174 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



fuscous, the others white with black bars ; below white with black streaks 

 on the breast and bars on the sides ; axillars barred with black. Plumage 

 of winter adults : ashy above with fewer streaks on head and neck and less 

 distinct light spots on back; less distinctly streaked with brownish gray on 

 breast. Immature plumage : grayish brown above with numerous sprinkled 

 specks of buff; sides of head and neck grayish. Wing 5.00 to 5.50; culmen 

 1.25 ; tarsus 1.35. 



Geog. Dist. — North America, breeding rarely in the northern tier of states 

 and more generally in Arctic regions ; wintering in South America south to 

 Argentine Republic and Peru. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; common migrant, (Johnson). Aroos- 

 took; breeds beyond doubt in the Woolastook Valley, (Knight). Cumber- 

 land; common, (Brock). Franklin; common migrant, (Richards). Han- 

 cock; breeds rarely, common migrant, (Knight). Kennebec; quite common, 

 (Gardiner Branch). Knox; summer, (Rackliff). Oxford; not common at 

 Norway, (Verrill, L. B. N.). Penobscot; common migrant, they breed along 

 Pushaw Stream and in other portions of the county, (Knight). Piscataquis ; 

 rare, (Homer). Sagadahoc ; not plenty, a few in fall, (Spinney). Somerset ; 

 common migrant, (Morrell); a few breed in the north, (Knight). Waldo; 

 common spring and fall, a few about the streams in summer, (Knight). 

 Washington; common, (Boardman). 



As a common and quite general migrant the species occurs 

 in August to October and again in May, while as a very local 

 and not common breeding bird the species remains about 

 several streams, ponds and lakes of northern Maine. No nests 

 have yet been found in spite of very careful search by the author 

 and others in instances where it was positively known that the 

 birds must be breeding, but the evidence of newly hatched 

 young just able to run or in other stages but unable to fly is 

 proof positive of their breeding in Maine. Where do they nest.'* 



I have carefully searched all sites which might be expected 

 to be occupied by a pair of the birds which at the time unques- 

 tionably had eggs near by, for some ten days later young just 

 able to run were found. Walter Raine recently recorded the 

 finding of eggs of this species by a collector in the north in 

 deserted nests of other birds in trees and bushes. This is'a 

 well known habit of the closely allied Green Sandpiper of 

 Europe which the authorities there declare always nests in other 

 birds deserted nests and never on the ground. If this be a 



