140 NOTES ON THE 
nest in situ but once, but have reports from several others, 
with the eggs. Iam satisfied if careful search could be made 
in grant or Otter Tail county in June more could be found than 
further south, yet, the Willet must breed in occasional instances 
in the most southern counties, for individuals are seen there 
during the summer months when they shouid be breeding, as 
they reappear in August with their progeny in the northern 
sections, followed by. their increasing presence below, approach- 
ing the lst of September. They remain about in families until 
the latter part of October, when, after uniting the families into 
small flocks, they move off to some lower latitude (Brazil?) to 
escape our inclement winters. 
The nests have been found quite remote from water of any 
kind on the dry prairie south of the Minnesota river, and in 
the bottom of that river. 
It is constituted of grass and weeds, in a tussock of weeds, 
or grass in some cases, and in others in a hollow in the ground 
into which they have gathered and arranged very little mate- 
rial of any kind. They have four pear-shaped, pale-olive eggs 
marked with blotches of various shades of brown, more confiu- 
ent about the larger end. They are very noisy birds when dis- 
turbed during the breeding season, uttering vehemently, as near 
as has yet been expressed, the syllables pil-wilet, it-pil-wilet, in 
shrili cries which arouse all the water fowls in the section in- 
stantly. : 
Dr. Hvoslef met with these birds on the 26th of April in his 
section, Mr. Lewis at Big Stone at the same date, and in June 
in Douglas county, while I myself found them relatively com- 
mon in Becker and Crow Wing counties in the last week in 
May (1887). 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
The largest American species of its genus; bill longer than 
the head, straight, rather thick and strong; groove in the up-- 
per mandible extending about half its length, in the lower 
mandible nearly obsolete; wings long; legs long, strong; toes 
moderate, united at base by membrane, the largest of which 
unites the outer and middle toe; hind toe small; tail short; en- 
tire upper parts dark ash color without spots; the shafts of the 
feathers brownish-black; rump and upper tail coverts white; 
under parts white, tinged with ashy on the neck and sides; ax- 
illaries and under wing coverts brownish-black; primary quills 
white at base, tipped with brownish-black; secondaries white, 
spotted with brownish-black; tail ashy white, the two middle 
