176 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



be said to be a bird of general distribution, although very little is 

 known of its breeding habits. Mr. Dippie collected specimens at 

 Reaburn, Man., on June 15th, 1893, and believes a few pairs breed 

 there. 



Breeding Notes. — Audubon, Vol. V., p. 282, states that he 

 found the nest and eggs, July 20th, 1833, in Labrador. Turner 

 believes that a few pairs breed at the mouth of the Koaksoak river, 

 Ungava bay. Spreadborough believes it breeds on James bay and 

 at Indian Head, Sask. Dr. Coues suspects that it breeds at Turtle 

 mountain, on the boundary of Manitoba. The writer found young 

 birds on Anticosti, near Southwest point, in August, 1883, and 

 very young birds at the east end of the Cypress hills, Sask., on 

 August 2nd, 1880. One nest was taken on Sable island in 1899 by 

 Mr. Boutelier, superintendent of life-saving stations. 



Quite common on Sable island, N.S., where it breeds regularly. 

 (W. Saunders.) Breeding around FuUerton, Hudson bay. (^4. P_ 

 Low.) First met with at Fort Churchill where adult birds accom- 

 panied by young were seen on the meadows, July 26th. (Preble.) 

 Breeds sparingly by lakes in the Okanagan valley and in the Rocky 

 mountains. {Rhoads.) At the southern end of Lake Marsh, 

 Yukon, not far from where Six-mile river enters, the surrounding 

 country is level and at high water the lake stretches far back through 

 a dense growth of willows. At the time of our visit the retreating 

 waters had left a belt of grass between these willows and its margin. 

 Here on the evening of July 2nd I found three pairs of least sand- 

 pipers and after a long search I came upon a female surrounded by 

 four downy young. (Bishop.) 



This species was found breeding abundantly at Fort Anderson, 

 on the borders of, as well as in, the Barren Grounds, and on the 

 near Arctic coast. (Mac far lane.) I met with this species on the 

 Magdalen islands, and was successful in finding its nest there on 

 June 22nd, 1897. We were driving along the edge of the sand- 

 hills, towards East cape, on that date. When passing a grassy flat 

 near salt water, a bird of this species rose into the air. I hid myself, 

 and soon had the satisfaction of seeing the bird alight in a dry place 

 in the salt meadow. I at once walked almost to the nest, and the 

 bird fluttered away from the four eggs at my feet. They lay with 

 the pointed ends together in a small nest of dried grass, slightly 



