100 



ORmTHOLOGIST [Vol. 12-No. 7 



It was decidedly buff in color with only a few 

 small brownish spots on its surface. / 



Qn Thursda5', May 26th, we had a pretty 

 longV.drive before us and we started ofi' before 

 four o\)lock a. m. We took Ahiiey's road back 

 in the hills to Cheyenne. The country was 

 quite hilif^ and in fact we wei-e riding along on 

 top of an immense table land some 2000 "feet 

 above the lev^^of the plains. A species of wild 

 sweet pea grew very abundantly; they were 

 very fragrant. Ve came in sight of Cheyenne, 

 "the Windy City,'\and then we turned south. 



We had some trouble in getting out of the 

 hills, tipped over once, and when we were out 

 steered direct for a hn;ge knoll some thirty 

 miles to the south. It w\s three o'clock p. m. 

 before we got there at the'^^luggish pool near 

 the base, and a dusty or morls^^ tired outfit could 

 not be imagined. We rested fiijl six o'clock p. 

 m., and then struck out againVor Packard's 

 sheep ranche or Cone Tree, onlyWenty miles 

 from.Greely. I worked the creek n^t day and 

 secured three more sets of Western^ljed-tail, 

 and three hours driving put us bacl^ into 

 Greely. \ 



The Shore-bird Migration at Mon- 

 omoy Island, Cape Cod, Mass., 

 Summer and Fall of 1886. 



BY JOHN C. CAHOON. 



July 1st; the birds about the island at this 

 date were Herring Gulls, Roseate, Common and 

 Least Tern, Bed-wing Blackbirds, Song and 

 Savannah Sparrows, Sharp-tail Finches, Mead- 

 ow Larks and Piping Plover. On July 15th, 

 the Least Sandpipers and Sanderling became 

 common. The day following was cloudy with 

 light rains. Seraipalmated Sandpipers were 

 common together with the Bed-breasted Snipe. 

 The first Black-bellied Plover was seen to-day. 

 The 17th was very foggy all day with south 

 and south-west wind. Saw about twenty-five 

 Sanderlings, all adult, and four that were 

 moulting about the neck. First young of the 

 year. Piping Plover and Spotted Sandpiper 

 seen to-day, full grown. Richardson's Jaegars 

 became common. One Wilson's Petrel was 

 seen on the 18th, and several Semipalmated 

 Plover and two Yellow-legs on the 19th. July 

 20th, wind south-west, weather fair. New ar- 

 rivals do-day were one Hudsonian Curlew and 

 two Greater Yellow-legs. Sanderlings were 

 abundant and Semipalmated Plover common. 



No new arrivals were noted between July 



20th and 23rd. On the 27th a Turnstone was 

 seen and an increase of Sanderlings noted. 

 July 29th, first arrival of young Sanderlings to- 

 day and a small bunch of Greater Yellew-legs 

 seen on the flats. A heavy tempest on the 

 morning of the 20th brought along a small 

 flight of shore birds; three flocks of Robin 

 Snipe seen, Turnstone comaion. Saw a Stilt 

 Sandpiper in company with some Semipalmated 

 Sandpipers on the flats. Two adult Black 

 Tern noticed; the first this season. A large 

 bunch of Black-bellied Plover and a few Yel- 

 low-legs arrived Aug. 4th. Saw two Laughing 

 Gulls, both adults. The Sanderlings seem to 

 be diminishing in numbers. An increase of the 

 Black-bellied Plover was noticed on the 5th, 

 several large flocks being seen. No adult Sand- 

 erling are now seen, all being immature birds. 

 The first Pectorals were seen on the 9th, and 

 several Stilt Sandpipers were shot by spoits- 

 men on that date. Pour Willet ariived on the 

 11th. Two Arctic Tern were seen on the 13th, 

 being the first noticed for some time. Four 

 Sheldrake were seen on the 19th. 



Aug. 20th and 21st, wind north-east; shore 

 birds scarce, only a few Semipalmated Sand- 

 pipers seen. 22nd, Wilson's Petrel were com- 

 mon out in the bay. Aug. 25th, wind south- 

 east and north-east, blew very fresh. A flock 

 of about thirty Golden Plover arrived to-day, 

 hut only one was secured. Aug. 2Gth, four 

 flocks of Golden Plover observed to-day. San- 

 derlings increasing in numbers. Jaegers abun- 

 dant. The wind and rain on the 30th brought 

 along a flight of birds on the following day. 

 A large flock of Golden Plover, several flocks 

 of Yellow-legs and a few Greater Yellow-legs 

 were found on the meadows. Pectorals abun- 

 dant. One Bonaparte and one Buff'-breasted 

 Sandpiper collected. Sanderlings were abun- 

 dant on the flats at low tide. Young Turn- 

 stone common. Several large flocks of Black- 

 bellied Plover seen. Shot a Carolina Bail on 

 the meadows. 



Sep. 9th, wind south-west; foggy. A flock 

 of twenty Golden Plover came to-day. Young 

 Black Tern seen. Sep. 21st, wind west; clear 

 and cool. Two Hudsonian Curlew collected on 

 the meadows; a few Golden Plover seen; San- 

 derlings scarce. Sep. 22nd, wind north-east. 

 New arrivals to-day were young Red-backed 

 Sandpipers. Young Black-bellied Plover abun- 

 dant on the high beach at high tide. Mr. F. H. 

 Carpenter, who spent a short time with us, shot 

 a large number to-day. A small flock of Surf 

 Ducks seen. Sep. 23rd, wind south-east; blew 

 I very fresh with heavy rain-fall, which brought 



July 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



101 



along a number of birds. Young Black-bellied 

 Plover abundant ; young Robin Snipe and San- 

 derlings very common. A few Greater Yel- 

 low-legs seen. Sep. 24th, wind north-east to 

 south-east. A Bonaparte Sandpiper shot. A 

 flock of Golden Plover seen leaving the mead- 

 ows and several Hudsonian Curlew noted. 

 Bichardsou's Jaegers abundant. 



Sep. 30th, wind north-east with light rain. 

 Increase in number of shore-birds. Red-backed 

 Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plover and Robin 

 Snipe abundant. Greater Yellow-legs com- 

 mon. Several Bonaparte Sandpipers seen. 

 Two Great Blue Herons seen on the meadows. 

 Oct. Isc, wind north-west. Greater Yellow- 

 legs increasing in numbers. Several Black- 

 backed Gulls arrived to-day. The first comers 

 of the Tit Larks appeared. Oct. 2nd, wind 

 north-west. New arrivals this date are Bona- 

 parte and Kittewake Gulls. The shore-birds 

 seem to be decreasing. Mr. Carpenter shot an 

 adult female Duck Hawk in the act of eating a 

 Black-bellied Plover that it had caught. Two 

 Hudsonian Godwit seen on the meadows. Oct. 

 3rd, wind south-east. Several Night Herons seen. 

 Oct. 4th. Black-bellied Plover decreasing. 

 Sanderling common. Several Semipalmated 

 Sandpipers seen. Pectoral Sandpipers com- 

 mon. Two Hudsonian Godwit seen on the 

 meadow and one shot by Mr. Carpenter. Sev- 

 eral Bonaparte Sandpipers seen on the mead- 

 ows. A few Roseate Tern heard. Oct. 6th. 

 All species of shore-birds except Sanderlings 

 are decreasing. On the 8th Bonaparte Gulls 

 became common and Richardson's Jaegars very 

 abundant. A great decrease in Terns was 

 noticed on the 9th. Tit Larks became abun- 

 dant on the 10th. 



Oct. 11th, wind south-east. Only a few Tern 

 seen to-day. Bed-backed Sandpipers, Semipal- 

 mated Plover, and Sanderlings are still abun- 

 dant on the high beach at full tide. A number 

 of Black-bellied Plover yet remain. Oct. 22nd, 

 wind north-east ; blew fresh and cool. Black- 

 bellied Plover, Sanderling, Red-backed Sand- 

 piper and Greater Yellow-legs are common. 

 Found only tour Pectoral Sandpipers on the 

 meadows. A few common Tern yet remain. 

 Kittewake Gulls noted. Oct. 23rd, wind north- 

 east; blew fresh, cloudy and cold. Several 

 small bunches of Black-bellied Plover seen. 

 A few Sanderlings and Red-backed Sandpipers 

 remain on the flats. Old Squaw Ducks are 

 common. Oct. 24th, wind south to south-west. 

 I left the island to-day, leaving behind mo 

 Herring, Kittewake and Bonaparte Gulls ; Com- 

 mon Tern ; Red-breasted Sheldrake, Long-tail, 



Surf, and Black Duck; Black-bellied Plover, 

 Sanderlings and Red-backed Sandpipers, Great- 

 er Yellow-legs, Tit Larks, Meadow Larks and 

 Black Snow birds. 



O.&O.XII. Jul. 1667 v-t0O~/OI 



