SNIPES AND SANDPIPERS 261 



position to return again to the neighborhood of their former feeding- 

 places." 



263. Actitis macularia (Linn.). SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Ads. in sum- 

 mer. Upperparts brownish gray with a faint greenish luster, head and neck 

 more or less streaked, and back barred or spotted with black; inner tail- 

 feathers like back, outer ones white with blackish bars; underparts white; 

 everywhere spotted with black. Juy. Upperparts brownish gray, with a 

 greenish tinge, back faintly and wing-coverts conspicuously barred with 

 black and buffy; underparts pure white, unspotted, but slightly washed with 

 grayish on breast. Ads. and Juv. in winter. Similar, but back without bars. 

 L., 7'50; W., 4-20; Tar., '90; B., '95. 



Range. N. and S. A. Breeds from tree limit in nw. Alaska, n. Macken- 

 zie, cen. Keewatin, n. Ungava, and N. F. s. to s. Calif., Ariz., s. Tex., s. La. 

 and n. S. C.; winters from Calif., La., and S. C., to s. Brazil and cen. Peru; 

 straggles to Great Britain and Helgoland. 



Washington, common T. V., not common S. R., Apl. 2-Oct. 28. Long 

 Island, abundant S. R., Apl. 25-Oct. Ossining, common S. R., Apl. 29- 

 Oct. 25. Cambridge, common S. R., Apl. 26-Sept. 30. N. Ohio, common 

 S. R., Apl. 9-Oct. 15. Glen Ellyn, not very common S. R., Apl. 19-Oct. 30. 

 SE. Minn., common S. R., Apl. 18-Oct. 22. 



Nest, on dry ground, in the grasses or weeds, or beneath a bush near 

 fresh or salt water. Eggs, 4, creamy buff or white, thickly spotted and 

 speckled with chocolate, chiefly at the larger end, 1*25 x '95. Date, Mont- 

 gomery Co., Pa., May 16; Cambridge, May 25; se. Minn., May 30. 



Few Shore Birds are more generally known than this widely dis- 

 tributed little Sandpiper. It frequents the margins of bodies of both 

 fresh and salt water, but is more common inland on the shores of our 

 rivers, ponds and lakes. During the summer it is practically our only 

 fresh-water Sandpiper, and is familiar to most of us under its common 

 names. It runs rapidly along the beach, then pausing bobs, bows, and 

 'teters' in a most energetic manner. When flushed it takes wing with 

 a sharp weet-weet weet-weet, and after a few wing-strokes scales over 

 the water to the beach beyond. It apparently dislikes to go beyond 

 certain limits, and after several flights makes a wide circle and returns 

 to the starting point. 



264. Numenius americanus Wils. LONG-BILLED CURLEW. Ads. 

 Head and neck streaked, and back barred with buffy and black; wing- 

 coverts, inner webs of primaries, secondaries, and tail varying from buffy 

 to pale rufous, barred or mottled with blackish; underparts ochraceous- 

 buff, breast more or less streaked and sides sometimes barred with black; 

 axillars rufous, generally unbarred. L., 24'00; W., 10'50; Tar., 3'10; B., 6'00. 



Range. N. A. Breeds from cen. B. C., s. Sask., and Man. to ne. 

 Calif., n. N. Mex., and nw. Tex.; winters from cen. Calif., and s. 

 Ariz. s. to Guatemala, and on the Atlantic coast from S. C., to Fla., La., and 

 Tex.; formerly a regular migrant n. to Mass, and rarely to N. F., now a 

 straggler e. of the Miss., n. of Fla.; casual in the West Indies. 



Washington, rare and irregular T. V. Long Island, casual from July- 

 Sept. (Dutcher). Ossining, A. V. 



Eggs, 3-4, olive clay-color or brownish ashy, spotted or blotched with 

 chocolate, 2'58 x 1'85. Date, Salt Lake Co., Utah, May 2; Crane Lake, 

 Saskatchewan, June 1. 



"These birds, as a rule, inhabit the muddy shores and moist, grassy 

 flats and plains, but often frequent and breed upon the uplands remote 



