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Birds of Bristol County , Mass. 
Bird F.W. Andros. 
Tringa maculata Vieill., Pectoral Sandpiper. 
Migrant, common. 
O.&O. XXI. Sept. 1887 P-* 38 
Limicolae in Bristol County. 
H. F. Dexter, Dartmouth, Mass . 
Pectoral Sandpiper, Actodromas maculata. 
This species occurs commonly in autumn, fre- 
quenting the “ grassy salt meadows ” in prefer- 
ence to the sands of the coast. 
O.&O. XII, Sept. 1887 p.148 
Wintering of Pectoral Sandpiper on 
Monomoy Island, Mass. 
. BY JOHN C. CAHOON. 
On April 9, a gentleman stopping with me on 
the Island, found two Pectoral Sandpipers near 
a salt pond on the marsh, and shot one, a $ . 
Several days later, 1 secured the other in the 
same localitj r , which also proved to be a $ . 
When 1 left the Island late in November last, 
there were several remaining about the marsh 
near the pond, and from the fact that the above 
birds were seen by parties in March, leads me : 
to think that they remained in that locality all I 
winter. The portion of the marsh that they ' 
were found on is sheltered by numerous sand 
hills. The birds taken were poor, their stom- 
achs were well filled, and contained with other 
matters several thin, compressed whitish 
worms. I have never before seen this bird in 
the spring on our Cape Cod coast, and our old- 
est and most experienced gunner in this vicin- 
ity says that he has never seen or known of one 
being taken in the spring. 
O.&o. XIII. July. 1888 p.108 
j April 30tli, shot a Pectoral Sandpiper, 
which I flushed from a marsh. This bird is 
also of rare occurrence in the spring, and I 
have one other instance of its being taken on 
the Cape at this season. Two were shot at 
Monomoy Island in April, 1888, an account of 
which was published in the O. & O., under the 
heading of “Probable Wintering of the Pec- 
toral Sandpiper, at Monomoy Island, Mass.” 
John C. Cahoon. 
O.&O. XIV. Jim- 1 ooo 
Two Pectoral Sandpipers were taken on the 
salt marshes April 4th, by a Taunton member, 
making a second record for this bird in the 
spring at the island. 
*’ Siiore Birds of Cape Cod. 
John C. Cahoon. 
Pectoral Sandpiper, Tringa maculata (Vieill.) 
Grass-bird on Cape Cod. A common summer, 
and autumn migrant. I do not know of any of 
these birds being seen on the Cape in the 
spring, and, if they do occur, it is very rarely. 
The first comers in their migrations south 
reach the Cape early in August, becoming com- 
mon by the last of that month and increasing 
and decreasing at intervals during September. 
I copy from my note-book of 1885 as fol- 
lows : 
“ Sept. 23, wind blowing from the northwest. 
The storm of last night caused a flight of shore 
birds. On the meadows (salt), which the rain 
had overflowed, I found Pectoral Sandpipers 
abundant.” 
Under date of August 31, 1S86, I found notes 
as follow : 
“The wind and rain of the 30th brought 
along a flight of birds. Pectorals abundant on 
the meadows.” 
Under date of October 4, same year, I find 
“Pectoral Sandpipers common;” and later, 
Oct. 22, “Found only four Pectorals on the 
meadows to-day.” 
This present year (1887), although only a 
few stopped, three were seen on the meadows 
as late as Nov. 1. I think very few ornithol- 
ogists are aware of the protracted stays made 
by some of our shore birds in the autumn. I 
was surprised this last fall, on date of Novem- 
ber 14, to find several small flocks of Black-! 
bellied Plover, Sanderlings and Red-backed 
Sandpipers about the flats, as we had been hav- 
ing some cold, blustering weather with snow 
squalls. On the Cape it does not go on to the 
sandy beaches and flats, but frequents wet, 
fresh and salt meadows and marshes. Its 
favorite resorts are salt meadows or marshes, 
near the shore, on which the grass has been 
cut, and which after a rain is covered with 
shallow pools of brackish water. Its food 
consists principally of small shell fish and 
worms. They also eat small grasshoppers and 
crickets which are very numerous on the 
meadows. Their flight and action when 
flushed are much like the Wilson’s Snipe, and 
I mentioned it in the O. & O., Vol. XI, No. 1, 
page 10. Several old gunners at the Cape say 
that there are two distinct varieties, basing their 
inference on the difference in the size of the 
birds. I had supposed until this last fall that 
they were adult and young, but on examining 
some of largest birds, I found both adult and 
young among the number. There is certainly 
a great difference in the size, the former being 
more delicately formed, less common, and are 
more frequently seen on the fresh meadows and 
marshes some distance from the shore. 
O.&O. XIII. Aug. 3,888 p.i2S-«V 
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