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alighted among my decoys while I was lying at a salt pond on the 

 meadow. It walked about with an erect and graceful gait, occa- 

 sionally stooping to probe the soft mud for worms and minute shell- 

 fish, particles of which, on dissection, 1 found in its stomach. 

 After spending a few minutes within reach of my gun, it became 

 alarmed, uttered a shrill note, and took wing ; while passing from 

 me, I brought it down. 



An experienced bay-man who was on the meadow at the time, 

 informed me that in the course of many years' shooting, he had 

 met with a few stragglers, whicli he had always considered hybrids. 

 In plumage it somewhat resembles the Red-breasted Snipe, but is 

 much smaller, and by comparison it is easily detected. 



"This species is not uncommon in the fur countries, up to the 

 60lh parallel, and perhaps still farther north/' — Fauna Boreali 

 Americana. 



Mr. Audubon speaks of it as being common in the neighborhood 

 of the lower part of the Mississippi river, and he also met with 

 it on Galveston Island, Texas; and from the circumstance of my 

 having found it stripped of its feathers, and from six to eight on a 

 string, exposed for sale in the New York market, we may infer 

 that occasionally a wandering flock visits the shores of Long 

 Island. 



TRINGA PECTORALIS— BONAR 



PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 



Tringa pecloralis, Banap. Syn. 



Pcctorai Sandpiper, Tringa uectora!is, Nutt. Man 



Pectoral Sandpiper, Tringa pectoralis, Aucl. Orn. Diog. 



Specific Character — Bill straight, base orange-green ; length 

 of tarsi one inch and one-sixteenth ; upper parts brownish-black 

 edged with reddish-brown ; throat while ; fore part of neck and 

 upper part of the breast light brownish-gray, streaked with dusky ; 

 rest of lower pir s including the lower tail coverts white. Adult 

 with the bill straight; top of the head dark brown, intermixed 

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