62 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



i 



IVfr. Nelson refers to it as being much more numerous in 

 northeastern Illinois than the T. rrbelanoleu/ms. He adds that 

 it "frequents the same localities. Arrives a few days later and 

 departs earlier for the south. A few breed. I obtained the 

 youn^, barely able to fly, near a prairie slough the first of 

 July 1874, a few miles from Chicago, and have since observed 

 several pairs during the breeding season about the Calumet 

 marshes." 



Subgenus Helodromas Kaup. 



fffilodromas Kaup, Nat. Syst. 1829, 144. Type, Tringa ochropus Linn. 



Chae. Similar to Totanus, but smaller, and with middle too ne .rly as long as tarsus. 



There is but one American species of this subgenus, and this 

 has a single Old World representative, — the T. ochropus (Linn.), — 

 which differs chiefly in larger size and pure white rump. 



Totanus solitarius (Wils.) 



SOLITAEY SANDPIPER 



Popular synonyms. Peet-weet; Wood Snipe or Sandpiper; Pond Peet-weet or Tiltup. 



Tringa solilaria Wils. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 53, pi. 58 flg. 3. 

 Totanus solitarius Bonap. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. v, 1825. 86.— Aud. Synop. 1839. 

 242; B. Am. v, 1842, 309, pi. 343.— CouES, Key, 1872, 259; Check List. 1874, No. 435; Birds 

 N. W. 1874, 498.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 256.— Rldow. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 166. 

 Rhyacophilus solitarius Cass, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 733.— Baied, Cat. N. Am. B. 

 1859, No. 541.— RiDGW. Nom. N. Am. B, 1881, No, 550.— Coues, Check List. 2d ed. 1882, 

 No. 637.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 278. 

 Totanus chloropygius Vikill. Nouv. Diet, vi, 1816, 40.— Sw. & Rich. F. B.-A. ii, 1S31, 393.— 

 NuTT. Man. ii, 1834, 159.— Aud. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 576 jiV, 1839, 583, pi. 289. 



Hab. The whole of North and Middle America and the greater part of South America, 

 ranging south to Brazil and Peru; breeding throughout temperate North America, but 

 chiefly northward ; accidental in Europe. 



Sp. Chab. Adult in summer: Above ohvaceous-slate, rather sparsely speckled with 

 white, the crown and nape indistinctly streaked with the same; outer upper tail-coverts 

 barred with white ; primaries and primary coverts plain slate-black. Tail whit^ (the mid- 

 dle feathers dusky), all the feathers widely barred with dusky, these bars most num^^rous 

 on outer webs, where extending to the base of the feathers. Eyelids, supraloral stripe, and 

 lower parts white, the sides of the head, nock (all round), and jugulum streaked with 

 brownish slate; remaining lower parts immaculate. Lining of wing and axillars slate- 

 color, regularly barred with white. Winter plumage: Similar to the summer dress, but 

 djirk ashy above, less distinctly speckled, and forenock very indistinctly streaked, or 

 simply washed with ashy. Young: Above, grayish brown (lighter and more olivaceous 

 than the adult), thickly speckled with buff; crown and nape plain brownish gi ay ; cheeks 

 and Bides of neok nearly uniform gray ; foreneok streaked, as in the adult. 



