BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY. 1 83 



flashes out as the bird turns or flies away. The wings, dark and pointed, are 

 curved downward with vigorous strokes, as the bird flies and scales alternately. 

 In alighting, it first sets its wings, sails gracefully downward, drops its long 

 legs, and as soon as it is firmly on the ground it frequently spreads and lifts its 

 wings straight up over its back, then folds them carefully, and after " tetering," 

 in which process it moves its whole body up and down on its legs as a fulcrum, 

 it proceeds to go about the business of the day in feeding. 



Occasionally, especially in the spring, whole flocks may be seen at rest, 

 standing motionless and silent like decoys or squatting down, and all facing the 

 wind. At times they wade or are blown out beyond their depth in the pools in 

 which they are feeding, and then they swim readily. In the spring, they are 

 common in the pools of fresh water among the dunes, and flocks of from twenty 

 to forty may be observed there. At this season they are still very wary, not 

 knowing perhaps, or wisely not trusting the spring law. The early arrivals 

 in the autumn, old birds, are very wary and can rarely be stalked although they 

 generally come in to decoys readily, while the young birds arriving after Septem- 

 ber I St or late in August are often quite tame. 



Both in the air and on the ground the Greater Yellow-legs loudly proclaims 

 its identity by uttering its well known whistle, when, when zvhen when, when 

 when 'when when, and this may be heard in the marshes by night as well as by 

 day. In the spring frequently, but occasionally in the fall, these birds utter a 

 prolonged rolling call or rather a succession of quick calls, resembling at times 

 that of the Flicker. I have counted 320 quick repetitions of this call given by a 

 bird standing in a pool back of the beach. He then flew off still scolding, but 

 soon changed to his ordinary ruhen ivlieu 'when. I have also heard them on 

 rare occasions while they were flying about in the spring, screaming kedrr, 

 kedrr, very much like a Common Tern. 



The Greater Yellow-legs is easily recognized by its characteristic call notes, 

 by its manner of flight alternately scaling and curving its dark wings downward, 

 by its long yellow legs, and by its conspicuous white rump. 



114 [255] Totanus flavipes (Grael.). 

 Lesser Yellow-legs ; " Summer Yellow-legs " ; " Summer." 



Common autumn transient visitor, accidental in spring ; April 30, May 

 3 ; July 10 to September 15 (October 11, October 30). 



The Lesser Yellow-legs goes north by the Mississippi Valley route, and I 



