124 



North American Birds Eggs. 



263. Spotted Sandpiper. Actitis inacularia. 



Range.— Whole of North America from Hudson Bay southward, breeding 

 throughout its range. 



A small wader about 7.5 inches in length, with brownish gray upper parts, 

 and white underparts thickly spotted with blackish, especially on the breast and 

 flanks. This is the most abundant of all the shore birds, and its "peet-weet" 

 is a familiar sound to every country boy. It has a peculiar habit of continually 

 moving its tail up and down, when at rest on a stone or when running along the 

 shore; from these characteristic actions it has received the very common names 

 of "Teeter-tail" and "Tip-up." They build their nests on the ground near 

 ponds, brooks or marshes, generally concealing it in a tuft of grass or weeds on 

 the shore or in the high grass at the edge of the meadow. The eggs number 



NEST AND EGGS OF SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 



