374 GAME BIBDS OF CALIFOBNIA 



dark brown shafts and some with lighter margins; shaft of outermost primary- 

 white; margin of wing mottled with white and light brown; lining of wing 

 white, except hindmost coverts which, like inner surface of flight feathers, are 

 pale dusky; axillars pure white; breast and sides pale buffy, with narrow 

 brown shaft streaks; rest of under surface and flanks, white; legs and feet 

 "dark slate" (Sanford, Bishop and Van Dyke, 1903, p. 376). Total length 

 (both sexes) " 7.00-7.60" inches (178-193 mm.) (Eidgway, 1900, p. 157). Males: 

 folded wing 4.43-4.77 (112.6-121.0); bill along culmen 0.74-0.89 (18.9-22.7); 

 tarsus 0.86-0.91 (21.8-23.0) (nine specimens). Females: folded wing 4.65- 

 5.00 (118.0-126.8); bill along culmen 0.84-0.92 (21.3-23.4); tarsus 0.86-0.91 

 (21.9-23.2) (six specimens); all adults and full grown immatures, from Alaska, 

 British Columbia and California. Juvenile plumage (in late summer and fall) : 

 Similar to that of adults in spring, but feathers of back and tertials and wing 

 coverts narrowly tipped with white, giving a scaled appearance; tawuy spots 

 on webs of tertials lacking, and upper tail coverts narrowly tipped with pale 

 buffy. Natal plumage: Forehead whitish, with a median black line; side of 

 head whitish, with two black lines extending from base of bill towards eye; 

 top of head, to level of eyes, and whole back, mixed tawny and black in coarse 

 pattern, overlaid with a ' ' frosting, ' ' the latter consisting of numerous little 

 down-tippings of white; lower surface of body wholly white. 



Marks for field identification — Small size (not, however, our smallest 

 species), very slender bill (not longer than head), light buffy breast band, 

 dark brown rump, and, in juvenile plumage, scaled pattern on back. Almost 

 impossible to identify positively without specimen in hand. 



Voice — A shrill trilling whistle, peet-peet (Forbush, 1912, p. 277). 

 Nest — On tundra, always well hidden in grass; a slight depression thinly 

 lined with dried grass (Murdoch, 1885, p. 112). 



Eggs — Usually 4, pear-shaped, measuring in inches, 1.18 to 1.38 by 0.87 to 

 0.95 (in millimeters, 30.0 to 35.0 by 22.0 to 24.0), and averaging 1.28 by 0.93 

 (32.5 by 23.5) (36 eggs in U. S. National Museum); ground color buff or clay, 

 with markings of chestnut-brown, usually fine and innumerable, sometimes 

 confluent about larger end (Davie, 1889, p. 114). 



General distribution — North and South America. Breeds along Arctic 

 coast from Point Barrow to northern Keewatin. Migrates through Great Basin, 

 Rocky Mountains and Mississippi Valley west of Mississippi River. Occurs 

 sparingly east to Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to New Jersey and west 

 to Pacific coast from Alaska to Lower California. Winters chiefly in Chile, 

 but also in Argentina south to latitude of Buenos Ayres (A. O. U. Check -list, 

 1910, pp. 114-115; Cooke, 1910, pp. 39-41). 



Distribution in California — Rather rare fall migrant. The following 

 recorded occurrences are all that are known within the state: Point Pinos, 

 Monterey County, August 25, 1897, one specimen (J. Mailliard, 1898, p. 51) ; 

 Santa Barbara, July 25 (1914) (and several other dates) (Dawson, 1912, p. 

 224; 1916, p. 25) to September 7 (1911) (Bowles and Howell, 1912, p. 8); 

 White's Landing, Santa Catalina Island, September 1, 1907, one specimen taken 

 by H. Wright (Grinnell, 1909rt, p. 139); and Pacific Beach, San Diego County, 

 September 8, 1904, one specimen (Bishop, 1905, p. .141). Seen at Santa 

 Barbara, April 27 (1912) to May 7 (1915), four records (Dawson, 1916, p. 25). 

 Three specimens are listed from "California" by Sharpe (1896, p. 573). 



The Baird Sandpiper is a rather rare fall migrant through Cali- 

 fornia, althonarh observations at Santa Barbara seem to show that 



