142 NOTES ON THE 
In August the families begin to unite in flocks, and some 
small ones are seen as late as the Ist of November, but as a 
rule they have all disappeared by the 15th to the 20th of 
October. 
Wherever in the State that I have made collections, or only 
observations, I have almost uniformly obtained facts enough to 
satisfy me of their presence at least in one migration. Mr. 
Washburn notes them as common in August in Otter Tail 
county, as had Mr. Lewis still later in previous years. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Bill about as long as head, rather wide and flattened at the 
base, curved at the tip; nostrils with a large membrane, nasal 
groove long; wing long; tail long for this group; legs moderate, 
or rather long; lower half of the tibia naked; toes moderate, 
the outer and middle united by a membrane, inner and middle 
free to the base, hind toe small; general color of the upper 
parts brownish-black with a greenish lustre, and with the 
feathers edged with ashy-white and yellowish, the latter 
especially on the wing coverts; lower part of back, rump and 
upper tail coverts brownish-black; lateral coverts of the tail 
yellowish-white with arrow-heads and irregular spots of black; 
wide stripe over the eye, and entire under parts very pale yel- 
lowish-white, nearly pure white on the abdomen; neck before 
with numerous longitudinal lines of brownish-black; breast and 
sides with waved and pointed transverse narrow bands of same; 
axillary feathers and under wing coverts pure white with num- 
erous nearly regular transverse narrow bands of black; quills 
brownish-black with numerous transverse bands of white on 
their inner webs very conspicuous on the under surface of the 
wing; shaft of first primary white; middJe feathers of tail same 
greenish-brown as the back with irregular and imperfect trans- 
verse bands of black; outer feathers pale reddish yellow, 
edged and tipped with white, and with several irregular trans- 
verse bands and a large subterminal arrowhead of black; bill 
greenish yellow, with the under mandible clearer yellow 
towards its base, tip brownish-black; legs light yellow; toes 
darker; iris hazel. 
Length, 12; wing, 6.50; tail, 3.50. 
Habitat, eastern North America. 
TRYNGITES SUBRUFICOLLIS (VierLLor). ( 262.) 
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. 
Many times in my prolonged observations of the Sandpipers ~ 
had I thought that I had secured this species only to find 
myself disappointed, when some of them were brought in for 
