142 Birds of North Carolina 



Range. — North America, mainly in the interior, breeding far northward, south in winter to 

 southern South America. 



Range in North Carolina. — So far, only taken on Currituck beach in the fall. 



This species finds a place in our list on the authority of F. W. Kobbe, of New 

 York City, who, in The Aid: for January, 1912, page 108, records the capture of 

 three specimen.^ by Whitluck, on Septeiuljcr 12, 1911. Kobbe himself saw a flock 

 of six, two days later. He says the species appeared to l)c unknown to the local 

 gunners. 



"Thi.s is a rare species on the -Vtlantic Coa.st. JJr. Hatch writes of it as ob.scrved by him in 

 Minnesota: 'They are an extrcmclj- active species wlien on the winK, and essentially ploverinc in 

 all respects, seeking sandy, barren prairies, where they live upon grtissliopjicrs, crickets, and 

 insects generally, and ants and their eggs specially. 1 have found them repasting upon minute 

 moUusks on the sandy shores of small and shallow ponds, where they were apjnirently httle more 

 suspicious than the Solitary Sandpipers are notably. The flight is in rather compact form, dipjiing 

 and rising alternately, and with a disposition to return again to the neighborhood of their former 

 feeding-places.' " — Chapman's Birds of Eastern North America. 



Genus Actitis (Illig.) 

 125. Actitis macularia (Linn.). Spotted 8.\ndpiper. 



Ads. in .•iumiiier. — Uppcrparts brownish gray with a faint greenish luster, head and neck more 

 or less streaked, and back l)arred or spotted with black; inner tail-f<>athers like back, outer ones 

 white with Ijlackish bars; luulerparts white; everywhere spotted witli black. Juv. — Upperparts 

 brownish gray, with a gi-eenish tinge, back faintly and wing-coverts conspicuously barred with 

 black and butfy; underparts i)iu-e white, unspotted, but slightly washed with grayish on breast. 

 Ads. and Juv. in wittier. — Similar, but back without bars. L., 7.50; \V., 4.20; Tar., 90; B., .95. 

 (Chap., Birds of E.N. A.) 



Range. — Both Americas, breeding from South Carolina to Alaska, and wintering from South 

 Carohna to Brazil. 



Range in North Carolina. — WTiole State, common during migrations, and occurring also in 

 summer, though less commoid>'. 



Fia. 104. Spotted Sanui'Iper. 



This is our most common inland sandjiiiier. It is found wherever conditions 

 arc suitable. Around mud-])uddles, snudl branches, creeks, lakes, ponds, rivers — 

 anywhere and everywhere that a little water accumulates and a log or patch of mud 

 or gravel gives it a resting and feeding place, this s])ecies may be found. One may 

 travel along the course of almost any stream or lake shore in the State and seldom 

 be out of sight of one or more of these birds during the spring and fall migrations. 

 It is in fact the most widely distrilnited and characteristic bird of our water-courses. 

 It is a sunnner resident to some extent, and jjossibly nests with us, though we have 

 no record of its eggs having been taken in North Carolina. 



