LESSEE YELLOW-LEGS 409 



loud; "commonly following the formula, wheu, wheu-wheu-wheu-wheu, wheu- 

 wheu, u-heu" (Baton, 1910, p. 326). 



Nest — Usually located on dry ground, but at times in the vicinity of a 

 marsh; a depression in the surface, sometimes at the base of a clump of grass 

 or under a bush, and, if lined at all, merely with a few withered leaves or 

 grasses (authors). 



Eggs — Usually 4, pear-shaped, measuring in inches, 1.58 to 1.77 by 1.10 to 

 1.18 (in millimeters, 40.0 to 45.0 by 28.0 to 30.0), and averaging 1.65 by 1.14 

 (42.0 by 29.0) (twenty-seven eggs in U. S. National Museum) ; ground-color 

 light drab, clay or light brown; superficial markings of chocolate, umber-brown, 

 and blackish, and deeper ones of gray; markings most numerous about the 

 larger end (Davie, 1889, p. 121). 



General distribution — North and South America. Breeds chiefly in British 

 America: north to southern Ungava, central Keewatin and nearly to the Arctic 

 coast of Mackenzie, and to the Kotzebue Sound district of Alaska, and south 

 probably to southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and northern Quebec. 

 Winters in southern half of South America and sparingly northward as far as 

 coast of southeastern United States. Occurs over the intervening area dur- 

 ing migration (Cooke, 1910, pp. 56, 57). 



Distribution in California — Eare spring and fall migrant. The only pub- 

 lished records known to the authors are specified in the general account following. 



The Lesser, or Summer Yellow-legs, as the species is commonly 

 known in the eastern United States, appears to be a rare migrant 

 within our borders; there are but nine recorded occurrences of the 

 bird in California. These are as follows: Gridley, Butte County, 

 April 20, 1896, one shot and another seen (Belding, MS) ; Stockton, 

 San Joaquin County, September 13, 1878, one specimen (Belding, 

 1879, p. 441) ; Agua Caliente [^Palm Springs], Riverside County, 

 March 25, 1884, one seen by F. Stephens (Belding, MS) ; San Diego, 

 specimen taken about 1880 "in possession of J. C. Parker" (Belding, 

 MS) ; Shasta Valley, Siskiyou County, one "heard" September 19, 

 1898 (C. H. Merriam, 1899, p. 110) ; Ehett [=Tule] Lake, Modoc 

 County, "abundant" (Newberry, 1857, p. 98) ; Humboldt Bay "fre- 

 quent" (C. H. Townsend, 1887, p. 198) ; and Santa Barbara, August 

 30, to about September 12, 1912, iive individuals seen repeatedly on 

 Estero (Dawson, 1912, p. 224), and August 16 to 30, 1913, eleven 

 individuals seen on Estero (Dawson, 1913&, pp. 204r-205). Heller 

 (1901, p. 100) reported the species as having been observed twice 

 at Riverside during the fall migration, but some doubt has been cast 

 upon the correctness of the identification in this last case ("Willett, 

 1912a, p. 111). 



So much does the Lesser Yellow-legs resemble its closest relative, 

 the Greater Yellow-legs, that save for size an account of the one 

 might suffice for the other. Practically the same criteria are to be 

 used in field identification, namely, general appearance of slenderness, 

 slender bill, the mottled back (in spring), white upper tail coverts, 



