﻿1788. 
  

  

  Ed. 
  I. 
  2 
  : 
  659 
  

  

  i844- 
  

  

  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  248, 
  fig. 
  212 
  

  

  Id. 
  2. 
  

  

  1895. 
  No. 
  255 
  

  

  BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  325 
  

  

  Totanus 
  fiavipes 
  (Gmelin) 
  

   Lesser 
  Yellow-legs 
  

  

  Plate 
  36 
  

  

  Scolopax 
  fiavipes 
  Gmelin. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  

   Totanus 
  fiavipes 
  DeKav. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

  

  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  

  

  fla'vipes, 
  Lat., 
  yellow 
  foot 
  

  

  Description. 
  Essentially 
  like 
  the 
  Greater 
  yellow-legs 
  in 
  shape 
  and 
  

   color, 
  but 
  decidedly 
  smaller, 
  the 
  tarsus 
  proportionately 
  longer, 
  and 
  the 
  

   upper 
  mandible 
  grooved 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  its 
  length 
  rather 
  than 
  less 
  as 
  

   in 
  melanoleucus. 
  

  

  Length 
  9.5-1 
  1.5 
  inches; 
  extent 
  19-2 
  1.5; 
  wing 
  6.1-6.7; 
  tarsus 
  2-2.15; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1.25 
  ; 
  tibia 
  bare 
  1.25 
  ; 
  bill 
  i. 
  3-1. 
  55 
  ; 
  weight 
  3.5-5 
  ounces. 
  

  

  Distribution 
  and 
  migration. 
  This 
  nearctic 
  species 
  breeds 
  from 
  Minne- 
  

   sota 
  to 
  the 
  arctic 
  regions, 
  and 
  migrates 
  southward, 
  mostly 
  in 
  eastern 
  

   America, 
  to 
  the 
  gulf 
  coast 
  and 
  Patagonia. 
  DeKay, 
  1844, 
  states 
  that 
  many 
  

   remain 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  probably 
  a 
  mistake 
  which 
  arose 
  

   from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Yellow-legs 
  is 
  a 
  late 
  migrant 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  begins 
  to 
  

   return 
  from 
  its 
  breeding 
  grotinds 
  early 
  in 
  July. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  only 
  one 
  record 
  of 
  

   its 
  nesting 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  which 
  seems 
  authentic, 
  and 
  this, 
  of 
  course, 
  may 
  

   be 
  a 
  case 
  of 
  wing 
  tipped 
  birds, 
  as 
  spring 
  shooting 
  was 
  practised 
  at 
  that 
  

   time. 
  This 
  was 
  in 
  1891 
  when 
  a 
  pair 
  reared 
  their 
  young 
  near 
  Phelps, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

   [see 
  Bowdish, 
  Auk, 
  8: 
  394]- 
  

  

  The 
  Yellow-legs 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  

   migrations. 
  The 
  few 
  Long 
  Island 
  records 
  range 
  between 
  May 
  6th 
  and 
  26th. 
  

   My 
  only 
  records 
  for 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  lie 
  between 
  April 
  20th 
  and 
  May 
  30th. 
  

   During 
  the 
  fall 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  commonest 
  shore 
  birds, 
  appearing 
  on 
  Long 
  

   Island 
  from 
  the 
  7th 
  to 
  the 
  23d 
  of 
  July, 
  and 
  departing 
  for 
  the 
  south 
  from 
  

   September 
  13th 
  to 
  October 
  5th. 
  Western 
  New 
  York 
  dates 
  range 
  between 
  

   July 
  12th 
  and 
  October 
  12th. 
  It 
  is 
  usually 
  commonest 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  

   early 
  September. 
  

  

  Haunts 
  and 
  habits. 
  The 
  Yellow 
  shanks, 
  or 
  Lesser 
  yellow-legs, 
  frequents 
  

   the 
  bars, 
  mud 
  flats 
  and 
  marshes 
  which 
  are 
  exposed 
  by 
  the 
  ebbing 
  tide, 
  

  

  