480 MICEOPALAMA HIMANTOPUS, STILT SANDPIPER. 



MICROPALAMA HIMAjS^TOPUS, (Bp.) Bd. 

 Stilt Sandpiper. 



Tringa Mmaniojiuf, Bp., Ann. Lye. N. Y. ii, 182C, Il.7.— Less., Man. ii, 1828, 284.— Sw. & 

 EiCH., F. B. A. 3i, 1831, 380.— Bp., Am. Ora.iv, 1833, 89, pi. 25, f. 3.— An.., Orn. 

 Biog. iv, 1833, 332, pi. 334 ; Syn. 1839, 235 ; B. Am. v, 1842, 271, pi. 334.— Giis., 

 B. L. I. 1844, 23-2.- SCHL., M. P.-B. Scolopaces, 54. 



Tringa (Hemipalama) liimantopus, Bp., Specc. Comp. 1827, 61 ; Syn. 1828, 316.— NuTT., Man. 

 ii, 1834, 13y. 



Hemipalama Umanlopua, Bp., List, 1338, 49.— DeKw, N. Y. Zool. 1844, 235, pi. 86, fig. 196. 



Totanus himantopus, Lemb., Av. Cuba, 1850, 95. 



Mici-opalama Mmaiiiopus, Bd., B. N. A. 185S, 726.— Salv., Ibis,i, 1859, 229 (Guatemala).— 

 Wheat., Ohio Agrie. Rep. 1860, No. 213 (Ohio).— Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1861, 

 174.— Lawr., Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii, 1866, 294 ; viii, 1864, 101 (Sombrero).— CouES, 

 Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 294.— Coues, Pr. Bost. Soc. xii, 1868, 122 (South Caro- 

 lina). -SCL., P. Z. S. 1860, 290 (Ecuador).— Dkess., Ibis, 1866, 37 (Texas).- 

 SCL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1866, 199 (Peru).— Tuknb., B. E. Pa. 1869, 31 (New Jer- 

 sey ; May and Aug.). — Allen, Am. Nat. iii, 1870, 639 (Massachusetts and New 

 Hampshire).— Ste v., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1870, 466 (Fort Bridger).— Mayn., 

 Guide, 1870, 140 (New Hampshire).- Bkewst., Am. Nat. vi, 1872, 307 (Massa- 

 chusetts and New Hampshire).— Coues, Key, 1872, 253.— ScL. & Salv., P. Z. 

 S. 1873, 309 (Peru).— EiDGW., Ann. Lye. N. Y. x, 1874. 383 (Illinois). 



Ereunetes himantopus, Sund., Ofv. Kongl. Vet. Ak. Forh. 1869, 587, 602 (St. Bartholo- 

 mew and Porto Rico). 



Micropelama himanlopus, Ghay, Hand-list, iii, 1871, 48, No. 10298. 



Tringa mnlHfmciaia, LiCHT. {Gray.) 



Hmupalama multi^lriata, Gray, G. of B. iii, 1849, 578, pi. 156, f. 2.— Pblz., O. Bras, iii, 311. 



Tringa douglasii, Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 379, pi. 66. 



Eringa {Hemipalama) douglasii, Nutt., Man. ii, 1834, 141. 



Tringa {Hemipalama) auduboni, NuTT., Man. ii, 1834, 140. 



Hob. — North America generally. Not observed west of the Rocky Mountains. Rare 

 in the United States. West Indies, Central America, and most of South America. 



Not obtained by Captain Eaynolds' or Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. 



Later Expeditions. — 60790, Fort Bridger, Wyoming {Stevenson). 



This is a very remarkable Sandpiper, connecting this group with the true Snipe by 

 means of Macrorhamphus, with which its relationships are very close. Its pattern of 

 coloration and changes of plumage are much as in M. griseus. The bill is quite snipe- 

 like, though shorter; the legs are very long, relatively exceeding those of Macrorliam- 

 plms, and there are two basal webs to the toes, as in Ereunetes. Full descriptions appear 

 in my Monograph above cited, and in the Key. 



I have never yet seen the Stilt Sandpiper alive, and it appears to be 

 rather rare in the United States, through which it passes during the 

 migration, some probably wintering toward the South. It occurs both 

 along the coast and in the interior. Its range is probably much the same 

 as that of Macrorhamphus griseus ; like this species, it is extensively dis- 

 persed over the West Indies, in Central and part of South America 

 during the winter. It is only known to breed in high latitudes, beyond 

 our border. Several collectors have lately taken it during the migra- 

 tion along the New England coast, where, however, like Tringa bairdii, 

 it appears to be of rare occurrence, as elsewhere on the Atlantic coast. 

 I placed it in my South Carolina list on Prof. Gibbes' authority. Mr. 

 Stevenson procured it at Port Bridger. It undoubtedly migrates gen- 

 erally through the Missouri region. 



Two sets of eggs, purporting to be of this species, are in the Smith- 

 sonian ; bat it does not appear that the parent was secured, or, at least, 

 received, and I question the identification, believing the eggs to be 

 those of Tryngites rufescens. At any rate, if they are not the latter, 

 they are absolutely identical with them in every respect, as fully de- 

 scribed farther on. 



