168 HISTORY OF THE 



plain ash gray, the feathers with indistinct darker shaft streaks; rump and up- 

 per tail coverts white, barred with dusky; lower parts white, the throat, fore- 

 neck, chest and sides streaked and otherwise marked with dusky. Younrj: 

 Above, ash gray, each feather bordered with whitish and with a subedgiug of 

 dusky; lower parts whitish, sometimes tinged with dull buffy on breast, etc.; 

 the neck and chest streaked and flecked with dusky, the sides indistinctly 

 barred and spotted with the same; otherwise like adult. Downy young: Fore- 

 head warm buff, with a central black line; over the eye a double black line; 

 crown, from center backwards, black, slightly varied with rufous and dotted 

 with buff; nape creamy buff slightly varied with blackish; upper parts black, 

 slightly varied with reddish brown and profusely dotted with creamy white; 

 under parts very slightly washed with warm buff. (Ridgway.) 



Stretch of 

 Length. -wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 10.25 20.50 6.25 2.40 1.20 1.40 



Female... 10.50 20.75 6.35 2.50 1.20 1.40 



Iris dark brown; bill and claws black; legs and feet dark 

 green. 



This cosmopolitan species is quite common along the Atlantic 

 coast, and from Alaska northward, but is seldom met with in- 

 land, especially west of the Mississippi. 



In the early part of September, 1884, I had a very good op- 

 portunity to observe these birds near Chatham, Massachusetts, 

 as they were feeding along the sandy beach upon minute shell- 

 fish and other small forms of life that are loosened and brought 

 to the surface by the wash of the waters upon the shore; a very 

 pretty and lively sight, as they swiftly followed and retreated 

 from the waves that continually roll upon the beach. I also 

 noticed a small flock of these birds probing for food in a marshy 

 pool of water on Monornoy Isle; occasionally wading beyond 

 their depth, apparently floating and swimming with ease. They 

 usually move in flocks, and when startled all spring into the 

 air with a sharp "Tweep. tweep," and swiftly fly in a compact, 

 wavy manner. 



These birds are reported as breeding along the Arctic coast 

 north to Greenland, and young birds have been captured. 

 Morris, in his "British Birds," Vol. IV, p. 293, says: "A tuft 

 of grass serves as a depository for the eggs. They are stated 

 to be four in number, of a light yellowish brown color, marked 

 at the larger end with gray and reddish spots, forming more or 

 less of a belt, and less spotted towards the smaller end." But 



