Long island
Tringites rufescens Peculiar habits of
1875
Aug. 26 [August 26, 1875] so exceedingly shy that I was unable to
get another shot. I stood in a very erect
posture and never moved until I began to
approach when it would rise and flying
a hundred yards or so light again. Its
flight was very swift and eccentric: once
or twice it performed the most astonishing
evolutions in the air, rising to the height
of about 100 feet and then darting zig zag towards
the earth with almost inconceivable rapidity.
When flying past the fawn color of the 
under parts was very apparent: it uttered
continually while on wing a single short
hoarse note very like that of T. maculata [Tringa maculata].
[delete]Proceedin[/delete] Ascending the hill my surprise
was great at finding large flocks of peeps
(E. pusillus [Ereunetes pusillus] alone recognized) feeding in the
pasture land even on its summit, and
among large herds of sheep, cows etc. Setting
out some plover decoys I soon got as
many shots as I wished at single peeps
which were continually flying about and
which came down readily to the stools,
and firing some 25 shots I secured about
18 birds, making one double and missing 
several others. Later in the afternoon as the
tide reached its highest flood the birds came 
[delete]into[/delete] over the pasture in immense numbers
lighting everywhere: ever that preeminently
littoral species Aegialitis semipalmating [Aegialitis semipalmata] showing
as great a liking for grasshopper diet as the
peeps: at least I suppose grasshoppers were
the attraction for I could find nothing else
save a few little white moths, and the
stomach of Tringites was certainly