566 PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 



Bay; while on migration it is common throughout the Dominion of 

 Canada and the United States, except on the coast of the Pacific ; 

 ranging to the Bermudas, Bahamas and West Indies generally, and 

 as far south as Patagonia and Chili. As a straggler it has occurred 

 in Greenland. 



The breeding-habits of the Pectoral Sandpiper were practically 

 unknown until the United States Expedition to Point Barrow in 

 Alaska, when, in 1882 and 18S3, eighteen sets of eggs were 

 obtained, each complete clutch consisting of 4. These are de- 

 scribed by Mr. John Murdoch as having a drab or greenish ground- 

 colour, blotched with umber-brown: average measurements i'5 by 

 11 in. The nest is always built in the grass, in some high and dry 

 locality- — never in the black clay and moss, or in the marsh, like that 

 of the Phalaropes. The birds pair soon after their arrival towards 

 the end of May or early in June, when the male may be seen taking 

 short, low flights, with the wings held high and beaten stifily, while 

 the throat is puffed out to its fullest extent (whence the name 

 Pectoral), and a muffled //oo, Jioo, hoo, hoo, is often repeated. After 

 the breeding-season the adults keep very quiet, and they appear to 

 slip away, without collecting into flocks, as soon as the young are 

 able to take care of themselves ; the latter, however, begin to form 

 in packs about August loth, and stay for several days before taking 

 their departure for the south, a few remaining till the first week 

 in September. At that time tlie usual note is a single tweet. The 

 food consists of insects — especially coleoptera — and sea-weed, on 

 which the birds become remarkably fat. 



The adult has the feathers of the upper parts dark brown with 

 buff and rufous margins ; secondaries with but little white on their 

 edges ; rump and tail-coverts dusky-brown ; central tail-feathers dark 

 brown, the rest ash-brown with paler margins ; throat and face dull 

 white striped with hair-brown ; breast huffish, profusely streaked with 

 • ' arrow-head ' markings ; under parts white. The sexes do not 

 differ in plumage. Length 875; wing 5-25 in. The young bird 

 has the feathers of the mantle broadly edged with rufous, and merely 

 stripes instead of ' arrow-heads ' on the breast. 



