SANDEBLING 393 



The Sanderling is distinguished by its moderately small size, and 

 conspicuous white bar across the wing contrasting strongly with the 

 blackish primaries. In late spring and summer the mixed black and 

 cinnamon back and the cliiefiy bright cinnamon throat, neck and 

 breast, and in fall, winter and early spring the pure, even glistening, 

 white under surface and pale grayish back, combined with the blackish 

 primaries and white wing bar, are distinctive. Structurally, the 

 sandpiper-like bill and absence of a hind toe, together with the pres- 

 ence of square transverse scales on the front of the tarsus, serve to 

 distinguish this species from all other shore birds. From the Least 

 and "Western sandpipers the Sanderling is distinguished by its larger 

 size, and from these and the Red-backed and Baird sandpipers (which 

 latter two are of about the same size as the Sanderling) by the pres- 

 ence, in spring and summer plumage, of a cinnamon-colored breast ; 

 in the fall by continuously pure white undersurface. All of the other 

 species mentioned have a pronounced dull-'-olored band across the 

 breast at least in the fall. 



The voice of the Sanderling is ". . . a shrill but not unpleasant 

 wiek" (Dresser, 1903, p. 779); or "a short chit (Hoffmann). A 

 rasping note and a peeping note, sometimes also a sharp grasshopper- 

 like sound. The flight song in spring is a quavering trill" (Forbush, 

 1912, p. 290). Dresser (1904, p. 230) describes the flight song as a 

 harsh trry-irrr-trrr. 



Sanderlings are preeminently gregarious birds of the sandy sea- 

 beach, and show marked preference there for the edge of the surf. 

 They run swiftly back and forth, advancing and retreating before the 

 waves in order to secure the crustaceans and marine worms which 

 happen to be uncovered by the wash of the water. If while so engaged 

 a comber threatens to overwhelm them they take wing and rise above 

 it, alighting again as soon as it subsides and continuing to forage. 

 If frightened they flush quickly and form into a compact swift-mov- 

 ing flock, which flies in steady course close over the surface of the 

 water, with pleasing harmony of action. They perform none of the 

 zigzag evolutions that characterize the flight of other sandpipers. 

 Torrey (1913, pp. 25, 26) says that at Santa Barbara, he often saw 

 Sanderlings hopping on one leg, a habit which he did not notice in 

 any other species of shore bird. The Sanderlings seemed to progress 

 as well on the one leg as on two. It has been suggested that this habit 

 may be for the purpose of keeping the other foot warm, but why the 

 Sanderling alone among shore birds should be put to the necessity of 

 such a practice, it is difficult to conceive. After bathing, an operation 

 carried on either in shallow surf or in tide-pools on the beach, Sander- 

 lings have been seen to spring repeatedly into the air "to a height of 

 six or eight inches, shaking themselves vigorously while so doing. 



