224 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



County records: Jasper — " Mr. Preston reportecl it as a rare 

 breeder near Newton, Iowa" (Cooke, Bird Migr. in Miss. Val., 

 1884-85,96). Lee — "a very rare visitant" (Currier). Poweshiek 

 — -"tolerably connnon transient" (Kelsey). Sioux — "I took a set 

 of four eggs and shot the female of the Western Willet, June 2, 

 1900, near Hawarden, about a half mile from where I found the 

 American Avocet. I still have the eggs in ni}- po.ssession" (Berr}'). 



The llniversit}- museum has two typical Iowa specimens: No. 

 1014, April 27, 1887, Johnson county, collected by G. Clark, meas- 

 uring— wing 8.50; tail 3.91; bill 2.55; tarsus 2.72. A specimen 

 taken August 15, 1893, at Burlington by Paul Bartsch, has the bill 

 2.63 inches long; body rufescent or salmon-tinted below, back 

 and head much paler; no black except on tips of primaries. 



Genus Bartramia Lesson. 



113. (261). Iiarfraiuia /o)ioicauda (R&chsi.). Bartramian Sand- 

 piper. 



The Bartramian or Upland Sandpiper is the species most com- 

 monly known as "Plover" in Iowa. It is a tolerably- common 

 summer resident in most parts of the state, more frequent during 

 migrations. In the earlier days it was generally found in the 

 short grass of the upland prairies, but at the present time it is a 

 resident of pastures, seldom appearing on low ground. The ear- 

 lier observers (Trippe, Proc. Bost. Soc, xv, 1872, 241; Allen 

 Mem. Bost. Soc, i, 1868, 501) speak of the species as very tame 

 and unsuspicious, but persecution has made the bird more wary 

 of recent years. 



The Bartramian Sandpiper has a mellow, flute-like whistle, very 

 melodious, and often given from the top of a post by the roadside. 

 When alighting, the birds raise the wings to their fullest extent, 

 holding them poised a moment before folding them. The nest is 

 placed on the ground, usually on a hillside. I took a set of three 

 slightly incubated eggs June 17, 1892, shooting the male bird 

 from the nest (Winnebago); also four eggs, advanced in incuba- 

 tion, May 25, 1895, near Crystal Lake (Hancock). The eggs are 

 excessiveh' large for the size of the bird, — about as large as those 

 of the Guinea-fowl. This gentle, confiding bird is one of the 

 most attractive and pleasing features of the prairie country, and 

 should be stricth- protected. 



