THE GRASSBIRD 159 



THE GRASSBIRD. PECTORAL SAND- 

 PIPER. 



(Actodromas maculata.) 



One of our commonest marsh birds. Few of 

 our feathered friends are more widely known 

 than is the Grassbird. He is found at the dif- 

 ferent seasons in North, Central and South 

 America, the West Indies, Greenland, Europe 

 and Asia. With us he is but a migrant visitor 

 and is not known to nest within New England's 

 borders, or for that matter, elsewhere in the 

 United States. In fact, very little is known of 

 their breeding habits as there are very few rec- 

 ords of the finding of either nests or eggs. It 

 is supposed that they nest in the Arctic regions 

 generally. 



They begin to arrive in our latitudes on their 

 southern way during August, and their flocks 

 continue to arrive and pass along until the se- 

 verer weather of the fall commences, by which 

 time they are all in the sunny south and safe 

 from any danger of frost bite. Their migra- 

 tory flights commonly take place at night, as 

 is the rule of the bay birds. They come along 



