May, 1917 THE HOME UFE OF THE BAIRD SANDPIPER 79 



east Siberia, where conditions are similar to those of the nesting ground in north- 

 ernmost North America. There seems to be no instance of the Baird Sandpiper 

 nesting south of the Barren Grounds of the Arctic Coast. 



Dr. R. M. Anderson (in Stefansson's "My Life with the Eskimo", 1913, p. 

 472) says that this species "nests somewhat locally, usually on dry ground near 

 the coast". He also points out that it may be absent at a certain point and abun- 

 dant only a few miles away. The present author also noted this tendency of the 

 species to breed in comparative abundance at one particular place, while it might 

 be entirely absent at a similar, and as far as could be seen, equally suitable, place 

 only a few miles distant. This bird was found to be the commonest breeding 

 sandpiper at Herschel Island, Yukon, where an officer of the Northwest Mounted 

 Police informed me that several nests had been found on the dry tundra in late 

 June. 



Upon our arrival at Herschel Island on July 28, 1914, between thirty and 

 forty young Baird Sandpipers were noted daily in a series of shallow tide pools 

 adjoining the "Barracks". Some of these were scarcely able to fly, in fact the 

 Eskimo boys ran one down, so these birds could not have flown across the channel 

 from the adjoining mainland, where the species w r as rare or absent at this date. 



Unlike the Longspurs and some other birds, the male and female Baird Sand- 

 piper arrive at the breeding grounds together. They were notable among the 

 shore birds on account of their nervous demeanor and retiring nature. Another 

 good field character is found in the long wings and legs, combined with a rela- 

 tively slender body, which makes the birds appear much larger than they really 

 are, especially in comparison with the wee Semipalmated Sandpiper, with which 

 they are most often associated. As a rule the Baird Sandpiper is a retiring per- 

 sonage, preferring his own or his mate's company to that of other birds. 



On May 31, 1914, at Griffin Point, Arctic Alaska, the first pair of Baird 

 Sandpipers for the season were noted feeding along the rim of a frozen tundra 

 pond. The weather had turned bitterly cold during the previous night, and as a 

 result the newly formed ice on the ponds was thick enough to support a man. 

 Strictly speaking, there was no night at this date, for the two months of contin- 

 uous daylight had already begun ; so in a short time the sandpipers were bustling 

 about picking up the mosquito and other pupae which were being washed out by 

 a newly-born stream that gurgled under the snow and ice on its way down to the 

 frozen lagoon. 



The Longspurs and Semipalmated Sandpipers waded boldly along the mar- 

 gins of the shallower pools when feeding, but the Baird Sandpipers seemed to be 

 more dainty, and at this time were not observed to wade to the extent that the 

 other birds did. They apparently preferred to hunt their food along the edges 

 of pools with banks sufficiently abrupt so that from the shore they could pick 

 up floating pupae and other dainties and still keep their feet dry. 



The courtship of the Baird Sandpiper appears to be carried on in absolute 

 silence. This is in marked contrast to the ventriloquial hooting of the male Pec- 

 toral Sandpiper, or the cricket-like song and peculiar nuptial flight of the Semi- 

 palmated Sandpiper. Brooks (loc. cit.) has aptly described the courtship of the 

 Baird Sandpiper as follows : ' ' Only once did I note any courtship activity. On 

 this occasion (May 24), the male would fly a few feet above the female, while she 

 rested on the ground, with quick erratic wing strokes suggesting a Nighthawk. 

 Frequently he would alight and raise the wings high over the back as a gull does 

 before folding them. Then with the forearms perpendicular, the primaries 



