272 THE GAME BIEDS AND WILD FOWL 



Habits. — The American Stint is as well known and abundant in the United 

 States during its seasons of migration as the Little Stint is in Western Europe. 

 Unlike that bird, however, it appears to migrate across inland districts as well as 

 along the coast line. They begin to arrive in the Southern States in April, 

 slowly travel on to New England early in May, reach North Carolina towards the 

 end of the latter month, but do not appear on the Arctic tundras where they 

 breed until early June, when the snow is melted, and the " barren " grounds no 

 longer deserve the name but teem with life. Notwithstanding the fact that many 

 follow an inland course, the favourite haunts, both on passage and in winter, are 

 the mud-flats of the low-lying coasts. Here in the wide marshes behind the 

 actual beach, amongst the creeks and mud-fringed streams, the American Stint 

 may be watched in flocks of varying size tripping about the slimy soil, picking 

 here and probing there in quest of its food. The return migration commences 

 with the immature and non-breeding birds towards the middle of July ; in August 

 many of the young appear, but the great flights arrive during September. When 

 in flocks the American Stint is rather a silent bird, but when flushed solitary or 

 in little parties, it usually utters a sharp whit as it hurries away. It is very tame 

 when on the coast. Flocks of this bird when flushed often perform various 

 graceful evolutions in concert before alighting again. Like all its congeners it is 

 a restless, active little bird, ever tripping about in quest of food, and very 

 frequently associates with other small Waders. The food of the American Stint 

 consists of insects and their larvae, small worms, crustaceans and mollusks, 

 seeds, and various ground fruits. Some of this food is sought on the weed- 

 covered rocks at low water, or even on masses of drifting seaweed. 



Nidification. — Eggs of the American Stint may be found towards the 

 end of June or early in July. Its breeding grounds are on the Arctic tundras, 

 sometimes near the coast, more frequently a short distance inland on the margins 

 of the lakes and pools. The nest is merely a slight hollow in the ground, lined 

 with a little withered grass and dead leaves, and is often made under the shelter 

 of a bush or a stone. The eggs are four in number, pale buff in ground-colour, 

 spotted and blotched with reddish-brown, and with underlying markings of paler 

 brown and grey. They very closely resemble those of the preceding species. 

 They are pyriform in shape, and measure on an average I'O inch in length by 

 •8 inch in breadth. The female is very tame and trustful at the nest, but 

 sometimes seeks to lure an intruder away by feigning lameness. One brood 

 only is reared in the year, and as soon as the young can fly they and their 

 parents begin to draw southwards. 



Diagnostic characters — Tringa, with the outer rectrices grey, the 

 legs and feet pale brown, and the wing less than 4 inches long. Length, 

 5|- to 6 inches, 



