362 The Water-fowl Family 



North Carolina, a beautiful shore-bird will soon 

 become rare. 



After leaving the shores of Virginia not many 

 at present appear on Long Island, or even Cape 

 Cod, and in fair weather the body undoubtedly 

 keep out to sea, stopping on the islands in the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence as their next resting-place, 

 then proceeding north along the coast. 



Four eggs identified as those of the knot, the 

 parent of which was seen but not collected, were 

 taken in Iceland in 1890. These eggs are said 

 to be unlike those of any other sandpiper, having 

 an emerald-green ground color, which is covered 

 rather closely and uniformly with small reddish 

 spots. The measurements of these eggs are not 

 given, but a plate indicates that they are about 

 the size of those of a killdeer or Wilson's snipe. 



PURPLE SANDPIPER 

 (Tringa maritima) 



Adult male and female in breeding plumage Top of head, neck, 

 back, blackish brown, feathers edged with chestnut or buff ; 

 wings, grayish brown ; coverts tipped with white, forming a bar 

 across the wing ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and central tail feathers, 

 dark brown ; lateral tail feathers, light brown ; an obscure super- 

 ciliary white streak ; throat and jugulum, white, streaked with 

 brown ; breast, gray, tinged with rufous, the feathers tipped with 

 white ; the rest of under parts, white, streaked on flanks and 

 under tail-coverts with pale brown ; bill, dark brown ; legs and 

 feet, yellowish ; iris, brown. 



Adult male and female in winter Upper parts, black, with a 

 purple gloss, feathers tipped with gray ; head, lead-gray ; throat, 



