THE AMERICAN PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 581 



adults and plumage like adults but distinguished by retained 

 juvenile median and lesser coverts with buff edges (least abraded 

 on innermost median). 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 90.5-100 mm., tail 38- 

 49, tarsus 16-18, bill from feathers 16-18 (12 measured). $ wing 

 92-103, bill 16.5-20. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd equal 

 or 2-3 mm. shorter, 4th 4-7 shorter, 5th 11-14.5 shorter, 6th 17.5-22 

 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 3rd and 5th primaries. 

 Tail-feathers graduated, central pair longest. Bill short, slender and 

 tapering, not so stout as in G. minuta. Other structure as in C. a. 

 alpina. 



Soft parts. — Bill very dark brown ; legs and feet greenish- 

 brown ; iris dark brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. White outer tail-feathers and brown 

 shafts to all but 2nd primary distinguish it from all other Stints. 



Breeding-habits. — Breeds in neighbourhood of rivers, lakes, etc. 

 Nest. — Hollow in ground, lined with grass bents. Eggs. — Normally 

 4, pyriform, varying from greenish -grey to stone or buff, spotted and 

 speckled all over with deep reddish-brown and ashy-grey, but not 

 showing much range of variation. Average of 100 eggs, 27.9 X 20.4. 

 Max.: 30.5X20.8 and 28.8x21.5. Min. : 25.5x20.8 and 28.2 X 

 19.4 mm. Breeding -season. — Latter part June, but sometimes early 

 July. Incubation. — By both sexes, but apparently largely by male. 

 Period unknown. Single brooded. 



Food. — Chiefly insects, including coleoptera (larvse of Staphylinidse), 

 diptera (mosquitos and larvae). Also worms. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Pare and irregular passage -migrant 

 chiefly autumn (late July to Sept.), very rarely spring (May). 

 Irregular everywhere but most frequent from Norfolk southwards 

 and along south coast England to Scilly. Elsewhere very rare 

 vagrant — about seven from Dee to Solway, several from Lines, to 

 Northumberland, two or three east coast Scotland, four Fair Isle 

 (May, June, Aug.), one co. Kerry (Jan., 1848). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeding from northern Scandinavia 

 eastwards to Tchuktchi Peninsula, migrating south in winter 

 through Europe and Asia to Mediterranean and north Africa, India, 

 Ceylon, the Indo-Chinese countries, Japan and China. 



CALIDRIS MACULATA 



395. Calidris maculata (Vieill.)— THE AMERICAN PECTORAL 

 SANDPIPER. 



Tringa maculata Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., nouv. ed., xxxiv, 

 p. 465 (1819— Antilles or southern U.S.). 



Tringa maculata Vieillot, Yarrell, in, p. 368 ; Saunders, p. 579. 

 Erolia maculata maculata (Vieill. ), Hand-List (1912), p. 175. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown black- 

 brown, feathers edged light pink-cinnamon ; nape whitish-buff 



