THE NIDIOLOGIST 



95 



Differentspecies of Plover-like birds may here 

 be observed hurrying with the retreating waves 

 to pick up what articles of food they can while 

 the waters are out, and then as rapidly retreating 

 as the foaming billows return to wash the sands 

 and make another charge upon the rocks. 

 Among these are the Surf Birds, whose chief 

 means of subsistence are those lower forms of 

 aquatic life that are cast up by the waves or 

 generated on the sea-beaten shore. We would 

 have supposed that a bird which haunts the 

 shores and islands of the ocean and picks up 

 its daily food on the rocks and sands, or among 

 the debris left by the retreating waves and tide, 

 and consequently liable to be swept over at any 

 moment by the charging waters, would be a 

 creature provided by nature with the means of 

 floating on the waves, and of at least procuring 

 a portion of its food from the surface of the 

 sea ; but instead of this ideal we find it to be 

 rather a Plover-shaped looking bird, with a 

 Plover-like bill shorter than the head, and feet 

 like those of a Sandpiper, with a well-de- 

 veloped hind toe. The wings are very long, 

 and sometimes reach beyond the end of the tail, 

 which latter is short and square and less than 

 half the length of the wings, and consists of 

 twelve feathers. The coloration, as in other 

 species of the shore birds, undergoes various 

 seasonal changes. In summer the plumage is 

 dark ashy-brown, streaked with whitish on the 

 head and neck, varied with rufous and black 

 on the back and wings. The under parts are 

 whitish, or ashy-white, variously marked with 

 brownish-black. The throat and forehead are 

 narrowly streaked, the marking on the breast 

 changing to curved bars, and those very pro- 

 fuse, while on the under parts the markings 

 become sparse and spotty. The bill is black, 

 with a flesh coloring at the base, while the legs 

 have a dusky-greenish hue. In winter the 

 plumage on the head, neck, breast, and upper 

 parts is nearly uniform dusky brown, unvaried 

 with white or reddish, but with absolutely 

 darker shaft lines; the under parts are slightly 

 spotty, with the quills and tail feathers varied, 

 as in summer. In length the Surf Bird is from 

 nine to ten inches, the bill is one inch long, the 

 tail two and three fourth inches, and each wing 

 six or seven inches. It also varies much in 

 coloring of plumage from youth to older age, 

 but it is always distinguishable in any garb from 

 other shore-frequenting birds. It has been ob- 

 served at various points on the Pacific Coast, 

 from Central America to Behring Sea, as well 

 as among various islands in the Pacific Ocean. 

 Its most congenial haunts are rugged, rocky 

 places, where its coloring, corresponding much 

 with that of the scenery around, assists in its 

 concealment and safety; and in such locations. 



no doubt, its nest may be found, but as yet we 

 are not aware of any information regarding its 

 nesting or eggs being transmitted to the scien- 

 tific world; but most probably it will be found 

 that its nesting habits, with the number, form, 

 coloring of its eggs, are much similar to those 

 of its relations, the Turnstones. 



William L. Kells. 

 [From Mss. "Avi Fauna, of British Colum- 

 bia."] 



Further Notes on Leconte's 

 Sparrow. 



IN the " Nid" for September, 1894, Mr. E. 

 Arnold, in his article on Northwest 

 Canada, says in reference to Leconte's 

 Sparrow, that the birds were fairly plentiful, 

 but very shy around their homes. This is very 

 true, but I was rather surprised to read, in the 

 continuation of Mr. Arnold's article in the 

 October number, that the birds are very easily 

 identified as they are quite tame and allow a 

 close approach. 



I beg to differ with Mr. Arnold on this point, 

 as I spent some two months in the summer of 

 1893 at Long Lake, right in the haunts of 

 Leconte's Sparrow, and I came to the conclu- 

 sion that the bird was of an exceptionally shy 

 and retiring nature. I admit they will some- 

 times allow of a close approach, but they are 

 never seen, only heard as they skulk in the 

 thick grass, and when the observer gets too 

 close the bird flushes and darts away with a 

 zig-zag flight for some two hundred yards or 

 so, when it again drops into the grass, and upon 

 proceeding to the spot you will rarely locate it 

 again. This was my experience upon repeated 

 occasions, and out of six specimens collected,, 

 with the exception of one, all were shot flying, 

 as I was never able to catch a glimpse of the 

 bird to shoot it sitting. 



Is Mr. Arnold positive that he took the nest 

 and eggs of Leconte's Sparrow ? If he did not 

 secure the bird it is almost impossible to tell, as 

 Nelson's and Leconte's Sparrows are so nearly 

 alike in plumage that it is impossible to identify 

 them unless both birds are secured and com- 

 pared very closely. When I secured the nest 

 of Nelson's Sparrow I was ignorant of the fact 

 until a well-known Ornithologist pointed out 

 the difference in the two species to me. The 

 nests and eggs of the two species also resemble 

 each other very closely, and I should never 

 feel positive of the identification of either nests 

 until I secured the parent bird. 



G. F. DipPiE. 



Toronto, Canada. 



