August, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
443 
grounds extend over the United States 
to Florida and the Gulf coast. Two 
races of this bird are recognized, one of 
them, which was formerly common as a 
breeder on our Atlantic coast, is now 
almost exterminated, though willet occur 
sparingly now during the southward mi- 
gration period along that seaboard as 
far north as New England. 
They nest in grassy marshes and are 
an exceedingly noisy bird on the nesting 
grounds. During migration on the At- 
lantic seaboard they are usually seen 
singly, though at times in flocks of six 
or a dozen. They are rather tame and 
come to decoys nicely, responding to an 
imitation of the call of the black-breast 
plover. Their own flight note, a gull- 
like “kyuk”, is difficult to imitate. A 
less frequent cry is like the whistle of 
the greater yellowleg, but pitched lower. 
This is one of the largest of our shore- 
birds, being between the greater yellow- 
leg and the jack curlew in size. Its pre- 
dominant colors are pale-gray and white, 
the wing very boldly striped with black 
and white. 
XIX. Upland Plover 
T HE upland plover is a brownish bird 
about as large as a lesser yellowleg, 
with shorter bill and legs, and the 
outer wing quill barred with white. It 
formerly bred over a large part of North 
America, south to the United States, 
but was esteemed a great delicacy, and 
of late has become rare in much of its 
range on account of having been too per- 
sistently hunted. It frequented open, 
grassy plains, was wary and very diffi- 
cult to approach on foot, and therefore 
sportsmen habitually pursued it in horse- 
drawn vehicles, of which it was much less 
suspicious, to get within gunshot. 
tester 
Least S a nepj per 
Foot Prints 
As its name implies, the upland plover 
is almost exclusively an upland bird, 
though individuals occasionally occur 
over the coastwise meadows in migra- 
tion. It usually occurs singly or but a 
few individuals together. It spends the 
winter on the Pampas of South America, 
south to Argentina. 
XX. Sanderling or Surf Snipe 
S ANDERLING and surf snipe are 
equally appropriate names for these 
birds, which occur in flocks of vary- 
ing size. They skirt the beach just over 
the tiers of breakers and feed along the 
ocean shore, busily probing the sand as 
they go, following the advancing and re- 
treating wash of the water. In keeping 
with the gray sand and white surf their 
colors are paler than those of their rela- 
tives. 
The sanderling is a small bird, smaller 
than the krieker, its antithesis of the 
meadows, though decidedly larger than 
the oxeyes. In its several varying plum- 
ages it may be recognized by the con- 
stant, bold black and white striping of 
its wing. Its common note is a short, 
somewhat querulous “kep”. It breeds in 
the far north and after the breeding sea- 
son follows the shore-lines south in both 
hemispheres. When the meadows are 
deeply buried under winter ice the sand- 
erling’s hunting ground along the surf- 
line is unhampered, and though much 
more common in migrations, a few indi- 
viduals regularly linger in the latitude 
of New York City during the winter. 
XXI. The White-rump 
T HE white-rump is related to the 
krieker though smaller. It is only 
a trifle larger than the oxeyes in 
size, and is seldom differentiated from 
them by bay-men. Its upper tail-coverts 
are white, and contrasted with the dark 
back and tail, form its best field mark 
in flight. It may be identified even more 
readily by its very characteristic note, 
a squeaky, mouse-like “jeet” which the 
bird utters on the wing. During the 
early part of the southward movement 
of shore-birds it is comparatively scarce, 
usually seen one or two together or 
mixed with flocks of oxeyes. In Sep- 
tember when the others are falling off 
in numbers it becomes more numerous 
forming small or moderate sized flocks 
of its own. Like its nearest relatives 
the krieker and least oxeye, it frequently 
crouches motionless, when startled, to 
escape detection, at such times being 
very inconspicuous on the mud or grass. 
XXII. American Dunlin or Red- 
backed Sandpiper 
T HIS bird is of stocky build, a size 
larger than the oxeyes, wifh a long, 
slightly decurved bill. It generally 
alights on sand or mud flats, or along 
(continued on page 478 ) 
Sanderlings on the ocean beach, near Mastic, Long Island, photographed on September 15th, 1913, by John T. Nichols 
