SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 501 



These birds seem rather delicate of body, aud may be killed with a 

 touch of shot. I have frequently brought them down, particularly when 

 they were ou wing, with the sides of the body therefore unprotected by 

 strong feathers, at very long range, and with shot so flue that it would 

 not have mutilated a Warbler at half the distance. I think they differ 

 noticeably in this respect from the majority of waders, which require 

 to be pretty bard hit; the Peetweets, in ]iarticular, are rather tough 

 birds for their size. Xeither do they attempt to escape, when wounded, 

 by diving, at which the last-named is expert under similar circumstances. 

 At least such has been my experience, which 1 am tbe more careful to 

 give, since others have stated just the contrary. I think them gentle 

 birds, almost like Doves among their kind. They yield captives with- 

 out a struggle. They show concern and sympathy for a dead or wounded 

 comrade. I have seen them gather around to gaze upon one of their 

 number that had fallen, so taken up with whatever their emotions were 

 that they quite forgot they were in like danger. Though under some 

 circumstances rather watchful, they sometimes show a curious insou- 

 ciance that borders on what might be called stuj)idity, and is quite a 

 different thing from the reckless familiarity of such birds, for example, 

 as the timid yet confiding little Sandpeeps. An illustration may stand 

 in good stead of further explanation. Once coming up to a fence that 

 went past a little pool, and peeping through the slats, I saw eight 

 Tattlers of this species wading about in the shallow water, searching 

 for food. I pulled trigger on one ; the others set up a simultaneous 

 outcry, and I expected them, of course, to fly off, but they presently 

 quieted down and began feeding again. Without moving Irom my 

 place, I fired three times more, killing a single bird at each discharge ; 

 still no effect upon the survivors, except «s before. Then I climbed 

 over the fence, and stood in full view of the four remaining birds : they 

 merely flapped to the further side of the pool, and stood still looking at 

 me, nodding away, as if agreed that the whole thing was very singular. 

 I stood and deliberately loaded and fired three times more, taking one 

 bird each time; and it was only as I was ramming another charge, that 

 the sole surviving bird concluded to make off", which he did, I will add 

 in justice to his wits, in a great hirrry. The seven birds were all killed 

 with mustard seed, at from twelve to twenty paces. 



t' TEI:N'G0IDES IIACULAEIUS, (Linn.) Gray.- 

 Spotted Sandpiper. 



Trlnga macularia, Lcor., .Syst. Xat. i, 1766. 249 (liased on Trbum maculata, Edw.. ii. 139, 

 pi. 277. fig. '2; Tur(lus aquaticus, Bmsj.. v, 2551.— Gm.. Svst. X'at. 17^^, ti72. — 

 Lath., Ind. Oru. ii, 1790. 734 {Spotted Sa.idj.i^ei- of Arer. Z'ool. ii. Xo. 355; Gea. 

 .SyB. T. 179~i.— WiLS.. Am. Orn. vii, 1-13, liU. pi. 59. fig. 1. 



Ibtanus maciilarius, Te^oi.. Man. 1^15, 4->2; ii, 1-20. 656.— BoiE. Isis, 1^22. 560.— Fi.EM.. 

 Br. An. 103.— Jext^-s. Man. 199.— Eyt., Cat. Br. B. 44.— Bkehm, V. D. 646.— 

 Bp., Obs. Wils. li^as, Xo. 211 ; Svn. Ir2?. 325.— Xcrr., Man. ii. 1^34. 102.— ALT)., 

 Orn. Biog. iv, 1>3-?. SI. pi. 310: Svn. 1530. 242: B. Am. t. 1-42, 303, iil, 342 — 

 GiR., B. L. I. 1544. ^-17.— PUTX.. Pr. Ess^, Inst, i, lro6, 217,— Hov, Suiith\ Eep. 

 1^64, 43?.— Tr.iPPE. Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, 1?71. 119. 



Actitig maculariaii. BoiE, Isis. 152o. 979.— Xacm., V. D. viii, 1530, 34, pi. 195.— Bp.. List. 

 1?3S, 51.— Keys, i Bi_v-,, Wirb, Eur. 73.— Schl., M. P.-B. Scjlj^mts. ?:'., — 

 Frs'SCH, Alih. Xat, iil. 1-72, 63, 



Tringoides maculariiis, Gkav. Geu. of B. iii. I'^l?. 574. — WooDn.. .Sitsir. Kep. 1-53, 99. — 

 Bd., B. X, A, 1-,?-, 7:^,— Coop. & .Suck., X. H. Wasli. Ter."l5o0. 244.— CorEs. 

 Pr. Phila. Acad. 1561. 235 (Labrador, breeding); 1566. 9- ^Arizona). — Hayd., 

 Eep. 1562. 174,— liEESS,, Ibis, 1-66, 3? vTesas).— Dale & B ax.n., Tr. Chic. Acad. 

 1-69. 293 (Alaska\— 5IAY.V., Guide. 1-70. 139.— Aleex, Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1-71, 

 356; iii, lr72, 152 (mountains of Colorado, np to 13,000 feet).— Stev., U. S. 



