108 



SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



hjirred with block ; brcaj«t and sides waslied witii IjuflTy and streaked or barred 

 with black; belly white or whitish. Inu — SiiniUir, but the ochraceoiu-butt' 

 is deeper. L., lliX^; W., O-oO; Tar., \-'M)\ B., Mo, 



Jitiaark*. — The white bars on the outer jirinmry will always serve to iden- 

 tify this sj»efie«. 



/if«//y«.— Ea-stcm North Anierica; breeds locally from Kansas and Vir- 

 ginia to Alaska and Nova Scotia; winters over most of South America. 



Wttshintfton, common T. V., Apl. ; Aui;. to Sept. Lonia; Island, uncommon 

 S. U., Apl. to Sept Cambridj^c, not common T. V., Apl. 25 to May T); July 

 30 to Sept. 15. 



A'j/f/«, four to five, creamy buff or white, spotted with reddish brown or 

 chocolate, chiefly at the larger end, 1'80 x l*;iO. 



The Upland " Plover " is at home on grassy plains and pastures. 

 It is usually a shy bird, and can rarely be successfully approached on 

 foot. It shows no fear, however, of a man wiio is riding or driving, 

 and when on horseback I have passed within a few yards of birds 

 which reganled me with some interest but no alarm. They so closely 

 resemble dried gra'»s in color that it is sometimes exceedingly diffi- 

 cult to distinguish t'/iem from their surroundings. One may ride over 

 a prairie upon whici: at first glance, not a Plover is visible, and find, 

 after careful scrutiny, that dozens of birds are scattered about him 

 feeding. 



In alighting they stretch their wings to the utmost, high over their 

 backs, as if t<» get the wrinkles out before gently folding them. When 

 flushed they utter a .soft, double-noted whistle. During their migra- 

 tions one may clearly hear these sweet notes from birds traveling be- 

 yond the limits of huiiuui vision. Mr. liangille describes their alarm 

 note as a spirited and rapidly uttered (]uip-ip-i/hf/), qiiip-ip-ip-ip, and 

 their song, given from the ground, a fence, or even a tree, as chr-r-r-r-r- 

 ep-e-e'e-f-e'Oo-(t-o-o-t. -on. lie remarks : " This nrolonged, mournful, mel- 

 low whistle, more like the whistling of wind than a bird's voice, may 

 be heard even in the night, and is one of the most weird and never-to- 

 be-forgotten sounds in Nature." 



262. Tryngktem sabruflcollis ( f'ietlL). Biff-rkeastei) Sand- 

 piPKK. vl</.— UpiH!r parts pale frrayisii brown, the feathers with olive cen- 

 ters ; primaries fujM'ous, the iinier half of their inner webs speckled with black; 

 lonjxer inner win;.'-<,'0 verts conspicuously nuirked und tipped with black, then 

 white; central tail-leathers fuscous, outer ones becoming buffy, irregularly 

 marked and tipjM-d with black und burt'y ; under parts jmle ochraeeous buff, 

 tipped with whitish, and with geiu'rully concealed black markings. /;«.— 

 Similar, but tiie iipinr parts and breast paler. L.. 8 50; W., 5'25; B., -80. 



Ii'triKirh. In any plumaire this bird may be known by the peculiar spcck- 

 h'liij on the inner webs of all the primaries, ami also tiie nmrkings of the under 

 wing-coverts. 



Jianye.^^ North .America, especially in tiie iuterior ; breeds in the Yukon 



