ALEUTIAN SANDPIPER 161 



Lucien M. Turner (1886) writes: 



The Aleutian sandpiper arrives at St. Michaels early in May of each year, 

 and in considerable numbers, being generally, on their arrival,, in the dark 

 plumage, which is changed for the summer by the first of June on this locality. 

 On their appearance they are strictly littoral-maritime, resorting to the larger 

 bowlders and rocky shelves covered with seaweed, among which these birds 

 industriously search for slugs and other marine worms. Usually several birds 

 are together, rarely singly, and seldom over 8 or 10 in a flock. 



Dr. Leonhard Stejneger (1885) says that, in the Commander 

 Islands: 



In March their ranks are reinforced by newcomers which have wintered 

 on more hospitable shores, and in the latter part of the month enormous 

 flocks of 500 or more swarm along the beach, especially on the north shore. 

 About one month later the great flocks dissolve into small companies, which, 

 following the water courses, disperse over the whole island, settling in pairs 

 on suitable places at the beaches, on the tundras, or on the mountain plateaus, 

 this bird being in fact one of the most numerous and the most equally dis- 

 tributed species of land birds on the islands. 



Courtship. — We frequently observed the charming song flight of 

 this sandpiper in the Aleutian Islands. The birds were especially 

 abundant on Tanaga Island, where we found them nesting on the 

 little knolls or hummocks on the tundra in a large alluvial plain 

 back of the beach hillocks. The males were very active and noisy, 

 indulging in their hovering song flights, rising 30 or 40 feet in the 

 air and fluttering down while pouring out a delightful twittering 

 song. Also, while flying about or while standing on some prominent 

 hummock, they gave their loud, musical melodious calls of the upland 

 plover; these loud notes were not heard anywhere except on their 

 breeding grounds and were probably notes of greeting or of warning 

 to their mates. Doctor Stejneger (1885) writes: 



It was in the late afternoon of the 28i:h of April, 1883, that I first witnessed 

 this singing performance of the sandpiper. The bird rose from the Rhododen- 

 dron tundra on the northern slope of Kamennij Valley, and while flying about 

 on quivering wings, sometimes remaining quite still in the air, it uttered a 

 loud, agreeable, and melodious twitter, which really must be called a " song," 

 whereupon, with outstretched wings, it descended obliquely, seating itself 

 upon the top of a tussock. Sitting there, with puffed plumage and pendant 

 wings, it produced a loud " bleating," so much like that of Oallinago galUnago 

 as to completely convince me that the analogous note of the latter is produced 

 by the throat in exactly the same manner. During the " bleating " the whole 

 bird was quivering with a tremulous motion as if in a high state of excitement. 

 The voice was slightly more melodious than that of the snipe. 



Nesting. — While wandering over the foothills of Kiska Island on 

 June 17, 1911, I found my first nest of the Aleutian sandpiper. I 

 was crossing a flat place, high up on a hill, covered with moss and 

 scanty growth of grass, when the bird fluttered off almost underfoot, 

 feigning lameness. The nest was a deep hollow in the moss, 3 inches 



