THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



27 



no particular shyness. Breeds in the 

 Artie regions. Nest, a scantily lined 

 depression in the ground ; eggs, three 

 or four, ground color pale olive, spot- 

 ted with brown and blackish, averag- 

 ing about l^xl inch. 



(//£ ) 26-0. Tringa bairdii. 



Bairds Sandpiper. (537.) 



Above brownish black, the feathers with 

 yellowish brown and whitish edgings, forming 

 large scallops in the middle of the back, and 

 running more into streaks on the neck and 

 crown ; a zone of pale brown across the breast 

 containing indistinct dusky markings ; throat 

 and under parts white ; length 7J inches. 



A rare Spring and Autumn migrant; 

 I have never seen it alive. Breeds in 

 the Arctic regions. Nest, a depres- 

 sion in the ground lined with grasses ; 

 eggs, four, clay or buffy ground color ; 

 blotched and spotted with brown of 

 different shades, and average size 

 about l£x 1 inch. 



{720) 24-2. Tringa minutilla. 



Least Sandpiper. (538.) 



Above, deep brownish black, with ashy 

 white and bright reddish edging to the feath- 

 ers ; throat, breast and stripe over eye ashy 

 white ; breast with spots of dull brownish 

 ash ; beneath white ; toes free at base ; bill 

 slender ; middle upper tail coverts black, outer 

 ones white, v. ith black spots ; length 5-£ in. 



An abundant migrant ; found on 



sandy beaches ; around the margins 



of creeks, ponds and bays, in company 



with the next species, and the other 



small shore birds. They arrive from 



the south in May, and on their return 



from the north in July, becoming 



abundant in August. Breeds from 



Canada northward to the Arctic 



regions. Nest, a depression in the 



ground lined with grass and leaves, 



and placed near water ; eggs, four, 



ground color pale ashy or drab : 

 speckled with different shades of 

 brown and lilac ; and averaging about 

 1-g- x -g- of an inch. 



(/£/) 263a. Tringa alpina pacifica. 



Red-backed Sandpiper. (539a.) 



Above ashy brown ; each feather with large 

 spot in the center, blackish ; forehead, and un- 

 der parts white ; bill long, curved ; a wide 

 black patch across the lower breast ; bill and 

 feet brownish black ; length 8i inches. 



A common migrant ; I have not 

 met with it in Spring, but have seen 

 it at Neapague Harbor in September, 

 and at Montauck, and have always 

 found it abundant along the South 

 Atlantic coast throughout the winter ; 

 breeds in Greenland, Alaska and the 

 Arctic coast between ; nests in June, 

 in a scantily lined depression in the 

 ground ; eggs, four, buffy or drab 

 ground color, marked with different 

 shades of brown and averaging in size 

 about l|xl inch. 



Correction. In the description of 

 the Stilt Sandpiper, p. 20, October 

 No., omit the word "left." 



A Bundle of Bones. 



As I sit in my study there lies be- 

 fore me a curious gray bundle, the 

 contents of which would on careful 

 examination prove to be human bones 

 old and weather worn. 



They were dug up on a farm in 

 this vicinity, by a farmer while pre- 

 paring a place to set a young fruit 

 tree. The locality was a sandy slope 

 toward Flint creek and has ever been 

 more or less rich in relics of the race 

 who once lived, roved and hunted in 



