THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 
No. 232. 
sf, PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 
A 
. O. U. No. 239. Actodromas maculata (Vieill.). 
Synonyms.—Grass SNIPE; KRIEKER. 
Description.—Adult: Above, ground-color, blackish, everywhere heavily 
margined, and thus finely streaked, with ochraceous-buff, ochraceous, or rusty, 
and with some grayish or whitish edging on the larger feathers; darker on crown, 
where streaked with rusty only; wing-quills dusky, the first primary only with 
white shaft; rump and upper tail-coverts black, delicately tipped with rusty ; tail 
sharply pointed, the central feathers longest,—blackish centrally, brownish gray 
laterally, with ochraceous or white edging; below, sides of head and neck, fore- 
neck and breast finely, sharply, and heavily streaked with dusky on a dull white 
or buffy ground; throat and remaining under parts white; bill and feet greenish 
dusky. Coloring in winter perhaps more blended. ‘There seems to be no con- 
stant difference between summer and winter plumages,—conflicting authorities 
to the contrary. Jmmature: A little brighter-colored above, with sharper mark- 
ings and more rusty, and with considerable white edging on larger feathers of 
back; the breast more deeply buffy, and the streaks, if possible, more numer- 
ous. Length 8.00-9.50 (203.2-241.3); av. of seven Columbus specimens: wing 
5 Am (la7e2))a) tall 2:67 (O78) bill ie’) (2ou7)is) tarsus, 1-10) (27.0); 
Recognition Marks.—Chewink size, but appearing larger; fine streaking 
of fore-neck and breast on heavy ground, contrasting with pure white of throat 
and belly, distinctive for size. 
Nesting.—Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, 4, drab, 
sometimes with a greenish shade, spotted and blotched with reddish brown. Av. 
Size, 1-45 XK 1.04 (36.8 x 26.4). 
General Range.—The whole of North America and the West Indies, and 
the greater part of South America. Breeds in the Arctic regions. Of frequent 
occurrence in Europe. 
Range in Ohio.—Quite common spring, less common fall migrant. 
DURING the days of heaviest rainfall, in middle April, the Pectoral 
Sandpiper enjoys the most general distribution of any of the waders. Caring 
nothing at this season for the presence of lake or stream, it is to be seen 
wherever the surfeited ground sustains a pool of undrunk water. Prairie 
pastures are likely to swarm with them for at least a day or two; and mead- 
ows prove most attractive to this grass-loving Snipe. 
When startled, a flock of fifty Sandpipers moves off as one bird, wheel- 
ing and turning at precisely the same moment, and presenting in the morn- 
ing light a pleasing alternation of flashing white, when the under parts are 
exposed, and somber gray, when the backs appear. While on the wing, 
the birds keep up a desultory cross-fire of peculiar, wild, creaking notes; 
but upon alighting, they scatter widely in search of food and are mainly 
