158 SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



ioa chiefly in the northeastern portion, breeding in the high north," south in 

 winter to the Great Lakes and Long Island, and casually to Florida. 



Long Island, uncommon W. V., Nov. 1 to Mch. 1. Cambridge, casual, one 

 instance, Oct. 



Eggs^ three to four, olive clay-color or brownish ashy, heavily marked 

 with rufous-brown, 1-45 x I'OS. 



This bird might be called Winter Snipe or Eock Snipe. Indeed, I 

 find the latter name has been applied to it from its habit of frequent- 

 ing rocky coasts, where it secures its food in the algiB attached to rocks 

 exposed by the falling tide. 



539. Tringa maculata Vieill. Pectobal Sandpiper; Kbieeek. 

 Ad. in summer. — Upper parts black, the feathers all heavily bordered with 

 pale ochraoeous-buff; rump and upper tail-coverts llaelc, lightly tipped with 

 ochraceous-butf ; middle tail-feathers longest, pointed and margined with 

 buiJy ; outer tail-feathers brownish gray, narrowly margined with white ; 

 throat white, neck and breast heavily streaked with black and buffy ; rest of 

 under parts white. Winter plumage. — Similar, but ochraceous-bufif of upper 

 parts replaced by rufous, and breast heavily washed with buffy. L., 9.00 ; W., 

 5-40; Tar., 1-10; B., 1-15. 



BemMrhe. — This bird somewhat resembles both T.fuscicoUis and T. iairdii, 

 but it differs from them in its larger size, black instead of white or fuscous 

 upper tail- coverts, and longer, more pointed middle tail-feathers. 



Range. — North America ; breeds in the arctic regions and winters in the 

 West Indies and South America. 



"Washington, common T. V., Apl. ; Aug. to Nov. Long Island, T. V., 

 rare in spring, common from July 15 to Nov. 1. Sing Sing, rare T. V., Sept_ 

 10 to Oct. 16. Cambridge, irregular and uncommon in Sept. and Oct. 



Eggs, four, drab, sometimes with a greenish tinge, blotched with clear 

 amber-brown markings, more numerous at the larger end, 1-50 x 1-09 (Mur- 

 doch). 



The names Grass Snipe and Krieker describe with equal truth and 

 conciseness the haunts and notes of this Snipe. It frequents wet, 

 grassy meadows rather than beaches, and, although it flies in flocks, 

 the birds scatter while feeding and take wing one or more at a time. 

 They thus remind one of Wilson's Snipe. Their note is a squeaky, 

 grating whistle. They will respond to an imitation of it, but do not 

 decoy so readily as the larger Bay Birds. Mr. E. W. Nelson writes* 

 that during the breeding season the male inflates its breast and throat 

 until they are double their normal size, and utters a deep, hollow, reso- 

 nant note. 



540. Tringa fuscicollis Vieill. White-eumped Sandpipee. Ad. 

 in summer. — Upper parts black, edged with rufous ; rump grayish fuscous, 

 margined with ashy ; longer upper tail-coverts wTiite, with sometimes brownish- 



* Rep. on Nat. Hist. Colla. made in Alaska, p. 108. 



