146 NOTES ON THE 



sions from more northern regions have more than filled their 

 former places. By the middle of October, the northern, cen- 

 tral portions, or perhaps I should say, the western central, 

 longitudinal, have very large numbers of these birds, occupy- 

 ing the high or more sandy tracts. These afford them an 

 abundance of their favorite food, the grasshoppers, to which 

 may be added insects of several other species, like crickets and 

 beetles, with land snails, and some species of berries. 



When moving from one section to another, and when in their 

 migrations they fly very high, and generally in a V-shaped 

 flock, with the point of the angle foremost, after the manner of 

 the geese, but not as persistently. 



All leave the State by the lOth of October, a part of them a 

 little earlier oftentimes. Accounted a marsh bird along the 

 Atlantic coast, I find them quite as frequently on the dry prai- 

 ries, far removed from any considerable marshes or ponds. 

 They frequent plowed fields, and dry, extensive flats which 

 have previously been overflowed, and have become dry again. 

 This suggests earth worms, and certain forms of terrestrial 

 mollusca, as preferred food. Their nests have been found in 

 many sections, but uniformly on dry prairies so far as I have 

 known. Like most others of the family, the structure is very 

 primitive, consisting of a small quantity of grass, circularly 

 disposed in a hollow made by the bird in the ground, under the 

 lea of a few rank weeds, or a bunch of coarse grass. The 

 eggs are four in number, rather of a drab, or clay color. I 

 think they might sometimes be called buff-colored, when hav- 

 ing a shade of olivaceous. They are uniformly spotted with 

 umber of several shades, more pronounced about the larger 

 end. 



In form they are decidedly gallinaceous, differing in this 

 markedly from most Scolopacine species. They rear but a 

 single brood, the nest for which is built from the 20th to the 

 30th of May. In their fall migrations most of them depart be- 

 fore the 25th of October, yet I have met with a few as late as 

 the 10th of November. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill very long, much curved; upper mandible longer, some- 

 what knobbed at the tip; wing rather long; legs moderate; toes 

 united at the base; entire upper parts paler rufous tinged with 

 ashy; each feather with transverse and confluent bands of 

 brownish-black, most numerous and predominating on the back 

 and scapulars; secondary quills, under wing coverts and axil- 



