182 HISTORY OF THE 



HABITAT. Northern and eastern North America, west during 

 migration to the Rocky Mountains; south, in winter to the West 

 Indies and South America; breeding from Labrador and the 

 western shores of Hudson's Bay to northern Alaska. 



SP. CHAR. "Adult, breeding plumage: Upper surface light grayish brown, 

 the sides of the pileum and edges of some of the scapulars and interscapulars 

 tinged with pale bttffy cinnamon, but this sometimes almost wholly absent; 

 pileum heavily streaked and dorsal region heavily spotted with black, the latter 

 color occupying the central portion of each feather. A streaked white super- 

 ciliary stripe and dusky loral space, the latter usually very distinctly denned 

 along its upper edge, the lower part broken into streaks, which extend backward 

 over the cheeks; auriculars streaked grayish brown. Lower parts pure white, 

 the jugulum and breast tinged with ashy and streaked with dusky. Winter 

 plumage: Above, brownish gray or cinereous, relieved by dusky shaft streaks; 

 superciliary stripe and lower parts pure white, the jugulum faintly streaked. 

 Young: Similar to the summer adult, but jugulum tinged with pale grayish buff, 

 and without well-defined streaks or spots, the scapulars and interscapulars bor- 

 dered terminally with white, and the brown usually less rusty. Downy young: 

 Forehead dingy white, divided by a mesial line of black; crown light chest- 

 nut, marbled posteriorly with black and white; occiput mottled whitish. A 

 distinct loral line of black, forking just before the eye, the upper branch run- 

 ning toward the anterior corner of the eye, the other inclining downward. 

 Throat fulvous white; other lower parts whitish, nearly pure on the abdomen. 

 Upper parts pale fulvous brown laterally, black centrally, the whole surface 

 thickly bespangled with fine, downy tufts terminating the downy filaments." 



Stretch of 

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



Male 6.00 11.75 3.80 1.65 .85 .75 



Female... 6.40 12.80 4.00 1.75 .85 .75 



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

 black. 



I have often met with this species upon the Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts and inland. A rather restless bird, that upon its feeding 

 grounds is continually rising and flying in a rapid, wavy, cir- 

 cling manner, and dropping back and running about, picking 

 and probing for the minute forms of life found along the sandy 

 beach, as well as upon the muddy flats and edges of pools of 

 water. The following full and complete description of its 

 nests, eggs, etc., is taken from "North American Water Birds:" 



"Mr. MacFarlane found this species breeding very abund- 

 antly on the Arctic coast and on the islands in the bays and 

 along the shores of the Arctic Sea. Some were also found 



