Snipe, Sandpipers, etc. 



cal whistle is rarely heard here, but the South Americans see the 

 propriety of calling this bird a tattler. 



Although the solitary sandpiper is known to make its nest 

 in the United States, so cleverly does it conceal it, only a 

 single clutch of eggs has ever been found, so far as known, 

 the one taken by Richardson near Lake Bombazine, Vermont, in 

 May, 1878. Dr. Brewer described the eggs as light drab, with 

 small rounded brown markings, some quite dark, nowhere con- 

 fluent, and at the larger end a few faint purplish shell marks. 



Willet 



(Symphemia semipalmata) 



Called also: SEMIPALMATED TATTLER 



Length — About 16 inches. 



Male and Female — In summer: Upper parts brownish gray, streaked 

 on the head and neck with black; the back barred across with 

 black, which sometimes give the prevailing tone ; a large white 

 space on wings, half the primaries and the greater part of 

 secondaries being white; upper tail coverts white, indistinctly 

 barred with dusky; central tail feathers ashy, indistinctly 

 barred with dusky; the outer feathers almost white, and mot- 

 tled with gray. Under parts white; the fore neck heavily 

 streaked ; the breast and sides washed with buff and heavily 

 barred with dusky; wing lining sooty. Bill long and dark; 

 legs bluish gray; the toes partly webbed (semipalmate). In 

 winter : Upper parts a lighter brownish gray, nearly if not 

 altogether unmarked; the tail coverts white; below white 

 shaded with gray on throat, breast, and sides; axillars black- 

 ish. A great variety of intermediate stages. 



Range — Eastern temperate North America, nesting throughout its 

 United States range, but rarely north of Long Island or Illi- 

 nois; resident in southern states, and wintering southward 

 to West Indies and Brazil. 



Season — Summer resident or spring and autumn visitor; May; 

 August and September. 



Pill-will-willet, pill-will-willet, loudly whistled from the tide 

 or fresh water marshes, leaves no doubt in the sportsman's mind as 

 to what bird is sounding the alarm to better game and startling 

 every throat and wing in the neighborhood to action. Wary, 

 restless, noisy, no one may approach this large tattler, however 



227 



