142 BIRDS OF ONTARIO. 



waves of brownish-l)lack on the scapulars; jngulum and breast, suffused with 

 dull, light reddish-brown, the spotting small, sparse and very indistinct. 



Hab. — The whole of North and South America, but chiefly the interior of 

 North and the western portions of South America. Rare along the Atlantic 

 coast, and not yet recorded from the Pacific coast. Known to l:)reed only in the 

 Arctic Regions. 



Nest, a slight depression, lined with grass, usually shaded by a tuft of grass. 



Eggs, three or four, clay color, spotted with rich umber-brown. 



Dr. Coues, in his new " Key to North American Birds," says that 

 this is the most abundant small Sandpiper in some parts of the west 

 during migrations, but it has not been found on the Pacific coast 

 and is quite rare on the Atlantic. The only record we have of its 

 occurrence in Ontario is that of a fine specimen now in my collection, 

 which was shot at Hamilton Beach on the •25th of August, 1885, by 

 K. C. Mcllwraith. It was singled out among a flock of small sand- 

 pipers by its peculiar erratic snipe-like flight, and on being secured, 

 its dainty little body was picked up with feelings which only the 

 enthusiastic collector can understand. 



It is named after S. F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Iiistitute, and, 

 so far as known, is peculiar to the American continent. 



On the "iSrd of August, 1886, while this article was in the 

 printer's hands, the locality where the specimen herein referred to 

 was obtained was again visited, and, strange to say, another indi- 

 vidual of the species M^as secured at the same place, under similar 

 circumstances. On the 1st of September the place was again visited, 

 and two more were obtained, but on two subsequent visits, made 

 within a day or two, no more were seen. Those who are observant 

 of the migratory movements of the birds must often have been 

 astonished to see with what persistent regularity certain birds appear 

 at certain places at a given time. In the present instance these 

 are the only birds of the kind we have ever seen or heard of in 

 Ontario, but they were all found within a few yards of the same 

 spot, and within ten days of the same date in difierent years. 



This species seems to prefer travelling inland, as it is rare on 

 the Atlantic coast, and has not yet been observed on the Pacific. 

 Mr. Nelson found only one, an immature bird, during his residence 

 in Alaska ; but it is known to breed in the barren lands in the 

 Arctic Regions. 



It was not until 1861, that Dr. Coues disentangled this species 

 from the general crowd, and gave it the name and rank by which it 

 has since been called. It is so little known, that we have yet much 

 to learn of its peculiarities. 



