vso 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 9 



a niai'ked sliyness which is not iioticetl in the 

 autuinii. They go to the saud flats and low- 

 beaches to feed along the edges of channels and 

 receding tide water. They are very restless and 

 exhibit great activitj' while running about in 

 search of their food, wliich is sand fleas and 

 other small marine animals. As soon as the 

 tide flows they retire to the high beaches to wait 

 until the next ebb tide. They are often seen in 

 large flocks running about on the sand near tlie 

 surf picking up small bits of food waslxed up 

 by the waves — and from this habit tliey are 

 best known in some localities on the Atlan- 

 tic coast as "Surf snipe." As soon as a breaker 

 conies rolling in on to the beach tliey lieat a 

 Iiasty retreat, keeping ahead and out of reach 

 of the rusliing water, then turn and follow the 

 retreating waters, often wading belly deep to 

 get a dainty morsel before it is carried beyond 

 their reach. About five years ago I found this 

 bird very plentiful in September at fish works 

 on Jlonomoy Island, about some guano tliat 

 was spread out near the beach. Tliey were 

 feeding on small flies and insects that were 

 very numerous about and on the guano. I 

 have never seen it on the marshes aud it is a 

 bird of the sand, as its name implies. They 

 are very salable in our markets and since some 

 of our larger birds have become scarce, a great 

 many are shot each season by the market gun- 

 gers and sportsmen from the cities. An old 

 gunner writes me that aljout ten years ago he 

 shot six of these birds on Kace Point, rrovince- 

 town, and that he had never seen any before or 

 since. 



Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, (Linn.) This 

 large shore bird, second in size to tlie Long- 

 billed Curlew only, is a straggler from the 

 south and is rare on Cape Cod. On one occas- 

 ion [ saw two of tliese birds on a marsh at 

 Monomoy Island, but on account of their shy- 

 ness I was unable to secure a specimen. I am 

 certain of their identity as I have had much 

 experience with them on the Florida coast. In 

 color this bird very nmch resembles a Curlew, 

 but instead of its bill being curved downward 

 like a Curlew it is bent slightly upward. 



Iludsonian Godwit, Limona lia;ma)itiaj,{\An\\.) 

 Spot-rump on Cape Cod. A rare spring and 

 tolerably common migrant in the autumn. It 

 passes the Cape coast in the spring between 

 tlie first and last weeks in May. In the autumn 

 they arrive about the middle of September and 

 individuals are seen from this period at inter- 

 vals until the last of October. They are more 

 often seen from the 25th of September to tlie 

 10th of October. They are usually seen after a 



heavy south-easterly storm and for this reason 

 arc quite irregular in appearance. They fre- 

 (jucnt the sand flats, low beaches and marshes, 

 after the manner of the Curlews. I am told by 

 old gunners that they were at one time very 

 common on the Cape. 



Greater Yellow-legs, Totanus melanoleucus, 

 (Grael.) "Winter Yellow-legs" or Cucu on 

 Cape Cod. A common spring and autumn 

 migrant. This is one of the first shore birds to 

 reach the Cape in the spring, and migrants are 

 seen as early as April loth in a forward spring. 

 The first comers usually arrive at the Cape 

 fiom the 2r)th of April to May .5th, becoming 

 common the 10th or 1.5th and none are gener- 

 ally seen after June 1.5th. In the autumn the 

 first ones arrive about July 21st and are seen in 

 small numbers at intervals from this time un- 

 til October 1st. From the 25th of September to 

 October 15th they are the most plentiful, as 

 during this pi'iiod the "flights" usually occur. 

 They are tolerably common until the middle of 

 November and because of this protracted stay 

 in the autumn are called "Winter Yellow-legs" 

 to distinguish them from the succeeding species, 

 which is much smaller. They are found on 

 fresh and salt water marshes, about muddy 

 creeks and on low beaches and on the sand 

 flats, about the edges of sedge grass. Its fa- 

 vorite resorts, however, are salt marshes and 

 meadows near the beaches aud flats. Its long 

 yellow legs enable it to wade about in shallow 

 water after the tiny fish which is its principal 

 food. Though usually seen singly or in small 

 parties of three to six I have seen as many as 

 thirty in one flock in October. They often go 

 on to the high beaches to roost with other birds. 

 It is a very noisj- bird and its loud shrill whis- 

 tle of six or more rapidly repeated notes with a 

 short interval between the second and thiid like 

 cu-cu — cu-cu-cu-cu is often used to warn other 

 shore birds and water fowl of danger approach- 

 ing. I have on several occasions been tempted 

 to "shock the bishop," when crawling tow- 

 ards a flock of plover on the marshes, to have 

 one of these tattlers which had been watching 

 me for several moments get up from the marsh 

 and vociferate his alarm notes with such success 

 as to cause most of the birds on the marsh to 

 Iiastily seek safer quarters. Their note is easy 

 to imitate and as they are not wary many are 

 despatched from blinds made in the tall sedge 

 gi-ass at the edge of flats where they come to 

 feed as soon as the tide ebbs siitticiently to allow 

 them to wade about. Wheu standing still or 

 walking about they have a peculiar motion of 

 nodding their heads and tilting their bodies up 



