RED-BACKED SANDPIPER. 65 



marshes at low water, feeding on small worms, and 

 other insects, which generally abound in such places. 

 In the month of May they are extremely fat. 



This hird is said to inhabit Greenland, Iceland, 

 Scandinavia, the Alps of Siberia, and, in its migrations, 

 the coasts of the Caspian Sea.* It has not, till now, 

 been recognized by naturalists as inhabiting this part 

 of North America, Wherever its breeding place may 

 be, it probably begins to lay at a late period of the 

 season, as, in numbers of females which I examined on 

 the 1st of June, the eggs were no larger than grains of 

 mustard seed. 



Length of the red-back, eight inches and a half, 

 extent, fifteen inches ; bill, black, longer than the head, 

 (which would seem to rank it with the snipes,) slightly 

 bent, grooved on the upper mandible, and wrinkled at 

 the base; crown, back, and scapulars, bright reddish 

 rust, spotted with black ; wing-coverts, pale olive ; 

 quills darker; the first tipt, the latter crossed with 

 white ; front, cheeks, hindhead, and sides of the neck, 

 quite round ; also the breast, grayish white, marked 

 with small specks of black ; belly, white, marked with 

 a broad crescent of black; tail, pale olive, the two 

 middle feathers centred with black; legs and feet, ashy 

 black ; toes, divided to their origin, and bordered with 

 a slightly scalloped membrane ; irides, very dark. 



The males and females are nearly alike in one 

 respect, both differing greatly in colour, even at the 

 same season, probably owing to difference of age; some 

 being of a much brighter red than others, and the 

 plumage dotted with white. In the month of Sep- 

 tember many are found destitute of the black crescent 

 on the belly ; these have been conjectured to be young 

 birds. 



* PENNAKT. 



YOL. III. 



