GRALLATORES. 179 



I have seen two birds of this species in the col- 

 lection of Mr. Minasi, which were shot by that 

 gentleman at Kingsbury Reservoir. He remarked 

 that they looked smaller and lighter in colour than 

 the Green Sandpiper when flj'ing, and he at first 

 mistook them for the young of that species. Both 

 birds were in summer plumage. 



Common Sandpiper, Totanus hyijoleiicos. Pro- 

 vincial, Summer Snipe. This bird does not belie 

 its name, being the commonest species of Sand- 

 I)iper that visits us, generally arriving about the 

 first week in May, and after leaving us for June 

 and July — to breed, as I believe, further North — 

 it returns again at the end of July or beginning 

 of August, and remains until the middle of Sep- 

 tember. Both old and young birds are then to 

 be found. This bird and the Green Sandpiper 

 alwaj^s remain here later than any other species, 

 and, unlike the Ringed Plover, Dunlin, and some 

 others, they do not stay so much at the broad water 

 of the reservoirs, but may be found singly, or in 

 pairs, along the course of our brooks. 



The stomachs of several specimens which I have 

 examined contained either a mass of semi- digested 

 beetles and aquatic insects, or vegetable matter only ; 

 and, as in the case of the Ringed Plover, there 

 were always several minute pebbles or particles of 

 coarse sand. The note, which is loud for so small a 

 bird, sounds like '^ weet-weet-weet." 



