WESTERN SOLITARY SANDPIPER 413 



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insects, but I never could agitate it so delicately as to avoid clouding the water 

 with sediment from the bottom (Forbush, 1912, p. 308, relating to the eastern 

 subspecies). 



Often when one of these birds alights it will raise its wings to 

 their fullest extent above its back, displaying the beautifully barred 

 pattern of the lining of the wing and axillars. ' ' This species, and the 

 Spotted Sandpiper also, will sometimes dive and swim under water 

 when wounded, using the wings as propellers in the same manner as 

 do the ducks" (Bowles and Howell, 1912, p. 9) ; and in the Bast the 

 species has been seen to swim for some distance on the surface when 

 it had waded beyond its depth. 



The -western race of the Solitary Sandpiper is believed to breed 

 chiefly in Alaska. In the Kowak Valley, in the northern part of this 

 Territory, Grinnell (1900, p. 26) noted the arrival of the species on 

 the 18th of May, 1899. It soon after became common, haunting in 

 pairs the margins of secluded ponds surrounded by dense spruce 

 woods. In such places one of a pair would usually be seen perched 

 quietly at the top of a small tree or fallen branch near the pond, 

 while the other bird foraged through the grass at the edge of the 

 water. If alarmed, the birds would take short flights, giving utter- 

 ance to a few sharp peeps. The song-flight usually occurred during 

 the early morning hours. This consisted of a slow, circuitous flight 

 on rapidly beating wings, high over the tree-tops, accompanied by 

 frequent repetition of a weak song somewhat resembling the call of a 

 Sparrow Hawk. At the close of this song-flight the performer, pre- 

 sumably the male, would alight as if exhausted, and perch silently for 

 some time at the top of the tallest spruce in the vicinity. Meanwhile 

 the other bird would continue feeding as before, to all appearances 

 entirely unmindful of the ecstatic efforts of its mate. Examination 

 of various old nests in trees, such as those of the Varied Thrush, in the 

 attempt to locate eggs or young proved fruitless, though the actions 

 of the sandpipers indicated beyond doubt that nesting was in progress. 



We know of but one authentic set of eggs of the "Western Solitary 

 Sandpiper. In the United States National Museum there is a set 

 (no. 33209) of four eggs from northern Alberta, Canada, taken May 

 30, 1911, by "E. T. for E. Arnold." The four eggs, which were fresh, 

 were taken from a nest "placed in the crotch of a small spruce tree 

 in a large swamp." They are pear-shaped and measure in inches, 

 1.37 to 1.44 by 1.01 to 1.06 and average 1.41 by 1.04. In color they 

 appear to be unique among the eggs of North American shore birds. 

 The ground-color is almost white but has an extremely light yellowish 

 glaucous tinge. The superficial spots are warm sepia and verona 

 brown and the deeper ones ligHt mouse gray and quaker drab. The 



