BIRDS OF NEW YORK 347 



light yellow and whitish; under parts dingy whitish dimly barred with 

 brownish gray. 



Length lo-ii inches; extent 22-23; wing 6.85-7.4; tail 3; tarsus 1.75; 

 middle toe and claw 1.2 ; bill .8-1. 



Range and migration. This species breeds in arctic America and 

 winters from the gulf coast to Patagonia, being a representative of the 

 several shore birds which migrate down the Atlantic coast in autumn and 

 return to their arctic breeding grounds by way of the Mississippi valley, 

 undoubtedly as Professor Cooke believes, because the Labrador coast is 

 teeming with food in the fall, but is icebound in the spring, while the reverse 

 is true of the inland route. It is rare everywhere in New York during the 

 spring migrations, but Giraud speaks of it as arriving on Long Island in 

 the latter part of April. Langille, likewise writes of it as arriving in western 

 New York the latter part of April and soon passing on to the north. The 

 only authentic records for recent years, I find in Mr Butcher's Notes; a 

 single bird on Shinnecock bay, April 7,1882, and 2 birds reported by Mr 

 Hendrickson, May 10, 1885. Diiring the fall it was, -until recently, common 

 locally on eastern Long Island as well as along the St Lawrence, Lake 

 Champlain, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, especially near the mouth of 

 Niagara river on the plains some distance back from the lake, where it 

 occtirred in flocks of hundreds the latter part of August and early September 

 and was killed in large numbers. It is evident from Mr Butcher's Notes 

 that as early as 1882 this species had greatly decreased in numbers on 

 Long Island. In 1886 several observers reported flights on August 24 and 

 25, one observer seeing five flocks. In 1887 Mr Hendrickson reported 25 

 on September 12. On September ist, 1888, a large flight was reported at 

 Oakdale, L. I. [see Forest and Stream, 31. No. 8j. This flight was accom- 

 panied by a strong southwest wind. On September 9, 1889, Mr Perkins 

 reported, "a big bunch of greenbacks going west very high." August 3d, 

 1893, several bunches of greenbacks were reported along the coast. These 

 flights were often preceded by northeast winds. The fall migration begins 

 from the ist to the loth of August, rarely as late as the 24th, and ends 

 about the middle of October, a few remaining sometimes as late as November 



