104 



Distribution. Breeds to the south of us, originally from Virginia to Nova Scotia 

 in the east, and locally westward to the central parts of the prairie provinces. Now very 

 rare on the coast, irregular in the Great Lakes region, and fairly common to the west 

 in parts of the prairie provinces. 



SUBSPECIES. The species is divided into an eastern and a western subspecies, 

 the latter based upon slightly larger size and greyer colour. The exact subspecific status 

 of the Great Lakes bird is not quite satisfactorily established. In all probability the 

 few that remain in the Maritime Provinces are Eastern Willets, whereas those of the 

 Great Lakes may be the Western Willet C. s. inornatus, or intermediates. Material 

 on hand is too scanty to warrant definite pronouncements and unless the species recovers 

 at least some of its original numbers we may never be able to satisfactorily locate the 

 range boundaries of the two forms. 



The Willet is another large and important species rapidly diminishing 

 in numbers, a reduction perhaps largely due to its southern breeding range 

 and inadequate protection. 



Genus — Bartramia. Upland Plover. 



261. Upland Plover, bartramian sandpiper, bartram's plover, field plover, 

 er. — la maubeche A. longtje queue. Bartramia longicauda. L, 11-50. Upperparts, 

 dark; feathers deeply edged with bu2 which colour suffuses rather strongly over head, 

 breast, and neck. Dark V-shaped markings on breast turning to bars on flanks and 

 stripes on neck; underparts, dull, creamy white. 



Distinctions. Bearing in mind that this species is a Sandpiper and not a real Plover, 

 the size and general suffusion of buff is characteristic. The inner web of the first primary, 

 sharply marked with acute, dark, saw-teeth against a white ground for most of its length, 

 is a feature that occurs in no other comparable Canadian Shore Bird. The Hudsonian 

 Curlew has a similar design but on a buff ground. 



Field Marks. The Upland Plover on the ground is scarcely recognizable as a Wader 

 by those unfamiliar with it, for it resembles a long-legged Grouse chick rather than a Sand- 

 piper. In flight, however, it exhibits its true relationship. Size, general buffiness, and 

 upland habitat are distinctions. Its beautiful long-drawn whistle once heard can never 

 be mistaken. 



Distribution. Properly a bird of the prairie regions. Probably it spread to the 

 east when the forests were cleared away. It breeds in the more southern parts of eastern 

 Canada and in the prairie provinces, appearing occasionally on the Atlantic coast as a 

 migrant. 



Though called a Plover in its accepted name, this species is a true 

 Sandpiper. The term Bartramian Sandpiper is a more satisfactory name 

 and the one that should be in general use instead of Upland Plover. Once 

 considerably more common than at present in the Great Lakes region, it is 

 now scarce or rare. The species nested in the cultivated sections and was 

 exposed to the accompanying dangers of such localities: agricultural dis- 

 turbances to nesting, the ever present small boy with his cheap shot-gun, 

 the pot-hunter, and the sportsman. Size and ease of approach have 

 evidently been the cause of its disappearance, where the smaller and warier 

 Killdeer has been able to survive under the same conditions. As indicated 

 by its name this species has deserted the ancestral wet habitat of its family 

 and taken to upland meadows and dry pastures. It is, however, rarely 

 found at any great distance from some small body of water. It alights 

 readily on fences, buildings, or — occasionally — on trees. 



Economic Status. Frequenting cultivated land, this species feeds 

 largely on insects, grasshoppers, cut-worms, and other enemies to grass 

 crops. It has been known to be of marked importance in reducing locust 

 plagues, hence it must be classed among our most beneficial species and its 

 presence should be encouraged. 



