EEEUNETES. 383 



tectricibus majoribus albo terminatis ; tectricibus primariorum et remigibus sepiariis, soapis primariorum 

 fere albicantibus, secundariis iutus albis, interioribus longissimis dorso concoloribus ; loris fuscescentibus ; 

 fronts basali, facie laterali et corpore subfcus toto pure albis, pectoris summi lateribus cineraseenfci' 

 brunneis et praepeotore medio angustissime brunneo lineolato ; subalaribus et axiUaribus pure albis : 

 rostro nigro, mandibula ad basin Tiridescenti-olivacea ; pedibus viridescenti-olivaceis ; iride saturate 

 brunnea. Long, tota circa 5-8, alae 3-9, caudae 1-6, culm. 1-1, tarsi 0-8. (Descr. maris adulti ex 

 Chiapam. Mus. nostr.) 

 Ptil. aestiv. Supra nigricans, cinnamomeo Variegatus; prsepectore et pectore summo et corporis lateribus 

 nigricanti-brunneo fasciatim maculatis. (Descr, feminae adultae ex S- Barbara, California. Mus. nostr.) 



Hah. NoBTH Amekica, breeding in the Arctic and sub-Arctic Eegions 12. _ Mexico 

 ( Wagler^, Beppe & ScUede ^ \ Sumichrast 23), Matamoros (Dresser i^), Cachuta, 

 Sonora (EoMnette^^), Hermosillo, Sonora (Ferrari-Perez^^), Mazatlan (Forrer'^^), 

 Cordova (SaUS% San Mateo, Tehuantepec city (Sumichrast ^^), Cozumel I. 

 (Gaumer^^^^), Guatemala, Duenas^*, Chiapam i^ Carranza^^, San Jose 12 

 (0. S. & F. B. G.) ; Paitama (M'Leannan ^2).— South America in winter to Brazil 

 and Peru 12 ; Swan I. ^. 



The breeding-habitat of E. pusillus is said to be " Eastern North America, north of 

 the United States," and that of the race (E. occidentalis) is also given, in the A. O. U. 

 ' Check-list,' as " chiefly the Western United States, frequent eastward to the Atlantic 

 coast, breeding far north, and migrating in winter to Central and South America " 10 20_ 



The true E. pusillus is supposed to visit the West Indies and South America. When 

 we were in Guatemala we met with both forms, and Salvin's note was to the effect that 

 these Sandpipers were very common at Chiapam, on the Pacific coast. He writes : — 

 " The variation in the length of the bQl in this bird is very remarkable. Out of the 

 same flock I have shot specimens with bills varying in length at least a quarter of 

 an inch '* ^^. It is evident, therefore, that both these supposed races are found in 

 Guatemala during the winter, and the idea of their possessing an eastern and a western 

 habitat at all seasons cannot be entertained. In the ' Catalogue of Birds,' Dr. Bowdler 

 Sharpe has given the length of the bill in the large series of specimens in the British 

 Museum, and has found every gradation between the long- and short-bUled forms '^K 

 This seems to be an analogous case to that of the European Dunlin (Pelidna alpina), 

 in which it is possible to obtain specimens with every variation in size of bill out of 

 the same flock. 



The account given of the nesting-habits of this Sandpiper in Alaska is very interesting 

 and amusing. The male, springing into the air, and hovering for nearly a minute, 

 pours forth to the female a series of rather musical trills, the wings at the same time 

 vibrating with such continuous motion that they appear to keep time with the rapid 

 notes. On migration the species assembles in large flocks, which frequent the tidal 

 rivers and mud-creeks n 2i_ 



The nest is a depression amongst dried grass or in a tussock ^^ 2i_ xhe eggs are 

 four in number and pyriform in shape: Mr. Oates finds that there are two types 



