266 BULLETIN 142, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



says that the main flight comes along during the last week in May 

 and the first few days of June, when it is abundant. 



A. L. V. Manniche (1910) thus describes the arrival of the sander- 

 ling on its breeding grounds in northeastern Greenland : 



The sanderling arrived at Stormkap singly or In couples respectively June 

 2, 1907, and May 28, 190S. In company with the other waders and large flocks 

 of snow buntings, which arrived at the same time, the sanderlings would in the 

 first days after their arrival resort to the few spots in the marshes and the 

 surrounding stony plains, which were free from snow ; here they led a miserable 

 existence. Heavy snow storms and low temperature in connection with wanl 

 of open water made the support of life difficult to the birds. 



The temperature increased quickly and caused in a few clays the places in 

 which the birds could find food to extend very much. The areas free from snow 

 grew larger and lax-ger, and the ice along the beaches of small lakes and ponds 

 with low water disappeared before the scorching sun ; at the same time small 

 ponds of melting snow were formed around in the field. Now the sanderlings 

 would in couples retire from the party of other birds, and lead a quiet and 

 tranquil life on the stony and dry plains. Now and then they would pay a 

 visit to ponds of melting snow and beaches of fresh water lakes in order to bathe 

 and seek food, and here they would join the party of other small waders as 

 for instance Tringa alpina and JEffialitis hiaticula. According to my experi- 

 ence old birds would never resort to salt water shore. 



Courtship. — The same observer tells us all we know about the 

 courtship of the sanderling, as follows : 



The pairing began toward the middle of June. The peculiar pairing flight 

 of the male was to be seen and heard when the weather was fine, and especially 

 in the evening. Uttering a snarling or slight neighing sound, he mounts to 

 a height of some two meters from the surface of the ground on strongly vibrating 

 wings, to continue at this height his flight for a short distance, most frequently 

 in a straight line, but sometimes in small circles. 



When excited he frequently sits on the top of a solitary large stone, his 

 dorsal feathers blown out, his tail spread, and his wings half let down, pro- 

 ducing his curious subdued pairing tones. He, however, soon returns to the 

 female, which always keeps mute, and then he tries by slow, affected, almost 

 creeping movements to induce her to pairing, until at last the act of pairing 

 takes place ; when effected, both birds rush away in rapid flight, to return 

 soon after to the nesting place. I have also observed males in pairing flight 

 without being able to discover any female in the neighborhood, and then, of 

 course, without realizing the pairing as completing act. The male is in the 

 pairing time very quarrelsome, and does not permit any strange bird to intrude 

 on the selected domain. He seems to be most envious against birds of his 

 own kin. 



Nesting. — The sanderling breeds only in the far north, so far 

 north that only very few Arctic explorers have found its nest. 

 Strangely, however, the first recorded nest was found in a region 

 where it rarely breeds and considerably south of its main breeding 

 grounds. This was the nest found by Roderick MacFarlane (1908) 

 on the barren grounds of northern Canada, of which he says : 



