SED-BACKED SANDPIPER 383 



southern Lower California; and on Atlantic coast from New Jersey (rarely 

 Massachusetts) south to Louisiana and southern Texas, and in Asia from 

 China and Japan south to the Malay Archipelago; rare in migration in interior 

 of United States except near southern end of Lake Michigan (A. O. U. Check- 

 list, 1910, p. 116). 



Distribution in California — Common fall and spring migrant and winter 

 visitant, coastwise; occurs sparingly inland. Appears most commonly in 

 middle September, and remains in some numbers throughout the winter, 

 departing for the north by late April or early May. Observed far inland only 

 at Los Banos, Merced County, December 9, 1911, to April 26, 1912 (specimens in 

 Mus. Vert. Zool.), in the Sacramento Valley in winter (Belding, MS), and at 

 Salton Sea, Imperial County (Dawson, 1916, p. 25). 



The Red-backed Sandpiper is more or less plentiful during the 

 migrations along the seaeoast, and remains in considerable numbers 

 through the winter. It is thus one of the better known shore birds. 

 In some parts of its range this species is known as the Black-bellied 

 Sandpiper or Black-breasted Snipe, because of the conspicuous black 

 band across the belly in the breeding plumage ; while the dull appear- 

 ance of the back in the fall and winter has given it the name locally 

 of Lead-back. It is also called the Dunlin or American Dunlin, a 

 name borrowed or derived from its European relative. 



This species is among the late fall arrivals along our coast, as it 

 usually does not appear until about the middle of September. Grinnell 

 and Bryant (MS), however, saw a flock of one hundred at Alvarado, 

 Alameda County, July 28, 1913. In 1914, the species was not observed 

 along the Alameda County shore until the last week in September 

 (Storer, MS). Curiously enough, it seems to appear much later in 

 the northern part of the state, as about San Francisco Bay, than 

 farther south, this perhaps because the first migrants proceed along 

 the outer seaeoast. The earliest fall record for San Francisco Bay 

 other than those just given, is October 15 (specimens in Mailliard 

 coll. and Mus. Vert. Zool.). Bowles and Howell (1912, p. 9) state 

 that the species first appeared at Santa Barbara in 1910 on September 

 9, and Willett (1912a., p. 37) says that it is most abundant along the 

 coast of southern California from September 15 to November 1. 

 Inland it has been taken at Los Banos, Merced County, December 9, 

 1911 (specimen in Mus. Vert. Zool.), and individuals were seen there 

 on several dates during the winter of 1911-12 (Beck, MS). Belding 

 (MS) says that it occurs about ponds in the Sacramento Valley in 

 winter. In the spring it is most abundant along the coast of southern 

 California from April 10 to May 7, although a specimen was taken 

 and several seen as late as May 19, 1906, at Nigger Slough, Los 

 Angeles County (Willett, loc. cit.). At Santa Barbara it has been 

 noted from March 10 to April 20, and on May 2 and 3 (Bowles and 

 Howell, 1912, p. 7; Howell, MS). It was noted at Bay Farm Island, 



