Snipe, Sandpipers, etc. 



^<j:«^*— North America at large, nesting from the northern states 



to the Arctic regions; wintering from the Gulf states to 



Patagonia. 

 &!ason — Chiefly a spring and autumn visitor; more abundant in 



autumn; rarely a summer resident; April, May; July to 



October. 



The haunts, habits, and noisy voices of the two species of 

 yellowlegs are so nearly identical, like their plumage, that a 

 description of them would be simply a repetition of the larger 

 bird's biography. From the fact that some of these birds nest 

 within the United States limits, they have been called summer yel- 

 lowlegs ; but the great majority act precisely as their larger double 

 does, and so have earned only diminutives of its popular names. 

 In the Mississippi region the lesser telltale is far more common 

 than in the east, but it is still abundant on the Atlantic coast in 

 the autumn migrations, at least; and it is supposed to be every- 

 where a commoner bird than the greater yellowlegs. Possibly 

 this smaller tattler responds more readily to the whistling down 

 method of enticing a flock to decoys, but the experiences of indi- 

 vidual sportsmen differ greatly in this as in most matters. 



Solitary Sandpiper 



(Totanus solitarius) 



Sailed also: GREEN SANDPIPER; SOLITARY, or WOOD 



TATTLER 



Length — 8 to 9 inches. 



Male and Female — In summer : Upper parts dingy olive with a 

 greenish tinge, streaked on the head and neck, and finely 

 spotted on the back with white ; tail regularly barred with 

 black and white, the white prevailing on the outer feathers; 

 primaries and edge of wing blackish; underneath white, 

 shaded with dusky and streaked on sides of throat and 

 breast; sides and wing linings regularly barred with dusky. 

 Long, slender, dark bill; legs dull green, turning black after 

 death. In winter : Similar, but upper parts more grayish 

 brown and the markings everywhere less distinct. 



-Range — North America, nesting occasionally in northern United 

 States, but more commonly northward, and migrating south- 

 ward in winter to Argentine Republic and Peru. 



225 



