CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 1 79 



XCV. TRYNGITES Cabanis. 1856. 

 ^62. Buflf-breasted Sandpiper. 



Tryngites subruficollis (Vieill.) Ridgw. 1885. 



This is a migrant along the whole Atlantic coast and in the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence, as well as along the river itself. Although 

 a rare migrant in Ontario its eggs have been taken near Dunville, 

 Lake Erie, by Dr. Macallum. {Mcllturaith.) 



Seton-Thompson says it is a rare migrant in Manitoba and no 

 specimens have been observed by the writer west of that province. 

 On the Mackenzie, Bernard Ross reports this bird to be rare 

 while on the Barren Grounds to the northeast Macfarline says it 

 is common. 



Murdoch found it common at Point Barrow, while Nelson saw 

 only a few specimens at the Yukon mouth. On the other hand 

 Mr. Fannin reports it as tolerably common throughout British 

 Columbia and also a resident. Mr. Brooks says it is a rare 

 migrant in the Lower Fraser valley in the autumn. 



This species is common on the Arctic coast and on the Barren 

 Grounds east of Horton River. Between the 26th June and the 

 gth July upwards of twenty sets of eggs were secured, and there 

 were four in every nest, which was a mere depression in the soil, 

 scantily lined with a few withered leaves and dried grasses. 

 When the nest was approached the female usually made a low 

 flight to a short distance. {Macfarline.) This is an abundant 

 summer resident at Point Barrow, and was more plentiful in the 

 season of 1883 than it was the year before. They arrived in both 

 seasons in a body about the same time (June 6th to 8th), and 

 were first seen on the dry banks below the village feeding 

 greedily on the flies and beetles which were out sunning them- 

 selves. By the middle of June they had spread pretty well over 

 the dryer parts of the tundra, but always confined themselves to 

 high and dry banks, or what we called the black tundra. The 

 eggs as might be inferred from their colours, are laid in the latter 

 locality, as a rule, where they harmonize very well with the black 

 and white ground and moss. Like the rest of the waders this 

 bird builds no nest but deposits the four eggs small end down in 

 a shallow depression in the ground lined with moss. Four is the 

 usual number of eggs in a complete set, though we collected one 

 set with five. (Murdoch.) 

 I2yz 



