214 SCOLOPACIDiE : SNIPE, ETC. 



sets, complete, contain three or four eggs ; those with 

 one or two are presumably incomplete. All that I have 

 seen were collected in Arctic America. According to 

 the labels, the nests are, as usual for those of small 

 waders, depressions in the ground, generally in or near 

 marshy tracts, and lined with a few dried leaves or 

 grasses. 



LEAST SANDPIPER. 



ACTODROMAS MINUTILLA (V.) CoueS. 



Chars. Smallest of the Sandpipers ; length, 5.50-6.00 ; extent about 

 11.00 ; wing, 3.25-3.50 ; tail, 2.00 or less ; bill, tarsus, and middle 

 toe with daw, about 0.75. No webbing between toes. Bill 

 black; legs dusky-greenish. In summer, upper parts with each 

 feather blackish centrally, edged with bay, and tipped with ashy 

 or white ; in winter, and in the young, .simply ashy. Quills 

 of wing blackish, the shaft of the first primary white, the second- 

 aries and greater coverts tipped with white. Crown not conspic- 

 uously different from the hind neck ; an indistinct whitish line over 

 eye and dusky line from bill to eye. Below, white, the jugulum 

 and sides of body with an ashy or brownish suffusion, thickly 

 spotted and streaked with dusky. 



This species and the last are often confounded under 

 the name of "peeps," but a glance at the toes suffices 

 to distinguish them. It is an abundant migrant during 

 the latter part of April and in May, and again in 

 August and September. It is not known to breed with 

 us, though individuals may be seen at times during the 

 summer. Dr. Coues draws the following picture of the 

 summer home of the birds in Labrador. 



" Fogs hang low and heavy over rock-girdled Labra- 

 dor. Angry waves, palled with rage, exhaust them- 



