Aug. 



1888.] 



AND OOLOG18T. 



123 



into tlie glass ami imid tor the iiiiincroiis 

 inaiiiie biijjs, worms, and soft sholl tisli tliat 

 tliey ffOfi upon. Often several are seen in com- 

 pimy with a lloek of small sandpipers ru;iuing 

 about on Ihe sand Hats, and are easily distiii- 

 guislied from lln-ir smaller eoinpauioiis by their 

 slower motion, larger sizi! and lenglli of bill. 

 As soon as tlielide Hows, they fly to the salt 

 marshes or meadows and stop unlil Ihe next 

 ebb tide. 'I'liey seldom go on to the high 

 beaehes with the enrlew, plovcnand samlpiper 

 that go there to roost at high tiiie. 



They have decreased very fast ilnring the 

 last five years, and where we saw a lloek of 

 several dozen tlien. we now see them singly, 

 or in bunehes not exceeding ten oi- twelve. 

 They are the least shy of any of the shore birds, 

 and it is due to this fact that they have de- 

 creased so fast. They are easily decoyed, and 

 although they lly swiftly, their motion is 

 steady and they keep closely together. They 

 alight in a compact buni'h, an{l th<' gunner 

 usually shoots inio them liefori' they scatter 

 out. Many are killed by a single discharge, 

 and those that remain spring up witli a sharp 

 whistle and lly a short distance away, when 

 hearing wliat I bey thiidv to l)e the call of a de- 

 serted comra<le, they wheel about and come 

 skimming bravely back to the niurdei-ous spot 

 where they were liisl shot at. .Again they are 

 shot at, and ag.ain the rem.aining half dozen are 

 loath to leave llieir dead and dying compaii- 

 ious, and retain to share their fate. One or 

 two may escape, and as they drop silently 

 down on some lonely sand spit, sad relics of 

 their deparleil companions, what sorrowful 

 Ihonghts nuisl be theirs as they wait for their 

 comrades that will nc^vercome. When scattered 

 on the meadows they lie very close, and when 

 Hushed their actions aie similar to the Wilson's 

 Snipe. They can swim very fast, and 1 have 

 several times got a good wetting by follow- 

 ing a wounded one into deep water. 



Long-billed Dowitcher, Maxrurliaiupluis scol- 

 (>y)((«'!(.s (.Say.) A rare migrant. In New Eng- 

 land liird Life. V(d. II, 1 (ind the following 

 note; "A female was shot .-it Easthain by 

 Mr. L. Tileston, N<ivember 2, 1S7S. I have not 

 been able to distinginsh it from Jl. r/risfun. 



.Stilt Sandpiper, Mirrdpiitnina )iiumHliijiUK 

 (IJonap.) A tuleraljly common summei- and 

 autumn nilgranl. It is seen on the (ape be- 

 tween the last week in .Inly and the lirst. in 

 September. Most of them seen at Jlonomoy 

 Island are during the tirst or second week in 

 .Vugust. It is usually seen on the Hats and 

 beaches in company with sanderlings and 



Kreiiiieti'x puxilliin, and with the exception of 

 being more shy its habits are the same. 



lied-breasted S.andpiper Triiiijo rnjiiiliis 

 (Linn.) Adults, l!ed-l)reasts ; young. (Iray- 

 hacks, on Uape (,'od. A common spring, sum- 

 mer, and anliimn migrant. This beaiiliful 

 biril arrives early in .May. a few jiassjng as 

 lat(- as .lune 1~>. In the snninier, adult mi- 

 g|-ants from Ihe norlli reach the Cape as eai'ly 

 as ,Iuly 1."), becoming common aliout .\ugust 

 0. The young arrive August "21, and by tliat 

 dal(! n(!ai-|y all of tlu^ adults Innc; p.assed sonlh. 

 They remain as late as the lirst week in Oclo- 

 ber, and a few sti'aggle along up lo Xoxemiii'r. 

 'I'h(!y are very fat in tlu' aniunin, and as ibey 

 bring a good pric<' in the markets, .n,. inncli 

 sought after. They feed on the Hats, sand 

 spits, and low beaches al low tide, on small 

 sh"ll fish and marine animals. At high tide 

 they go on to the high beaches lo roost. When 

 plenty, the young birds allbrd excellent sport 

 as they fly in a compact Hock, and are easily 

 decoyed to the blind by a person pmfirieiit in 

 shore bird shooting. 



I'urple Sandpiper, Trinrja niiiritiuui (Briinn.) 

 \\\ irregular aulumu and winter visitor on the 

 Cape. This liird is loleral)ly conunon in Ihe 

 .lulumn and winter, but it is not regular in its 

 appearance. It is found on the north side of 

 the Cape on the rocky and pebbly .shores. Mr. 

 W. A. JeflVies shot one as early as .Sept. 11, 

 1SS7, at Chatliaui. on Ihe sandy beaclj. It does 

 not usually arri\e before October 1, and is 

 rarely seen on a sandy beach. Its food con- 

 sists of sni.all snails and other shell Hsli which 

 collect on rocks and pebbles. 



Pectoral Sandpiper, TriiKja maculata (N'ieill.) 

 Grass-bird on Cape Cod. A common summer 

 and autumn migrant. I do not know of any of 

 these bird.', being seen on the Cape in the 

 spring, and, if they do occur, it is very rarely. 

 The first comers in tlieir migrations south 

 reach the Cape early in August, becoming com- 

 mon h)- the Last of that month and increasing 

 and decreasing at intervals during .Sei)lember. 

 I copy from my note-biKjk of 1SS."> as fol- 

 lows : 



"Sept. 23, wind blowing frmn the northwest. 

 The storm of Last niglit causeil a Higlit of shore 

 birds. ()n the meadows (salt), which Ihe lain 

 had overHowed, I fouixl Tecloi-al .Sandpipers 

 abundant.'" 



Under date of .VugustMl, ISSli, I found notes 

 !IS follow : 



"The wiiul and rain of tlu> .'fOth brought 

 along a Hight of birds. Pectorals abundant on 

 the meadows." 



