SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 169 



district and interior of British America; northward to the arctic coast; South 

 America in winter; of frequent occurrence in Europe" (A. O. U.). 



Long Island, rare T. V., Aug. and Sept. 



Eggs^ three to four, buflfy grayish white, varying to pale olive-buff, boldly 

 spotted longitudinally (and somewhat spirally) with dark Vandyke- or mad- 

 der-brown and purplish gray, 1-53 x 1-04 (Kidgw.). 



This is a rare species on the Atlantic coast. Dr. Hatch writes of 

 it as observed by him in Minnesota : " They are an extremely active 

 species when on the wing, and essentially ploverine in all respects, 

 seeking sandy, barren prairies, where they live upon grasshoppers, 

 crickets, and insects generally, and ants and their eggs s-pecially. I 

 have found them repasting upon minute mollusks on the sandy shores 

 of small and shallow ponds, where they were apparently little more 

 suspicious than the Solitary Sandpipers are notably. The flight is in 

 rather compact form, dipping and rising alternately, and with a dis- 

 position to return again to the neighborhood of their former feeding 

 places." 



263. Actitis inacula,ria(i^Mi7^.). Spotted Sandpiper. Ad. in sum- 

 mer. — Upper parts brownish gray with a faint greenish luster, the head and 

 neck more or less streaked, and the back barred or spotted with black ; inner 

 tail-feathers like the back, outer ones with blackish bars; under parts white, 

 everywhere spotted with black. Im. — Upper parts brownish gray, with a 

 greenish tinge, the back faintly and wing-coverts conspicuously banned with 

 black and buffy ; under parts pure white, unspotted, but slightly washed with 

 grayish on the breast. Winter plumage. — Similar, but back browner and 

 without bars. L., 7-50 ; W., 4-20 ; Tar., -90 ; B., -95. 



Range. — North America north to Hudson Bay ; breeds throughout its 

 range ; winters southward to Brazil. • 



Washington, common T. V., not common S. K., Apl. 5 to Sept. 30. Long 

 Island, abundant S. K., Apl. 25 to Oct. Sing Sing, common S. R., Apl. 29 to 

 Oct. 23. Cambridge, common S. E., Apl. 26 to Sept. 



Eggs.^ four, creamy buff or white, thickly spotted and speckled with choco- 

 late, chiefly at the larger end, 1-25 x -95. 



Few Shore Birds are more generally known than this widely dis- 

 tributed little Sandpiper. It frequents the margins of bodies of both 

 fresh and salt water, but is more common inland on the shores of our 

 rivers, ponds, and lakes. During the summer it is practically our only 

 fresh-water Sandpiper, and is familiar to most of us under its common 

 names. It runs rapidly along the beach, then pausing bobs, bows, and 

 "teters" in a most energetic manner. When flushed it takes wing 

 with a sharp weet-weet weet-weet, and after a few wing-strokes scales 

 over the water to the beach beyond. It apparently dislikes to go be- 

 yond certain limits, and after several flights makes a wide circle and 

 returns to the starting point. 



