THE GREATER YELLOW-LEGS. 



( Totanus nielanolc ucus. ) 



No bird bears a more appropriate name 

 than does this wader with its long yellow 

 legs. In many localities Greater Yellow- 

 shanks is the name by which it is com- 

 monly known, and who that is acquainted 

 with it does not recognize that the name 

 Tell-tale is also very characteristic of the 

 bird's habits. When flushed, the Yellow- 

 legs excitedly rise from their feeding 

 grounds uttering loud whistling notes 

 which cannot well be expressed in sylla- 

 bles, but are easily imitated by the hunter. 

 Other water and shore birds have learned 

 that this piercing whistle is indicative of 

 danger and they, too, take flight. Mr. 

 Wilson has said : "Nature seems to have 

 intended this bird as a kind of spy, or 

 sentinel, for the safety of the rest; and 

 so well acquainted are they with the 

 watchful vigilance of this species, that 

 while it continues silent among them, the 

 ducks feed in the bogs and marshes with- 

 out the least suspicion. The great object 

 of the gunner is to escape the penetrating 

 glance of this guardian, which it is some- 

 times extremely difficult to effect. On 

 the first whistle of the Tell-tale, if beyond 

 gunshot, the gunner abandons his de- 

 sign." Not only is this whistle of the 

 Tell-tale loud and shrill, but also its very 

 tone is that of alarm. Its usual whistling 

 call notes are so penetrating that, even 

 when the bird is flying at a great height 

 where it is almost invisible to the eye, the 

 sound reaches the earth and can be dis- 

 tinctly heard. It is inquisitive and sel- 

 dom fails to respond to a good imitation 

 of their call by the hunter. In fact, it 

 will check its onward flight and turning 

 back fly over the path whence it came, 

 in its desire to locate the source of the 

 new call. 



Mr. Frank M. Chapman has beauti- 

 fully described the habits of the Greater 

 Yellow-legs when responding to an imi- 

 tated call. He was half reclining in his 

 blind, and saw "in fancy the staring de- 

 coys, pointing like weathercocks with the 



wind." He says: "Few birds are flying; 

 lulled by the lap, lap of the water, I have 

 almost fallen asleep, when far up in the 

 gray sky comes a soft, flutelike whistle, 

 when, when - when - when - when - wheu- 

 wheu-wheu. I respond quickly, and, ly- 

 ing on my back, look eagerly upward. 

 Not a bird can be seen, but the question- 

 ing call grows stronger and is repeated 

 more frequently. Finally I distinguish 

 five or six black points sailing in narrow 

 circles so high that I can scarcely believe 

 they are the birds I hear. But no bar or 

 shoal breaks the sound waves. The 

 birds, grown larger and on widening cir- 

 cles, sweep earthward. The soft whistle 

 has a plaintive tone ; their long bills turn 

 inquiringly from side to side. The stolid 

 decoys give no response, they repel rather 

 than encourage, but the whistling con- 

 tinues, and with murmured notes of in- 

 terrogation the deluded birds wheel over 

 them, to find too late that they have 

 blundered." 



None of the waders are more graceful 

 than the Greater Yellow-legs. They fre- 

 quent watery bogs and the muddy mar- 

 gins of streams. There they search for 

 their food of insect larvae, small crus- 

 taceans and fish, worms and small mol- 

 lusks, frequently wading in water deep 

 enough to reach more than half way up 

 to their bodies. In flying their necks and 

 legs are extended to their full length. 

 Their flight is swift and frequently they 

 rise to great heights. When about to 

 alight, they circle several times over the 

 locality before settling. When they do 

 alight, they stand for a few moments 

 with their wings held over the body and 

 pointing directly upward. It has been 

 suggested that this habit arises from a 

 desire to test the firmness of the soft soil 

 before they bear their weight upon it. 

 When wading, they move about in a 

 quick and apparently excited manner, 

 "with much balancing and vibrating of 



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