142 NOTES ON THE 



In August the families begin to unite in flocks, and some 

 small ones are seen as late as the 1st of November, but as a 

 rule they have all disappeared by the 15th to the 20th of 

 October. 



Wherever in the State that I have made collections, or only 

 observations, I have almost uniformly obtained facts enough to 

 satisfy me of their presence at least in one migration. Mr. 

 Washburn notes them as common in August in Otter Tail 

 county, as had Mr. Lewis still later in previous years. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill about as long as head, rather wide and flattened at the 

 base, curved at the tip; nostrils with a large membrane, nasal 

 groove long; wing long; tail long for this group; legs moderate, 

 or rather long; lower half of the tibia naked; toes moderate, 

 the outer and middle united by a membrane, inner and middle 

 free to the base, hind toe small; general color of the upper 

 parts brownish-black with a greenish lustre, and with the 

 feathers edged with ashy-white and yellowish, the latter 

 especially on the wing coverts; lower part of back, rump and 

 upper tail coverts brownish-black; lateral coverts of the tail 

 yellowish- white with arrow-heads and irregular spots of black; 

 wide stripe over the eye, and entire under parts very pale yel- 

 lowish-white, nearly pure white on the abdomen; neck before 

 with numerous longitudinal lines of brownish-black; breast and 

 sides with waved and pointed transverse narrow bands of same; 

 axillary feathers and under wing coverts pure white with num- 

 erous nearly regular transverse narrow bands of black; quills 

 brownish-black with numerous transverse bands of white on 

 their inner webs very conspicuous on the under surface of the 

 wing; shaft of first primary white; middle feathers of tail same 

 greenish-brown as the back with irregular and imperfect trans 

 verse bands of black; outer feathers pale reddish yellow, 

 edged and tipped with white, and with several irregular trans- 

 verse bands and a large subterminal arrowhead of black; bill 

 greenish yellow, with the under mandible clearer yellow 

 towards its base, tip brownish-black; legs light yellow; toes 

 darker; iris hazel. 



Length, 12; wing, 6.50; tail, 3.50. 



Habitat, eastern North America. 



TRYNGITES SUBRITFICOLLIS (Vieillot). (262.) 

 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. 



Many times in my prolonged observations of the Sandpipers 

 had I thought that I had secured this species only to find 

 myself disappointed, when some of them were brought in for 



