BUFF-BEEASTED SANDPIPER 75 



Doctor Wetmore (1926) writes: "As they rise they may give a low 

 call that resembles ohioup, somewhat robinlike in tone; a second 

 call note is a low trilled 'pr-r-r-reet. The species is to be confused 

 in the field with no other shore bird." 



Field Tnarks. — Professor Eowan (1927) says, on this point: 



The absence of white margins and black center to the rump, and hence the 

 lacli of contrast in this region, I have found to be the most useful diagnostic 

 character in the field. The wing patch is also valuable. The extraordinarily 

 rounded head seen in silhouette against the sun or in bad light at reasonable 

 range has more than once proved useful. The note is always diagnostic. 



Doctor Wetmore (1926) writes: 



When in the air or on the gi-ound they are distinctly buff in color, with a 

 glimpse of the marbled underwing surface as they rise or pass, and a flash 

 of the gray tail with its darker markings as they alight. On the ground in 

 profile, they show a long neck and long legs, while the short bill is suggestive 

 of that of a pigeon. The neck is drawn in during flight. 



E. A. Doolittle (1923) observed that— 



The greenish legs, finely streaked crown, buffy breast and sides of head, lack 

 of streak through eyes, and long pointed wings reaching beyond tail were all 

 good field marks while the bird was at rest; while lack of wing bars and 

 rounded tail were striking when the bird took flight. 



Fall. — The fall migration is much more widely extended than the 

 spring; the main flight is directly south Avard through the center of 

 North America, but it is so spread out that some birds appear on 

 both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Professor Cooke (1912) says: 

 "The main body of migrants follows the Barren Grounds to the 

 shores of Hudson Bay, thence almost due south across the Mississippi 

 Valley to the coast of Texas, and through Central America to north- 

 western South America, and diagonally across the interior of South 

 America to Argentina." A limited flight swings eastward, south 

 of Hudson Bay, or perhaps across it, to the eastern Provinces of 

 Canada and New England. The species is so rare on the Atlantic 

 coast south of Long Island as to indicate the probability of an over- 

 sea flight to the West Indies and South America. On the Pacific 

 coast it seems to be very rare, though perhaps it has been over- 

 looked, south of Washington, where it is probably of regular oc- 

 currence. D. E. Brown has sent me several records for Washing- 

 ton, the dates ranging from September 3 to 20. Major Allan 

 Brooks (1924) says that he has noted it every year that he has been 

 on the British Columbia coast. 



In the interior the adults come along during the last three weeks 

 in August, and the young birds all through September. In New 

 England the dates are about the same. Here they were occasion- 

 ally seen in small flocks, but now they are so rare that single birds 



