SKMIPALMATED SANDMPEE 247 



Less than half of my sets, all from Alaska, would fit his descrip- 

 tion ; the ground colors in most of mine vary from " pale olive buff " 

 to "olive buff' 7 ; in some it is "deep olive buff,' 7 and in one "Isabella 

 color. 77 The colors of the markings run from "liver brown 77 to 

 "chestnut brown 7 ' in the darkest and from "hazel 57 to "cinnamon 

 brown 77 in the lightest. There are comparatively feAV underlying 

 drab markings. The eggs show the same variations in shape and 

 arrangement of markings as eggs of the least sandpiper. I have two 

 sets from Point Barrow, taken with the parent bird, which are 

 almost exactly like eggs of the western sandpiper in color and style 

 of markings but smaller, and several other sets approaching them 

 in appearance. There are 10 sets of eggs in the Museum of Com- 

 parative Zoology in Cambridge collected by W. Sprague Brooks 

 near Demarcation Point, Alaska, with the parent bird in each case. 

 Three of these are of the western sandpiper type, and three others are 

 similarly marked with different shades of brown. The measure- 

 ments of 52 eggs average 30.2 by 21.2 millimeters ; the eggs showing 

 the four extremes measure 32 by 21, 30 by 22, 27.7 by 21.3, and 31.5 

 by 20 millimeters.] 



Young. — According to Mr. Dixon (191T«), incubation lasts 17 days. 

 It is performed equally by the male and female, as is shown by 

 Mr. Brooks 7 s very conclusive report quoted above. Mr. Dixon 

 (1917«), writing of birds observed in Alaska says the young so 

 exactly match the surroundings that they are invisible at 3 feet. 

 He relates the case of a snowy owl that sailed from its perch in the 

 direction of a brood of young which flattened and froze obedient 

 to the alarm cry of the mother. The owl poised directly over them, 

 but evidently failed to see them and flew away. On another occa- 

 sion two parasitic jaegers flew by; the }'Oimg flattened, and all 

 escaped but one that began to move before the second jaeger had 

 passed and Avas promptly snapped up. 



He says : 



It was found that the parents made no effort to feed the young. It was 

 soon seen, however, that such care was not necessary. The young would 

 stumble about and pick up minute gnats and Hies with great dexterity, and 

 the shallow algae-rimmed pools furnished them many a juicy "wriggler." The 

 gait of the young sandpipers was a stumbling toddle, while their large feet 

 and legs were all out of proportion to the rest of their slender bodies. By 

 dropping and extending their wings they were able to use them as crutches, 

 which often kept them from falling. 



In about a month they were fully fledged, and a week later the 

 sandpipers were leaving for the south. 



Plumages. — [Author's note: In natal down the young semipal- 

 mated most closely resembles the young western sandpiper, but it is 

 generally paler, with less brown or rufous. The forehead, sides of 



