Shore Birds. 



17. 



haustible. The native fishermen kill and 

 salt them in barrels. 



On the return journey in the fall of the 

 year many of the Limicolae strike out on a 

 due southerly course from Nova Scotia, 

 reaching the West India Islands, and as 

 they never winter there, it is assumed that 

 they cross the tropics, and finding the sea- 

 sons reversed, winter in the warm region of 

 tropical South America, passing southward 

 as spring advances, reaching Patagonia in 

 December or January. There is abundant 

 evidence that precisely the same birds are 

 common to South America, and many of 

 the observed facts point to the conclusion 

 that a great number of our shore birds 

 make the American grand tour annually, 

 securing for themselves a tolerably equable 

 climate throughout the year. 



It is observed that they never cross Bar- 

 badoes on their return journey in spring, 

 and this fact is attributed to the prevalence 

 of the trade winds which drive them toward 

 the Mexican highlands, and it is perhaps 

 due to the prevalence of these winds at this 

 season that only the most powerful winged 

 of the shore birds beat their way up the 

 Atlantic seaboard, the birds of heavier 

 flight prefering the course of the Missis- 

 sippi. 



What a restless, wandering life! extend- 

 ing annually over a hundred and twenty 

 degrees of latitude, or seven thousand 

 miles, exposed at every stage to dangers, 

 not the least of which is that of being car- 

 ried so far out to sea by storms that there 

 is no hope of return. In such cases the 

 struggle for life must be a desperate one, 

 for instances have occurred of American 

 birds reaching the coast of Europe. 



East India abounds with birds of this 

 family, as well as with ducks, geese and 

 waders of every kind. They are only win- 

 ter visitors, reaching northern India in 

 October and remaining until February, and 

 there is no record of their going thence 

 southward to the tropics, but on their re- 



turn northward to Siberia they spread out 

 in the same latitudes as our own, and it is 

 at least very possible that birds of both 

 hemispheres are brought into immediate 

 contact during the nesting season. When 

 we consider, too, that the old birds start 

 first on their southward tour, leaving the 

 young to follow, it might be expected that 

 the young of one hemisphere would some'- 

 times accompany flights of kindred birds 

 southward over the other hemisphere; but 

 until the distinguishing marks of nearly 

 allied species shall have been carefully 

 studied, and the knowledge rendered popu- 

 lar it will be very difficult to collect evi- 

 dence on this point. 



The following are the principal birds 

 frequenting our eastern coasts, which are 

 included by gunners in the one general 

 term, "bay snipe:" 



Long-billed curlew — popularly known as 

 sickle-bill or sabre-bill. 



Hudsonian curlew- — the jack, or short- 

 billed curlew. 



Esquimaux curlew — the fute, doe-bird or 

 little curlew, as he is termed locally. 



Black-bellied plover — the blackbreast, 

 bullhead, beetlehead, bottlehead, oxeye, 

 pilot, are among the numerous aliases con- 

 ferred on this bird in various localities. 



Golden plover — the golden back, green- 

 back, frostbird, whistling plover. 



The marble godwit — humility or marlin. 



Hudsonian godwit or ring-tailed marlin. 



Semipalmated snipe or marbled willet. 



Tell-tale tattler, or great yellowshanks. 



Little tell-tale or common yellowshanks. 



The red-breasted snipe known as quail- 

 snipe and dowitch. 



The turnstone — calico back or brant bird. 



Red-breasted sandpiper or robin snipe. 



The pectoral — The red-backed and long- 

 legged sandpipers. 



These birds have all numerous aliases, 

 and to identify any of them by local names 

 it is necessary to consult Gurdon Trum- 

 bull's new work "Bird Names and Portraits." 



