132 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



The birds breed in the far north and spend the winter 

 in the south from the West Indies to South America. 

 They are very abundant along the New Jersey coast be- 

 tween May 9 and June 1 and again from July 15 to Septem- 

 ber IT), biit are rarely seen in the interior. 



Their food consists of insects and small shellfish. 



Sandpiper^ Solitary. — Length, eight and a half 

 inches; extent, fifteen inches. The bill is one and a quar- 

 ter inches in length, dusky; line over the eye, chin and 

 belly, white; breast, white, spotted with olive brown; up- 

 per parts, dark olive brown, each feather marked along 

 the edges with small round spots of white; long wing 

 feathers, uniform, nearly black; tail, slightly rounded, the 

 five exterior feathers on each side white, broadly barred 

 with black, the two middle ones plain olive brown, with 

 small white marginal spots; feathers covering the base of 

 the tail transversely banded with black and white; legs, 

 long, slender, dusky green. The male and female are 

 alike in color. 



Although this bird is a common transient in New Jer- 

 sey and is distributed over a large part of the United 

 States, very little is known concerning its breeding; it 

 does not, however, 2-emaiu in this state through the sum- 

 mer. The eggs are said to be light buff, spotted with 

 various shades of brown, and one and one-third by one 

 inch in size. 



The bird passes through New Jersey between April 25 

 and May 15, and again between September 15 and Octo- 

 ber 20. It winters in the Southern States. 



Its food is composed of insects, frequently taken on the 

 wing, larvae, worms and small shellfish. 



Sandpiper^ Spotted^ Teetering Snipe, or Peet- 



*»««(.— Length, seven and a half inches; extent, thirteen 

 inches; bill, an inch long, straight, the tip and upper part 

 dusky, the lower orange; stripe over eye and lower eye- 

 lid, white; whole upper parts, an olive brown with green- 



