STILT SANDPIPER 131 



Maine, Scarboro, September 16; Massachusetts, Chatham, September 

 20, and Cape Cod, September 29 ; Rhode Island, Newport, September 

 9; New York, Buffalo, September 16, Bronx, September 19, Cayuga, 

 October 10, and Jamaica, November 28; New Jersey, Morristown, 

 October 16 ; Maryland, Pawtuxent River, September 8 ; District of 

 Columbia, Anacostia River, October 26; North Carolina, Churches 

 Island, September 23; and Florida, Fernandina, October 10, and 

 Key West, November 1. 



Casual records. — The rarity of the stilt sandpiper makes it dif- 

 ficult to determine whether some occurrences should be listed as reg- 

 ular migrants or as accidentals. Some of the following cases may 

 be on the regular migration route of the species: Bermuda, two 

 early in August, 1848 and one in early September, 1875 ; Newfound- 

 land. Cow Head, September, 1867; Nova Scotia, Sable Island, 

 August 18, 1902; New Brunswick, Courtenay Bay, September 8, 

 1881; and Montana, Chief Mountain, August, 1874. 



Egg dates. — Arctic Canada : 3 records, June 22 and 27 and July 8. 



CALIDRIS CANUTUS RUFUS (Wilson) 



AMERICAN KNOT 



HABITS 



This cosmopolitan species, with a circumpolar breeding range, 

 has been split into two generally recognized forms occupying the two 

 hemispheres, with a doubtful third form, rodgersi, said to occupy 

 eastern Asia. Our American bird is well named rufus on account 

 of its color. 



The knot, or redbreast, as it is called on Cape Cod, was a very 

 abundant migrant all along the Atlantic coast of North America 

 during the past century. George H. Mackay (1893) writes: 



On the Dennis marshes and fiats, at Chatham, the Nauset, Wellfleet, and 

 Billingsgate, Cape Cod, and on the flats around Tuckernuck and Muskeget 

 Islands, Mass., they used to be more numerous than in all the rest of New 

 England combined, and being very gregarious they would collect in those 

 places in exceedingly large numbers, estimates of which were useless. This was 

 previous to 1850 and when the Cape Cod Railroad was completed only to 

 Sandwich. Often, when riding on the top of the stage coach on the cape 

 beyond this point, immense numbers of these birds could be seen, as they rose 

 up in clouds, during the period that they sojourned there. It was at this time 

 that the vicious practice of "fire-lighting" them prevailed, and a very great 

 number of them were thus killed on the flats at night in the vicinity of Bil- 

 lingsgate (near Wellfleet). The mode of procedure 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. When near a flock they would approach them on their hands 

 and knees, the birds being almost invariably taken on the flats. This practice 

 continued several years before it was finally prohibited by law. I have it 



