ocT.,l900.j BIRDS OF THE YUKON KEGION. 67 



54. Tringa bairdi. Baird Sandpiper. 



Two sandpipers, proljably of this species, flew ])y us on Lake Marsh, 

 and we saw four more in the marshes of Lower Lebarge, but failed 

 to secure any of them. I shot one young bird near the Tahkandik 

 River August 7. Osgood shot one from a flock of four at Circle 

 August 15, and another near Fort Yukon August 21. 



55. Tringa miimtilla. Least Sandpiper. 



At the southern end of Lake Marsh, not far from where Six-Mile 

 River enters, the surrounding country is level, and at liigh water the 

 lake stretches far back through a dense growth of willows. At the 

 time of our visit the retreating water of the lake had left a 1)elt of 

 grass between these willows and its margin. Here on the evening of 

 July 2 I found three pairs of least sandpipers, and after a long search, 

 somewhat interrupted by hordes of mosquitoes, I came upon a female 

 surrounded by four downy young. Both parents tried time and 

 again the well-known 'wounded-bird' tactics to lure me from the- spot 

 where the young were hidden in the bunches of grass, and, linding 

 this a failure, would circle around me only a few yards ofl', uttering a 

 plaintive twitter. I saw two other least sandpipers (jn the west shore 

 of Lake Marsh July 7. 



Natal plumage: Lower parts, forehead and orbital region, l)rownish 

 white. Upperparts bright cinnamon rufous mottled with black; many 

 feathers, especially on head, rump, and tail, tipped with white. Post- 

 orbital line and loral line blackish, and spot of l)right cinnamon rufous 

 on sides of chest. Irides dark brown; bill and nails, slate black; tarsi 

 and toes, pale slate. 



56. Tringa alpina pacifica. Red-backed Sandpiper. 



Yovmg red-] lacked sandpipers were very abundant at St. Michael 

 during our stay, many times outnumbering all other Limicolje. Early 

 in Septeml)er they frequented chiefly the mud flats on the coast, but 

 after the middle of the month large numliers were found only about 

 the pools of the salt marsh. September 24, when the tundra was quite 

 thoroughly frozen, with snow in every hollow and a skimming of 

 ice on the pools, I saw at least one hundred in this latter place. 



In several taken early in September the back of the neck was still 

 covered with down, but the majority were in full juvenile plumage. 

 Some still retained this plumage at the time we left St. Michael, but 

 the larger portion had molted into winter plumage. Only two adults 

 were taken, September 1 and 5. A few were seen at St. George 

 Island October 3. 



57. Calidris arenaria. Sanderling. 



I saw three at St. Michael September 11 and collected one, which 

 proved to be a young female. 



