Shore-bird Shooting 371 



excepting from November 15 to January 15. In the migrations 

 it is abundant on the Atlantic Coast of the United States and in 

 Bermuda in the fall, but very rare in the spring ; common in the 

 Mississippi Valley at both seasons, but almost unknown on the 

 Pacific Coast south of British Columbia, excepting Lower Cali- 

 fornia. It has been taken rarely on the Pribilof Islands, Una- 

 laska, Hawaii, and in Greenland, and quite frequently in England. 



The pectoral sandpiper is a common bird along 

 the Atlantic Coast in summer and fall, where it is 

 known by a number of different names. Jack-snipe 

 is a term often applied to this variety. It is also 

 called krieker, on account of its note, a sharp 

 kriek-kriek, and grass bird, meadow snipe, hay 

 bird, and brown snipe. While sparing numbers 

 appear early in August, the first large flocks ar- 

 rive later, toward the end of the month. They 

 frequent the salt marshes along our coast and 

 often spread out over the meadows, something 

 after the manner of the English snipe, under 

 such circumstances allowing an easy approach. 

 While fond of these surroundings, sometimes they 

 straggle on to the neighboring flats in company 

 with the yellowlegs or flocks of peep, on their 

 route readily stopping to decoys. On the ground 

 the pectoral sandpiper is a sedate little bird, walk- 

 ing deliberately with bill downward ; when alight- 

 ing, the wings are raised over the back and carefully 

 folded. They are very abundant on the islands in 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the mainland 

 adjacent, arriving early in September in large 



