THE SANDERLING. 449 



sands and flats. It associates in large flocks at that season, 

 and often with other birds. 



CALIDRIS, CUVIER. 



Calidris, CUVIER, Anat. Comp., V. in chart (1805). (Type Tringa arenaria, L.) 

 General characters of Tringa, but without hind toe ; bill straight, rather longer 

 than the head and tarsus, widened somewhat or spoon-shaped at the end; tail doubly 

 emarginate; toes short; middle one scarcely two-thirds the tarsus. 



CALIDRIS ARENARIA. llliger. 

 The Sanderling. 



Tringa arenaria, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 251. Aud. Orn. Biog. 76., 

 Birds Am., V. (1842) 287. 



Calidris arenaria, llliger. Prod. (1811), 249. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 4. 



Charadrius calidris, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 255. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 

 (1813) 68. 



Charadrius rubidus. Gm., I. (1788) 688. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 129. 



DESCRIPTION. 



No hind toe; front toes moderate or rather long, flattened underneath; distinct- 

 ly margined with a membrane ; bill rather longer than the head, straight, rather 

 thick ; ridge of upper mandible flattened ; nasal groove deep, and nearly as long as 

 the upper mandible, not so distinct in the lower ; both mandibles widened and flat- 

 tened at the tip ; aperture of the nostril large, and covered with a membrane ; wing 

 long; tail short, with the middle feathers longest; under coverts long as the tail; 

 legs moderate ; lower third of the tibia naked ; upper parts light-ashy, with lanceo- 

 late, hastate, and ovate spots of brownish-black on the top of the head, on the back, 

 scapulars, and shorter quills ; rump and upper tail coverts with fine transverse lines 

 of black; under parts pure-white; shoulders brownish-black, without spots; quills 

 brownish-black, with their shafts white, and much paler on their inner webs ; greater 

 wing coverts widely tipped with white; middle feathers of the tail ashy-brown, 

 edged with white ; outer feathers paler ; bill and legs greenish-black ; sexes alike ; 

 iris brown. 



In spring plumage, the head, neck, and breast are tinged with pale yellow- 

 ish-red, and spotted with dark-brown ; back and scapulars edged and tipped with 

 yellowish-red ; rump and under tail coverts ashy-brown ; under parts of the body 

 pure-white. 



Total length, seven and three-quarters to eight inches ; wing, five ; tail, two ; bill, 

 about one inch ; tarsus, about one inch. 



Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America, South America, Europe. 



An abundant species on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Republic, and 

 extending its range, in winter, into South America. We can find no reliable dis- 

 tinction between the American and the European bird, though specimens differ 

 quite materially in size and length of bill. 



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