134 



SHORE BIRDS 



This Snipe has a very wide range — from Alaska and Hud- 

 son Bay through all the United States, except the arid re- 

 gions, to northern South America. Its most conspicuous color 

 is brown, striped on the back with black, which in brushy 

 ground protects the bird so well it is difficult to distinguish. 



WILSON'S SNIPE. 



Whenever at the seashore in warm weather you wander 

 "far from the madding crowd," you may make the acquaint- 

 ance of the Semipalmated Sandpiper,^ or possibly it will be 

 the Least Sandpiper- — a trifle more minute, and with no 

 web at the base of its toes. At a distance of ten feet the two 

 species look precisely alike, and there is no need to worry 

 about an exact identification. They are also called "Peeps" 

 and "Ox-Eyes," and the toes of the Semipalmated Sandpiper 

 are partly webbed. 



^ Er-e-un-e'tes ■pu-sil'lus. Length, 6 inches. 



^ Ac-to-dro'mas min-u-til'la. Average length, 5.50 inches. 



