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202 



PRiECCX'IAL (;RALLAT0HES — LIMICOL.*;. 



feathers lij,'bt yray, the othetn vuriwl loii<,'itU(liimlly with white ami pale gray. Pileuiu dusky, 

 streaked witli wiiiti.-<h ; a i|ark-l»r"*wii loral stripe, liom base of iiiaxilhi to tlie eyi's ; uuriciilars and 

 patch on eacli side the occiput, li;;ht rimiaiuoii-nifous. Lower parts dirty white, the throat and 

 juj,'uliuu streaked, other jKmiuiis transversely barred with dusky. Liuinj,' of the win^', and uxiilars, 

 white, the latter sli^ditly uiarkeil with ;,'ray. Adult in winter: Above, uniform ash-yriiy, the ujiper 

 tail-coverts, tail, anil wings, only, as in the sunnuer plunia!,'e. Superciliary stripe and lower pails 

 wliite, the Juj,'uliiin, side:> of the neck, and crissuni, streaked witli f,'ray. Young: liack and scap- 

 ulars blackish, all the feathers widely iMiideitd with buffy wliite, the middle of the baik tin!,'('d 

 with rusty ; winf(-co verts U^nleivil witii pale buff and white ; ui)per tail-coverts nearly inmiaculutc 

 white. Pileuni siieaktf<l with ilusky, jiale bufl", and ii;rayish ; nape nearly uniform ash-yray. 

 Lower parts soiled wliite, the bivast and sides more or less stronf,dy suffused with l)Utf, the ju^'ii- 

 luni, sides of the neck, and flank-, indistinctly streaked with grayish. "Bill black ; iiis brown ; 

 feet dull yellowi.sh gri-x-n, claws l»Iiu-k " (AuuuBox). 



Wing, about .").<)( »-5.i'»: culmeii, 1-5(1-1. 7") ; tarsus, 1.50-1.75 ; middle loe, .SO-.S."), 



The Stilt Siin(l|)ip«T, oim-i' regarded as a very rare species, lias witliin a few years 

 been foiiiul to 1j«' far from uncommMU in different paits of the country. It has not 

 been met with, thai I am aware, on any portioii of the Pacific coast north of Central 

 America; a siiif,'h' iiiilividual only was observed by Mr. Salvin in Guatenuila. This 

 was taken in the interior, near Dueiias. from amonjj a flock of Actodroinus macuhitu, 

 in April. According to Major Wedderburn. it occasionally occurs in Bernnida ; and 

 Mr. X. i\. Moore mentions pr<x'urin},' four siiecimens of this species on one of the 

 Bahamas as early as Anjfiist '>. It visits in winter the West Indies and a hirge 2)art 

 of South America to Brazil and I 'era. 



In New Enf,danil — where it has not been recognized as occurring at all till within 

 a few years — it is (»f irregular ajijiearance in the summer and fall, but is not known 

 to occur in its spring migratiuns. It has been seen along the coast of Massachusetts, 

 New Hampshire, and Maine, west of Portland ; ' but not in the interior. A single 

 specimen has Ijeen taken on Nantucket, and one rejjorted from Cape Cod. It is only 

 oc(;asionally met with, usually singly, or in pairs, and generally in company with 

 Totiunis Jfiii'ijifx- It is an <M'casional straggler rather than a regular migrant, and 

 only very rarely known to api>ear in flocks, or even in family groups, but usually has 

 the air of having wandered oft' in company with non-kindred species. They evidently 

 move in a due south ecurse. leaving our shores at lUizzard's Bay over the o])en sea, 

 and some of them reaching the West India Islands early in August. Two instances 

 are recorded of the captur*- of this bird in Massachusetts as early as July 24 ; others 

 were taken as late a.s !S«-i)teniljer 21). 



Mr. Lawrence records the rdttaining of a single specimen at San Mateo, Mexico, in 

 February, 1869. Profe.s.sor Snow mentions it as a rare migrant in Kansas, his only 

 record of its occurrence there Ijeing three specimens taken near Lawrence in Septem- 

 ber, 1874, by Mr. William Osburn. Dr. Merrill records it as occurring in the Bio 

 Grande region, on ih:t. L'i, 1877. Mr. J. Dwight, Jr., mentions meeting with it on the 

 Jersey coast at Squani Beach. Out of ten examples all were single birds exce])t three, 

 showing the straggling character of its movements. Mr. N. T. Lawrence speaks of 

 this species as l)eing not uncommon on the south side of Long Island, where it was 

 seen in parties of from three to five. Two in adult breeding-plumage were taken in 

 July ; all the others, in the fall plumage, in September. Mr. Geoige N. Lawrence 

 informs us that on one wca-sion, at Rockaway, there was a large flight of this sjiccies 

 and of Totanus flaciiteg, the latter lieing the more abundant. Six Stilt Sandpipers 

 were killed at a single shot; he never saw so many together at any other time. 



1 Mr. M. ChamberLiiii ha* rwently recorded its capture in New Brunswick. — J. A. A. 



