SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 



Totanus macularius, Temm. 

 Le Chevalier perle. 



This elegant little Sandpiper is most intimately allied to the well-known Common Sandpiper {Totanus 

 hypoleucos'), which pays its annual visit during the summer months to the brooks and rivulets of our island ; 

 but, unlike this latter bird, its visits are of the most rare occurrence, no instance having come under our own 

 observation. M. Temminck states that it occurs accidentally on the shores of the Baltic, and in some of the 

 provinces of Germany, but never in Holland. The native country of this bird appears to be the arctic regions 

 of both continents ; but it is most abundant in America, extending from these high latitudes over the whole of 

 the United States, where it appears to take up the same situation as the Totanus hypoleucos, frequenting 

 Pennsylvania, and the rivers Schuylkill and Delaware, as we are informed by Wilson, from whose valuable work 

 we have taken the liberty of extracting an account of the habits and manners of this bird, which we have 

 not had the opportunity of observing. " This species is as remarkable for perpetually wagging the tail, as 

 some others are for nodding the head ; for whether running on the ground or on fences, along rails or in the 

 water, this motion seems continual ; even the young, as soon as they are freed from the shell, run about 

 constantly wagging the tail. About the middle of May they resort to the corn-fields to breed, where I have 

 frequently found and examined their nests. One of these now before me, and which was built at the root of 

 a hill of Indian corn, on high ground, is composed wholly of short pieces of dry straw. The eggs are four, 

 of a pale clay or cream colour, marked with large irregular spots of black, and more thinly with others of a 

 paler tint. They are large in proportion to the size of the bird, measuring an inch and a quarter in length, 

 very thick at the great end, and tapering suddenly to the other. The young run about with wonderful speed 

 as soon as they leave the shell, and are then covered with a down of a dull drab colour, marked with a single 

 streak of black down the middle of the back, and with another behind the ear. They have a weak plaintive 

 note." To this we may add, that the young in this stage of its existence, being destitute of the spotted 

 markings of the breast, is very like the young of the Common Sandpiper ; its smaller size, however, will 

 always distinguish it. " On the approach of any person, the parents exhibit symptoms of great distress, 



counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along the ground with seeming difficulty The flight of this bird is 



usually low, skimming along the surface of the water, its long wings making a considerable angle downwards 

 from the body, while it utters a rapid cry of weet, weet, weet, as it flutters along, seldom steering in a direct 

 line up or down a river, but making a long circuitous sweep, stretching a great way out, and gradually 

 bending in again to the shore." 



The tip and upper mandible of the bill " dusky, basal part orange ; stripe over the eye, and lower eyelid, 

 pure white ; whole upper parts a glossy olive, with greenish reflections, each feather marked with waving 

 spots of dark brown ; quills dusky black ; bastard wing bordered and tipped with white ; a spot of white on 

 the middle of the inner vane of each quill-feather, except the first ; secondaries tipped with white ; tail 

 rounded, the six middle feathers greenish olive, the other three on each side white barred with black ; whole 

 lower parts white, beautifully marked with roundish spots of black, small and thick on the throat and breast, 

 larger and thinner and well defined as they descend to the tail ; legs of a yellow clay colour ; claws black." 



" The female is as thickly spotted below as the male ; but the young birds of both sexes are pure white 

 below, without any spots : they also want the orange on the bill." 



We have figured an adult male, and a young bird of the first autumn, of the natural size. 



