﻿314 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Pectoral 
  sandpiper, 
  and 
  Red-backed 
  sandpiper, 
  are 
  fully 
  as 
  abundant 
  during 
  

   the 
  fall 
  migration. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  it 
  appears 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  from 
  the 
  20th 
  to 
  

   the 
  30th 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  departs 
  for 
  the 
  north 
  from 
  the 
  26th 
  of 
  May 
  to 
  the 
  12 
  th 
  

   of 
  June. 
  Return 
  migration 
  begins 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  4th 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  is 
  well 
  

   advanced 
  by 
  the 
  ist 
  of 
  August, 
  the 
  last 
  birds 
  departing 
  from 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  

   September 
  to 
  the 
  7th 
  of 
  October, 
  In 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  arrives 
  later 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring, 
  like 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  arctic 
  shore 
  birds, 
  usually 
  appearing 
  for 
  

   only 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  late 
  in 
  April, 
  or 
  in 
  May, 
  while 
  hurrying 
  northward. 
  Fall 
  

   dates 
  range 
  from 
  July 
  20th 
  to 
  September 
  30th. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  like 
  the 
  Pectoral 
  sandpiper 
  frequents 
  both 
  the 
  sandy 
  shore, 
  

   mud 
  flats 
  and 
  the 
  grassy 
  meadows, 
  and 
  is 
  often 
  called 
  the 
  Meadow 
  oxeye 
  

   by 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  gunners. 
  Where 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  persecuted 
  by 
  hunters 
  I 
  have 
  

   often 
  seen 
  it 
  so 
  imsuspicious 
  that 
  one 
  was 
  quite 
  unable 
  to 
  "walk 
  it 
  up," 
  

   the 
  little 
  fellows 
  trotting 
  along 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  observer 
  and 
  gleaning, 
  or 
  

   probing, 
  industriously 
  for 
  insects 
  on 
  every 
  side. 
  When 
  flushed 
  it 
  darts 
  

   away 
  with 
  characteristic 
  snipelike 
  flight, 
  sometimes 
  to 
  alight 
  within 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance, 
  at 
  others 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  locality 
  entirely, 
  uttering 
  its 
  mellow 
  

   peep, 
  peep, 
  or 
  peet, 
  peet. 
  Some 
  consider 
  the 
  little 
  Sand-peeps 
  as 
  legitimate 
  

   game 
  and 
  shoot 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  dozens 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  into 
  "peep-pies" 
  which 
  are 
  

   famous 
  delicacies 
  in 
  many 
  localities 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  for 
  my 
  part, 
  after 
  

   associating 
  with 
  the 
  Little 
  sandpipers, 
  I 
  am 
  more 
  content 
  to 
  eat 
  chicken 
  

   pies 
  than 
  to 
  think 
  how 
  dozens 
  of 
  these 
  harmless, 
  interesting 
  birds 
  have 
  been 
  

   sacrificed 
  for 
  a 
  single 
  meal. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  breeds 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  to 
  the 
  arctic 
  regions, 
  

   and 
  winters 
  from 
  the 
  gulf 
  coast 
  to 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  Pelidna 
  alpina 
  alpina 
  Linnaeus 
  

  

  Dunlin 
  

  

  Tringa 
  alpina 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  10. 
  1858. 
  1:149 
  

  

  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  (243) 
  

  

  pelld'na, 
  Gr. 
  TreAiSi/o?, 
  livid; 
  alpt'na, 
  Lat., 
  alpins 
  

  

  Description. 
  Smaller 
  than 
  subspecies 
  p 
  a 
  c 
  i 
  f 
  i 
  c 
  a. 
  Bill 
  shorter; 
  tarsus 
  

   about 
  equal 
  to 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw. 
  In 
  summer 
  upper 
  parts 
  less 
  brightly 
  

   colored; 
  and 
  the 
  blackish 
  belly 
  not 
  strongly 
  contrasted 
  with 
  the 
  speckled 
  

   or 
  grayish 
  breast. 
  Length 
  about 
  8 
  inches; 
  bill, 
  average 
  1.4; 
  tarsus 
  and 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  1.75. 
  

  

  