The Stilt Sandpiper ( Mieropalama himantopus). — In a late paper 
read before the Linnean Society of New York, Mr. N. T. Lawrence speaks 
of this species as being common on the south side of Long Island (N. Y.). 
He has quite often, while Bay-Snipe shooting, had parties of from three to 
five, and very frequently a single bird or a pair, come to his decoys. And, 
of the four specimens in his collection, two, in adult breeding plumage, 
were taken in July, the others, in fall plumage, in September. This note 
is interesting as presenting different conditions from any recorded in New 
England. But one occurrence of this species is known in July, and that 
in the last part of the month and fifteen miles from the sea. Mr. Geo. N. 
Lawrence writes me, in reference to this same species, that he lived at Rock- 
away for five summers, and on one occasion, when he was there, there was 
a flight of this species and Gambetta Jlavipes, the latter the most abundant, 
and of the two species there were killed over one hundred and twenty 
individuals. He remembers killing six of M. himantopus at one shot. 
He never saw so many together as on that day, but all through the season 
scattering ones were shot. — T. M. Brewer, Boston, Mass. 
Bull N. O.O. 3, July, 1878 , p. /y^. 
Long Island Bird Notes N.T. Lawrence 
12. Mieropalama himantopus. Stilt Sandpiper.: — I have always found 
tli is bird unusually common in the vicinity of Far Rockaway, and should 
like to give my experience with it on two occasions during the past two 
years. On September xo, 1883, I was shooting on the meadows ; wind east ; 
rained from six A. m. until twelve m. On that day I had three flocks come 
to my decoys, composed of Little Yellow Legs and Stilt Sandpipers, and 
numbering from fifty to one hundred birds in each. J killed nineteen, 
twenty-one, and ten, respectively; among them were twenty Stilts. 
On July 28, 1884, there occurred one of the largest flights of Bay Birds 
at Far Rockaway that I have seen in a number of years. The day was , 
bright and clear, with a light southerly wind; it had stormed hard from 
the East all the preceding day. The flight was composed almost entirely 
of Little Yellow Legs and Stilt Sandpipers, every flock containing more 
or fewer of each. Saw several flocks composed entirely of Stilts. One 
numbering twelve came to my decoys and I killed them all. I secured 
that day twenty Stilt Sandpipers, all old birds. On both the dates men- 
tioned a great many flocks of traveling birds were seen flying very high ; 
some of them must have numbered over two hundred individuals. 
Auk, 2 , July, 1886. p.273 
Auk, XII, July, 1896, p .^'3 
Mieropalama himantopus. Stilt Sandpiper. — Two of these Sand- 
pipers were shot by me on September 16, 1893. They were feeding in 
company with some Yellow-legs ( Totanus Jlavipes ) in the bottom of the 
artificial lake in South Park, which was then being excavated. 
