168 SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



barred with black ; breast and sides washed with buffy and streaked or barred 

 with black ; belly white or whitish. Im. — Similar, but the ochraceous-butt' 

 is deeper. L., 11-50 ; W., 6-50 ; Tar., 1-90 ; B., M5. 



Bemarhs. — The white bars on the outer primary will always serve to iden- 

 tify this species. 



Range. — Eastern North America; breeds locally from Kansas and Vir- 

 ginia to Alaska and Nova Scotia; winters over most of South America. 



Washington, common T. V., Apl. ; Aug. to Sept. Long Island, uncommon 

 S. K., Apl. to Sept. Cambridge, not common T. V., Apl. 25 to May 5 ; July 

 30 to Sept. 15. 



Eggs., four to live, creamy buff or white, spotted with reddish brown or 

 chocolate, chiefly at the larger end, 1-80 x 1-30. 



The Upland " Plover " is at home on grassy plains and pastures. 

 It is usually a shy bird, and can rarely be successfully approached on 

 foot. It shows no fear, however, of a man who is riding or driving, 

 and when on horseback I have passed within a few yards of birds 

 which regarded me with some interest but no alarm. They so closely 

 resemble dried grass in color that it is sometimes exceedingly diffi- 

 cult to distinguish them from their surroundings. One may ride over 

 a prairie upon which, at first glance, not a Plover is visible, and find, 

 after careful scrutiny, that dozens of birds are scattered about him 

 feeding. 



In alighting they stretch their wings to the utmost, high over their 

 backs, as if to get the wrinkles out before gently folding them. When 

 flushed they utter a soft, bubbling whistle. During their migra- 

 tions one may clearly hear these sweet notes from birds traveling be- 

 yond the limits of human vision. Mr. Langille describes their alarm 

 note as a spirited and rapidly uttered quip-ip-ip-ip, quip-ip-ip-ip, and 

 their song, given from the ground, a fence, or even a tree, as chr-r-r~r-r- 

 ee-e-e-e-e-e-oo-o-o-o-o-oo. He remarks : '• This prolonged, mournful, mel- 

 low whistle, more like the whistling of wind than a bird's voice, may 

 be heard even in the night, and is one of the most weird and never-to- 

 be-forgotten sounds in Nature." 



262. Tryngites subruficollis ( FieilL). Buff-breasteu Sanp- 

 piPEB. .-l^Z.— Upper parts pale grayish brown, the feathers with olive cen- 

 ters ; primaries fuscous, the inner half of their inner webs speckled tvith hlach ; 

 longer inner wing-coverts conspicuously marked and tipped with black, then 

 white; central tail-feathers fuscous, outer ones becoming buffy, irregularly 

 marked and tipped with black and bufty ; under parts pale ocliraceous-buff, 

 tipped with whitish, and with generally concealed black markings. Im.— 

 Similar, but the upper parts and breast paler. L., 8-50 ; W., 5-25 ; B., -80. 



Remarlis. — In any plumage this bird may be known by the peculiar speck- 

 ling on the inner webs of all the primaries, and also the markings of the under 

 wing-coverts. 



Range.— '■'■ North America, especially in the interior; breeds in the Yukon 



