TURNSTONES 193 



Family APHRIZID^. Surf Birds and Turnstones. 

 Subfamily ARENARIIN^. Turnstones. 

 Genus ARENARIA Brisson. 



283.1. Arenaria morinella Linn. Ruddy Turnstone; 

 Brant Bird; Bead Bird; Horse-foot Snipe; Calico Back. 



Plumage of adult male: general color above chestnut, variegated with 

 black and white; scapulars chestnut, the outer feathers broadly tipped 

 with black and slightly with white ; longer scapular feathers blackish olive, 

 irregularly tipped with chestnut ; tail white at base, a black band near its 

 end and white tipped ; throat and breast black and white ; belly white. Plum- 

 age of adult female : a larger duller colored bird of similar pattern ; chestnut 

 of mantle with dark streakings ; pileum less black and with wider rufous edg- 

 ings ; tail band duller than in male ; median wing coverts mixed grayish and 

 pale chestnut with dark central streaks ; tail band less strongly black ; long 

 tertials less strongly tipped and margined with chestnut. Immature plumage : 

 feathers of the upper parts with buffy margins ; chest mottled with dusky. 

 Wing 9.00 to 10.00 ; culmen 0.84 ; tarsus 0.98. 



Geog. Dist. — In Arctic America from the Mackenzie River eastward in 

 breeding season; migrating southward chiefly along the coast but also 

 through the interior and wintering south to Patagonia and the Falkland 

 Islands. 



County Records. — Cumberland; common, (Brock). Hancock; common 

 locally among the islands and along the coast from late July to September, 

 (Knight). Knox; summer, (Rackliff). Penobscot; Fred Colby shot one at 

 Hermon Pond some years ago, (Knight). Sagadahoc; common in August, 

 (Spinney). Waldo ; local along the coast in August and September, (Knight). 

 Washington; fall, not rare, (Boardman). 



Mr. Brown has recorded the fact that these birds occur near 

 Portland from about May 22 to May 27 in the spring and 

 from mid July to September in fall, and it may be stated that 

 they are more or less general, and often locally common along 

 the entire coast at the same dates, in fall, much rarer in spring. 

 Only a few stragglers occur inland. 



These birds frequent half tide rocks and gravelly shores, 

 feeding on various small mollusks, crustaceans and worms 

 which they seek by turning over small pebbles as well as taking 

 what are not so concealed. They are generally quite tame 

 and occur in flocks of ten to twelve individuals, or sometimes 



