SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 91 



2. Bill nearly twice as long as middle toe and claw . pacifica, p. 93. 

 2' . Bill shorter or but little longer than middle toe and claw. 



3. Upper tail coverts white, slightly streaked . fuscicollis, p. 92. 

 3'. Upper tail coverts blackish. 



4. Wing over 5 maculata, p. 91. 



4'. Wing under 5. 



5. Wing 4.80-4.90 bairdii, p. 92. 



5'. Wing 3.50-3.75 minutilla, p. 92. 



Subgenus Tringa. 

 234. Tringa canutus Linn. KNOT. 



The only species of Tringa in which the middle pair of tail feathers are 

 not decidedly longer than the rest. Adults 

 in summer : upper parts grayish and 

 dusky, tinged with buff ; rump and up- 

 per tail coverts white, barred and spotted 

 with dusky ; line over eye and most of Fig. 



under parts pale cinnamon ; flanks and 

 under tail coverts white. Adults in winter : upper parts plain- gray ; under 

 parts, rump, and tail coverts white, barred or streaked with dusky except 

 on belly and under tail coverts. Young : like adults in winter but gray 

 feathers of back edged with whitish and dusky, and breast often suffused 

 with buffy. Length: 10-11, wing 6.50, tail 2.50, bill 1.40. 



Distribution. Northern hemisphere, chiefly on the seacoasts ; south in 

 winter nearly through the southern hemisphere ; breeding far north. 



Eggs. Deposited in a tuft of grass ; 4, light pea green specked with 

 brown. 



The knot is rare inland and apparently less common along the 

 Pacific than on the Atlantic coast. It is a beach bird, getting its 

 food from the wash of the waves. 



Subgenus Actodromas. 

 239. Tringa maculata Vieill. PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 



Bill longer than tarsus ; middle pair of tail feathers pointed and longer 

 than the rest ; shaft of outer quill only, 

 pure white ; rump, upper coverts, and mid- 

 dle tail feathers, black. Adults : upper 

 parts mottled dusky, black, and buffy ; 

 chest dark gray, finely "streaked with 



dusky ; chin and belly white. Young : similar to adults, but upper parts 

 striped with ochraceous, brightest on edges of tertials and tail feathers ; 

 chest buffy, finely streaked with dusky. Length: 8.00-9.50, wing 5.00- 

 5.50, bill 1.10-1.20, tarsus 1.00-1.10. 



Distribution. Whole of North America, the West Indies, and most of 

 South America, breeding in arctic regions. Occasional in Europe. 



Nest. On dry ground, in the grass. Eggs : 4, greenish drab, spotted 

 with brown. 



The pectoral sandpiper is a common migrant in the eastern United 

 States and the Mississippi valley, but less common westward. It is 

 found in flocks, on the marshes and muddy flats rather than along 

 the beaches. 



