THE WESTERN SOLITARY | SANDPIPER. 671 
No. 271. 
WESTERN SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 
A. O. U. No. 256. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus ( Brewster). 
Description.—4dult in summer: Above, olive-brown or fuscous, with a faint 
greenish tinge, blackening on wings; the head and neck finely streaked, and the 
back, etc., distinctly speckled with whitish, buffy or pale cinnamon; upper tail- 
coverts dusky, the lateral feathers spotted or barred with white; central tail- 
feathers dusky, spotted on edges with white; the remaining feathers of tail white, 
with heavy dusky bars; underparts white, the sides of neck and breast and across 
chest streaked with fuscous; axillars prominent, white, barred with dusky; bill 
blackish; feet and legs dull greenish black. JVinter plumage: Colors more blend- 
ed; olivaceous tinge of upperparts nearly wanting; whitish spotting less pure; 
head and neck less distinctly streaked with light grayish brown. Jmmature: 
Like adult in winter, but colors still more blended; no streakings on head and 
neck; spotting of back buffy. Length 7.50-8.50 (190.5-215.9) ; wing 5.04 (128) ; 
tail 2.08 (52.8) ; bill 1.13 (28.7) ; tarsus 1.18 (30). 
Recognition Marks.—Chewink size; olive-brown with white speckling. To 
be carefully distinguished from Actitis macularia by its somewhat larger size 
and slimmer build, as well as by the absence of spotting on the belly. Meet, weet 
note a little sharper than that of 4. macularia. 
Nesting.—Not known to breed in Washington, but probably does so. Nest: 
on the ground. Eggs: 4 or 5, faint dark reddish fading to light drab or clay color, 
spotted, blotched, and vee with brown, and with faint purplish shell mark- 
ings on the larger end. Av. size, 1.39 x.95 (35.3x 24.1). Also described as 
aestne in deserted nests of other birds, as Olive-backed Thrush, Rusty Grackle, 
etc., after the well authenticated custom of H. ochropus of Europe. 
General Range.—\Vestern North America east to the Plains, but chiefly 
coastwise ; south in winter to Lower California and beyond. 
Range in Washington.—Imperfectly made out. All references to typicus 
are placed here, but there are no contemporary specimens from Washington. 
Authorities —-Rhyacophilus solitarius (Wils.) Bon., Baird, Rep. Pac. R. R. 
Surv. IX. 1858, p. 734. C&S. 242. [D*. Incorrect.] Jones, Wilson Bulletin, 
No. 33, p- 27. 
Specimens.—Prov. 
“TT is neither because of excessive fear nor hauteur that birds of 
this species are not often found mingling with others of the Sandpiper 
kind, but only because they appreciate the beauty of woodsy pools and 
upland plashes, which is lost on their more gregarious fellows. A Soli- 
tary Sandpiper is most nearly comparable to the Spotted Sandpiper, but 
is larger, slimmer, trimmer (if possible), with a voice a little higher-pitched 
and thinner. These differences are easily made out if one is so fortun- 
ate as to see the birds together. At a time when the distinctive points 
