260 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



throughout the tall salt-marsh grass. The Least Sandpiper, 

 though frequent on the beaches, is more common on the 

 pools or sloughs in the marshes. The Semipalmated Sand- 

 piper, the White-Tumped Sandpiper, the Sanderling, the 

 Knot, and the Dunlin feed either on the beach at the very 

 edge of the ocean, or on extensive mud-flats. The Curlew 

 is rare ; it may be met with either on the beach, particu- 

 larly on a muddy shore, or on a grassy upland. The Purple 

 Sandpiper is a winter visitant, and keeps to rocky ledges 

 generally well off shore. Many of the shore-birds return 

 very early from the north ; after the first week in July 

 there is a constant succession of them. The Dunlin comes 

 in September, and the Winter Yellow-legs stays till late in 

 the fall. The young birds appear considerably later than 

 the old ones, and are much less suspicious. 



Sandpipers fly in flocks, often made up of several species, 

 and frequently accompanied by their relatives, the Plover 

 (see p. 253). They are easily decoyed, especially where they 

 are not made wild by constant shooting. There are two 

 methods of studying them ; one is to lie concealed in a 

 blind before which stand decoys, among which the birds 

 alight, if attracted ' by an imitation of their whistle ; the 

 other method is to walk along the beach or over the marsh, 

 taking advantage of natural shelter and stalking the birds 

 that may be feeding here and there. Many of the smaller 

 birds may in this latter way be successfully observed. 



It must be borne in mind that many of the following 

 species, though termed common, are not common, except in 

 just the places best suited to them. These places, moreover, 

 are in the possession of sportmen's clubs or hotels, and the 

 birds that light here are pretty thoroughly shot off; one 

 may therefore see more Knots, for instance, in the ice- 

 chest of such a hotel than in many days' tramping over less 

 favorable ground. A Sunday spent at Monomoy or at 

 some famous Long Island resort would be very profitable, 



