40 



BIRDS or PENNSYLVANIA. 



GENUS BARTRAMIA. LESSON. 

 261. Bartramia longicauda (BECHST.). 



Bartramian Sandpiper. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Bill about as long as the head, rathef wide and flattened at base, curved at the tip : 

 nostril with a large membrane; nasal groove long; wing long; tail long for this 

 group; legs moderate or rather long; lower half of the tibia naked ; toes moderate, 

 the outer and middle toe united by a membrane, inner and middle free to the base, 

 hind toe small ; general color of the upper parts brownish-black, with a greenish 

 lustre, and with the feathers edged with ashy-white and yellowish, the latter (.-spr- 

 cially on the wing cove/ts ; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, 

 brownish-black ; lateral coverts of the tail yellowish-white, with arrow-heads and 

 irregular spots of black ; wide stripe over the eye, and entire under parts very pale 

 yellowish-white, nearly pure-white on the abdomen ; neck before with numerous 

 longitudinal lines of brownish-black; breast and sides with waved and pointed 

 transverse narrow band of the same ; axillary feathers and under wing coverts pure- 

 white, with numerous nearly regular transverse narrow bands of black ; quills 

 brownish-black, with numerous transverse bands of white on their inner webs, very 

 conspicuous on the under surface of the wing ; shaft of first primary white ; middle 

 feathers of the tail same greenish-brown as the back, with irregular and imperfect 

 transverse bands of black; outer feathers pale reddish-yellow, edged and tipped 

 with white, and with several irregular transverse bands and a large sub-terminal 

 arrow-head of black ; bill greenish-yellow, with the under mandible more clear yel- 

 low towards its base, tip and ridge brownish-black ; legs light-yellow ; toes darker ; 

 iris brown. 



Total length, about 12 inches ; wing, 6| ; tail, 3| inches. 



Hab. Eastern North America, north to Nova Scotia and Alaska, breeding through- 

 out its North American range ; migrating in winter southward, as far even as south- 

 ern South America. Occasional in Europe. 



This bird, known to sportsmen as Field or Grass Plover, is a com- 

 mon native in Pennsylvania. It arrives here usually about April 20. 

 This species resides during the breeding period in grass-fields and 

 highlands. In this particular it differs from other birds of its family. 

 Nests on the ground ; eggs, three to four and spotted. In August, 

 when the young are amply able to fly, the Plovers collect in flocks 

 and frequent the fields and meadows. By the last of September, but 

 few of the species are found in the interior, as they appear to soon 

 leave the breeding-grounds and migrate towards the sea-coast and 

 large tide rivers. 



FOOD. 



Young 1 birds. 



