382 The Water-fowl Family 



This European variety has been included 

 among the American shore-birds because of its 

 rarely straggling to the Alantic Coast of North 

 America. The dunlin is among the best-known 

 shore-birds of Europe, and much has been written 

 about it. The breeding habits are interesting. 

 Then the bird becomes very tame, and will 

 often stay on her nest until closely approached. 

 When flushed from the eggs, which lie on a few 

 grasses in a dry place in the marsh, she some- 

 times flutters away or leaves with a shrill cry, and 

 then, joined by the male, flies about the disturber's 

 head, uttering a gentle twitter. This bird breeds 

 commonly in Scotland on the moorland and 

 marshes, laying in May. 



RED-BACKED SANDPIPER, OR AMERICAN DUNLIN 

 ( Tringa alpina pacified) 



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

 scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, light rufous, streaked 

 on the crown, spotted on the back, with black ; wing-coverts, 

 brownish gray, broadly tipped with white ; remainder of head, 

 neck, jugulum, and breast, grayish white, with dusky streaks ; 

 abdomen, black ; sides, flanks, anal region, and lining of the 

 wing, pure white, all slightly streaked. 



Adult male and female in winter Upper parts, plain ashy gray, 

 marked occasionally with indistinct dusky streaks ; an indis- 

 tinct superciliary stripe ; lower parts, white ; neck and jugulum, 

 heavily clouded with gray. 



Young Back and scapulars, black, feathers bordered broadly with 

 rusty ; lesser and middle coverts, bordered with buff ; rump pale 

 brownish slate ; upper tail-coverts, darker ; top of head, rusty, 

 streaked with black; head and neck, dull buff, streaked with 



