THE STILT SANDPIPER. 503 



tions. Altho like the preceding species in most of its ways, it is said to 

 prefer brackish lagoons and the margins of streams rather than the tide 

 flats frequented by the other birds. It secures its food by wading about in 

 water as deep as its long legs and bill will permit, probing the bottom indus- 

 triously. Perhaps it is through the more diligent practice of this habit that 

 the western bird has gradually acc[uired its longer bill. 



No. 229. 



STILT SANDPIPER. 



A. O. U. No. 233. Micropalama himantopus (Bonap.). 



Description. — Adult in summer: Upper parts blackish with considerable 

 buffy, or tawny, and white edging; a blackish line from bill to eye; auriculars 

 rufous, — the color continued indistinctly around back of head; top of head dusky 

 streaked with whitish ; the remainder of head and neck dull white, dusky-streaked ; 

 wing-coverts and secondaries grayish, the latter edged with white; primaries 

 fuscous ; rump ashy ; upper tail-coverts white, barred and striped with dusky ; 

 under parts whitish, streaked with dusky and ochraceous on fore breast, elsewhere 

 dusky-barred; bill and feet greenish black. Adiilt in winter: Above brownish 

 gray with traces of black and tawny mottling, or not, the feathers more or less 

 edged with whitish ; upper tail-coverts white ; the tail white, the feathers bordered 

 with brownish gray; under parts white shaded with grayish, and more or less 

 dusky-streaked on sides of neck, throat, and sides ; legs and feet greenish yellow. 

 Immature : Similar to adult in winter but blackish above, and with edgings of 

 ochraceous-buff ; breast and sides more or less buffy-tinged. Length 7.50-9.00 

 (190.5-228.6); wing 5.15 (130:8); bill 1.65 (41.9); tarsus 1.62 (41-2). 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; bill with flattened punctate tip; com- 

 paratively long legs. 



Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, a depression in the ground lined 

 with dead leaves and grasses. Eggs, 3 or 4, grayish buff or light drab, boldly 

 spotted and marked with reddish brown and purplish gray. Av. size, 1.44 x i.oo 

 (36.6 X 25.4). 



General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding north of the United 

 States, and migrating in winter to Bermuda, West Indies, and Central and South 

 America. 



Range in Ohio. — Several "light" records, — enough perhaps to constitute a 

 valid claim. 



SINCE it passes rapidly through the United States on the way to and 

 from the Arctic regions, comparatively little is known of this rare Sand- 

 piper. When found, it is often associated with other species, especially 



