Ht:oLorAciD.E — THE snii'p: family - rhyacoimiilus. 



279 



IIau. The wliolt" of North imtl Midille Aiuericu anil thf KrcuttT imrl of South Ainurictt, ruiij,'iii({ 

 soiitli to Ura/.il and iVni ; lncLMliii^' thruu^hout tcmperatu Nortli Aiuuiica, hut chiitly noithwunl ; 

 acciih'iital in Kuiopu. 



Hp. Chak. AiIuU in guinimr: Ahovo, olivaceous >iatt', lallaT K]iarMt'ly nptTklcd with wliilc, 

 tliu iTowii and iui|if indi^lindly >ln'aki'd witli llii' Hanic ; outiT uii|i('r tail-covcrfH haired with 

 wliili' ; i>iiniariu.i and iiriniaiy-eoveits plain slati'-l)laLk. 'I'ail wliile (iliv middle featheis iliiMk\ ), 

 all the featheiM widtdy huirud with duftky, these liars niool luiineious on outer wubt*, where extend- 



in;; to the hase of the feathers. Eyelids, supraloial stri|ie, and lower parts white ; the sides of 

 the head, neck (all round), and ju;,'uluiu streaked with lirownish slate ; remaining lower parts 

 innuaculute. Linin;,'of wimj and axillars slate-color, re;,'ularly harred with white. Winhr iilumMje : 

 Similar to the summer dress, hut dark ashy above, less distinctly sjieckled, and foreneck very 

 indistinctly streaked, or simply washed with ashy. Yohikj : Above, j,'rayis)i blown (li;,diter and more 

 olivaceous tliaii the adult), thi<kly speckled with buff ; crown and na]ie plain brownish t,'ray; cheeks 

 and sides of neck nearly uniform ;;ray ; foreneck streaked, as in the adult. 



Total leiiKtli, about 8.(M)-8.5(i inches ; extent, Ifl.rMl-Ki.SO ; winj;. 5.(1(1-5.-10 ; eulmeii, 1.15-1.3(1 ; 

 tarsus, l.:J")-l.3(l ; middle toe, 1.(10. Kill ;;reenish brown (in life), dusky terminally; iris brown ; 

 l(",'s and feet olive-green in adult, more grayish in young. 



It is ditlicult to reeoiieile all the variou.s stati'iiuMits in regard to the habits of 

 this species, either with our own observations or with the experience of more recent 

 observers. Audubon sjieaks of finding it nesting in Louisiana, Wilson of its breed- 

 ing in tiie liighlaiuls of I'ennsylvania. aiul (Jiraud considered it a suuinier resident 

 uf Long Island from May to Scpteinbev. How far these statements are reconcilable 

 with fact, or how far they may be erroneous or exceptional, it is not easy to deter- 

 luiiic. It may be that, like tlie Comniiui Snijje, this bird occasionally breeds in 

 unusually southern localities. Mr. .J. A. Allen met with it at Ipswich, Mass., in 

 duiic. under circumstances which led him to feel confident that the bird was breed- 

 ing there. The general rule, however, is that throughout the United States this 

 sjiccies is as decidedly migratory as the Winter Y'cllowleg, and that if it ever nests 

 south of latitude 4.'i°, the instances ave rare, exceptional, or caused by peculiar cir- 

 cumstances. It is common, though not abundant, in Massachusetts in spring and 

 fidl, although not known to breed in that State. It comes in the spring in the latter 

 part of May, its stay being short, as it almost immediately passes on to its northern 

 breeding-places. It begins to re-ajipear in midsummer, or about the 15th of July, 

 and is more or less common from that time up to the last of (October. Maynard 

 obtained an example at Erroll, X. li., as late as October 31, when the jionds Avere 

 frozen over ; and Mr. William Brewster met with partially grown young in Frau- 

 conia, N. H., in August. 



Major Wedderburn states that this Sandpiper — which reminded him so much, 

 both in aijpearance and in habits, of Ehyaco2Jh!lus ylareola of Europe — is found every 



