I^. ^ \M>IM I'KKS, ETC. 1.;;, 



Few birds are flying; lulled by the ln/>, lap of the water, I hare 

 almost fallen asleep, wht-n front fur up in the gray sky comes a soft, 



flutoltke whUtle, u-hni. u-fn'11-u-hm-irhi-u-irfiru, trhni, irhfu-tfhru. I re- 

 .|N>nd quickly, ami. lying mi my back, look eagerly upward. Not n 

 liinl rjin be seen, l>ut tho questioning call grows stronger and is re- 

 peated more frequently. Finally I ili-tiiiuui-h five or six black points 

 sailing in narrow circles so high that I can scarcely believe they are the 

 birds I hear. But no bar or shoal breaks the sound waves. The birds 

 grown larger and on widening circles swoop earthward. Thoir soft 

 whittle has a plaintive tone; ttu-ir long bills turn inquiringly from 

 side to side. The stolid decoys give no response, they repel rather 

 than encourage, but the whistling continues, and with murmured 

 notes of interrogation the deluded birds wheel over them, to find too 

 late that they have blundered. 



285. Totantu fhtvipec (<!mtl.). YELLOW-LKGS; STUMER YELLOW- 

 LEO*. Ad. in #MiMr. t'ppcr purist generally brownish gray, the head and 

 neck streaked with black and white, the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts 

 with sometime* black center*, spotted or tipped with whitish or brownish 

 gray ; upper tail-covert* white, more or lew barred with black, tail varying 

 from white to brownish gray, with numerous black or blackish cross-ban; 

 breast heavily p<>tt<-l <>r streaked and sides barred with black; belly white, 

 legs yellow. \\'it>r plumagt. Similar, but upper part* brownish gray, the 

 idea of the feather* with whitish spots; tail-bant grayish; breast lightly 

 streaked with ashy. L., 10-75; W., 6-40 ; Tar., 2-05; B., 1-40. 



Remark*. This bird c!o*cly resembles the Greater Yellow-legs in color, 

 but may always be distinguished by its smaller size. 



Knngt. North America, breeding chiefly in the interior from Minnesota, 

 northern Illinois, Ontario County, N. Y., northward to the aretie rcgi..ns; 

 winters from the Gulf States to Patagonia. 



Washington, rather eniiiriinn T. V., Apl. t May 15; Aug. to Nov. l.i\e 

 Nland, T. V., very rare in spring, ulmndmit in fall; .July 15 to Oct. 1. Situ; 



Sin;.', tolerably i uiion T. V. in full ; Aug. !i5 to Oct. 5. Cambridge, rare in 



rimion in Alii.', and early Sept. 



f'yy, three to four, l>utfy (variable as to shade), di>tinctly ' sometime* 

 broadly) spotted or Notched with <trk madder- or vandyke-hrown and pur- 

 plish gray, 1-69 x l-i:. . Ki-lgw.). 



Tliis species closely resembles the preceding in notes, habits, and 

 choice of haunts. It d..<.\-. I. ..\ve\vr, more en.-ily, anil, generally 

 shaking, is more common. 



The GREEX-SIIANK (SM. Ttantu nthutariu*) is an Old- World species, of 

 which three specimens were taken by Audubon, May 28, 1832, near Cape 

 Sable, Florida. It resembles our Greater Yellow-legs, but differs chiefly in 

 having the lower back and rump white. 



The GREEK SASIUMPER (!'>7. Totanvt ockroptu) is an Old- World specie* 

 which hat been recorded once from Nova Scotia. It resemble* our Solitary 



