexterity. At short 

 intervals a male checks his flight for a moment to utter a strident peet u weet; 

 wee-too, wee-toa; then on he goes full tilt again. After they have mated, or 

 when a solitary male pays his devotions, they rise 15 or 20 yards from the 

 ground, where, hovering upon quivering wings, the bird pours forth a lisping 

 but energetic and frequently musical song, which can be very imperfectly 

 expressed by the syllables peet-peet; pee-ter-icee-too ; ivee-too; pee-ter-wee-toa; 

 pee-ter-wec-too ; wee-too; icee-too. This is the complete song but frequently 

 only fragments are sung, as when the bird is in pursuit of the female. 



Herbert W. Brandt says in his notes: 



The male longbilled dowitcher pours forth his wild musical song as he 

 hovers in the air with raised vibrating wings, perhaps 50 feet above the object 

 of his rapturous outburst. The female, from her retreat on the cozy border 

 of a lowland pool, modestly watches the ardent lover as he renders his 

 melodious homage. In common with many others of the shore dwellers, the 

 most conspicuous courting action is the pursuit race by a number of males 

 for their desired, but elusive, lady love. It is then that one marvels at the 

 speed and agility displayed by apparently awkward birds, as they twist and 

 dodge in their aerial wooing. Even during his swift flight the suitor tries, 

 but with poor success, to continue his musical efforts for the benefit of his 

 larger paramour. 



