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TRINGA ALPINA— LINN. 



RED-BACKED SANDPIPER. 



Tringa alpina, Red-backed Sandpiper, Wils. 



Tringa alpina. Bonap. Syn. 



Tringa alpina, American Dunlin, Sw. & Rich. 



Dunlin or Oxbird, Nutt. Man. 



Red-backed Sandpiper, Tringa alpina, And. 



Specific Character — Bill about one third longer than the head, 

 bent toward the end ; length of tarsi one inch. Adult with the bill 

 black — one third longer than the head, slightly bent toward the end, 

 and rather shorter than that of T. Subarquata ; upper part of the 

 head, back, and scapulars chestnut-red, the centre of each feather 

 black, which color occupies a large portion of the scapulars ; wing 

 coverts and quills grayish-brown ; the bases and tips of the secon^ 

 daries, and part of the outer webs of the middle primaries, white ; 

 forehead, sides of the head, and hind neck, pale reddish-gray, 

 streaked with dusky ; fore neck and upper part of breast grayish 

 white, streaked with dusky ; on the lower part of the breast a large 

 black patch ; abdomen white ; lower tail coverts white, marked with 

 dusky ; tail light brownish-gray, streaked — the central feathers 

 darker. 



Winter dress, upper parts brownish-gray ; throat grayish- white ; 

 fore part and sides of neck, sides of the head, and sides of the body, 

 pale brownish-gray, faintly streaked with darker ; rest of the lower 

 parts white. Length seven inches and a half, wing four and an 

 eighth. 



This bird, more familiar to our gunners by the name of " Black- 

 breast," arrives on the shores of Long Island in the month of April. 

 It soon passes on to the North, and is said to breed in the Arctic 

 regions. In the month of September it returns, and at that season 

 is quite abundant, though not so plentiful with us as it is on the sea 

 coast of New Jersey. It associates in flocks, and frequents the 

 shores, sand bars and muddy flats, feeding on worms and minute 

 shell-fish, which abound in such places. In the month of October 



