__ TRIISIGA SL'JiARQUATA. 201 



TRINGA SUBARQUATA. 



Curlew Sandpiper. 



Tringa snbarquata Temm., Man., 1; 1815, 393 



DESCRII'TION. 



Sp. Cn, Form, slender. Size, meJium. Bill, slender, longer than bead, slightly curved and wkleneil at tip. Toes, 

 without basal membrane. Outer marginal indentations, less than twice as deep as inner. 



Color. Adult. Above, dark-brown bec.iming ashy on the rump and wings; every featlier, e.\ccpting primaries, edged 

 with hriglit yellowish-rufous. Upper tail ciiverts, white, transver.sely banded with dark-brown, Secondaries, tipped with 

 white. Tail, ashy. Beneath, dark yellowish-rufous, with the under wing coverts, axillaries, under tjiil coverts, .sides, and 

 flank.s, white. 



Youny. Ashy, above, with few red marking.s. Under parts, ashy-white tinged on breast and sides, with yellowish. 

 There is a whitish line from bill over eye, and the tail feathers are also whitish; otherwise similar to the adult. Iris, brown, 

 bill and feet, greenish, in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Readily known by the slightly curved bill, white banded upper tail coverts, unspotted lower portions, and colors asde- 

 sisribed. Distributed throughout the Old World. Rare on the Eastern coast of the United States. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Average measurements of specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 835; stretch, IS-.W; wing, 4'5(i; tail.2'25; 

 bill, 1 35; tarsus, ri2. Longest specimen, 8'75; greatest extent of wing, 1600; longest wing, 500: tail, 2 50, hill, I'SO; 

 tarsus, 1-25. Shortest specimen, 800; smallast extent of wing, 1500; shortest wing, 400; tail, 2 DO; hill, 125; tarsus, 100. 



HABITS. 

 The Curlew Samlpiper htis been known as an inhabitant of the United States for many 

 years, yet it has never been taken in tiny numbers. Specimens, liowcver, have lieen ob- 

 tained from New Brunswick to Florida but more have been foiind in New Jersey than else- 

 where. It is a well-known, widely distributed, European species, the breeding' place of 

 which appears to be unknown; consequently the eggs have never been taken. It i.s tin op- 

 en (jut^stion whether the birds taken with us are merely stragglers from across the Atltin- 

 tic, or whether they breed on this continent in high latitudes. The Curlew Sandpiper 

 appetirs to frequent the muddy flats or beaches covered with debris, in comptiny with oth- 

 er Sandpipers having similar habits. 



TRINGA CANUTA. 



Red-breasted Sandpiper. 



Trinija canuta liiNN., Syst. Nat. I; 1700,251. 



DFISCRIPTION. 



Sr. Cm. Form, robust. Size, large. Bill, stout, but little longer than licad, and slightly widened at tip. Legs, sliort 

 and stout. Toes, without basal membrane but widely margined. Tongue, rather wide, and tapering toward tip which is 

 rounded and provided with a tuft of coarse cilia. The outer marginal indentations are twice as deep as inner. 



Coi,oR. Adult m summer. Ab.ive. pale bluish-ash, lined an 1 spotted with black and pale reddish. Rump and ujiper 

 tail c.iverts, white, transversely banded with black. Tips of greater wing coverts white. Primaries, dark-brown, edged 

 with white. Tail, ashy. Under portions, pale chestnut-red, lighter on abdomen. Axillaries, under wing and tail cov- 

 erts, flanks, and tibia, white, banded with dark-brown. 



Adult in winter. Alnive, pale bluish-ash with each featl er edged with whitisli j^reccded by a band of black. Lino 

 over eye, whitish. Beneatli, white tinged with yellowish, finely mottled across breast and on sides with bluish-ash. Oth- 

 erwise, siiiiil.ir to the above. 



Younij. Similar to the winter adult but lacks, in a great measure, the yellowish tinging below. Bill, black, iris, brown 

 and feet, greenish, in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONSl 



Readily kmwn by the larger size, and pale bluish-nsh colors above. Distributed, in summer, throughout the .\rctio 

 Regions. Winters south of the United States. 



4'J 



