SNIPES, SANDPirEUS, ETC. 



165 



Few birds are flying; lulled by the lap, lap of the water, I have 

 almost fallen asleep, when from fur up in the gray sky comes a soft, 

 flutclike whistle, ivheii, when-u'lo'U-U'hiu-wfiKU, when, wheu-w/irii. I re- 

 s|M)nd quickly, and, lying on my back, look eagerly upward. Not a 

 bird can be seen, but the questioning call grows stronger and is re- 

 peated more frequently. Finally I distinguish five or six black points 

 sailing in narrow circles so high that I can scarcely believe they are the 

 birds I hear. But no bar or shoal breaks the sound waves. The birds 

 grown larger and on widening circles sweep earthward. Their soft 

 whistle has a plaintive tone; their long bills turn inquiringly from 

 side to side. The stolid decoys give no response, they repel rather 

 than encourage, but the whistling continues, and with murmured 

 notes of interrogation the deluded birds wheel over them, to find too 

 late that they have bluuilered. 



266> Totanus flavipes (^/mcA). VKi.i.ow-i.Kds; Scmmkk Yki.low- 

 LE08. Ad. in oumt/DT. — L'jipor {nirts ffem-rttlly lirownisli jrray, tlic ht'iid and 

 neck streiikt'd with Miii-k and white, the lnu'k, sca]iu!ars, and wiii^'-oovcrtj* 

 with sonietinies i)iac'k cfnti-rs, spotted or tipped with w)iitish or browni«h 

 pray ; upper tail-eovert» wliite, more or lens liarreil with blaek, tail varying 

 from wliite to brownish (fray, witii numerous blaek or blackish eross-bars; 

 breast heavily sjMitt )r streaked and Hides barred with black ; belly white, 

 legs yellow. Win phnudije. — Similar, but upper parts brownish pray, tlic 

 sides of the feathers with whitish spots; tail-bars prayish ; broay liphtly 

 streaked with ashy. T^., 107r); VV., (J-tO ; Tar., ^n-); H., l-4t). 



lifiiarkH. — This bird eloselv resend)les the (ireater Vellow-lcs in color, 

 but may always Ijc distinpuished by its smaller si/e. 



n'liiiiff. — North .Vmericii, breedinp eliiefly in the interior from Minnesota, 

 northern Illinois, Ontario County, N. V., northward to the arctic regions; 

 winters from the (Julf States to Pataponia. 



Washinpton. rather common T. V., Apl. to .\fay IS; Aup. to Nov. Lonjf 

 Island, T. V., very rare in sprinp, abundant in fall; .luly If) to Oct. 1. Sing 

 Sinp, tolerably conunon T. V. in fall ; Aup. "Ji") t<» Oct. 5. Cambridpc, rare in 

 May; sometimes common in Aup. and early Sept. 



AV/f/i, tliree to four, butfy (variable as to shade), distinctly (sometimes 

 broadly) siMittetl or blotched with ilark madder- or vundyke-lirown and pur- 

 plish pray, VtV.t x 1*1.5 (Hidpw.). 



This species closely resembles the preceding in notes, habits, and 

 choice of haunts. It decoys, however, more easily, aiul, geiu'rally 

 sjwaking, is more common. 



The GiiEEN-.'iiiANK (25S. Totanus nchulnriux) is an Old-World species, of 

 wliich three specimens were taken by ,\udubon, .May 28, I8:i'2, near Capo 

 Sable, Florida. It resembles our Greater Yelbnv-leps, but ditlers chietly in 

 Juiving the lower back and rump white. 



The Green Sandpiper {257. TotfinuK ochropUH) is an Old-World sfwetes 

 which has been recorded once from Nova Scotia. It rcBcmbles our Solitary 



