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M1CROPALAMA HIM A NT OP US. 
GENUS IV. MICROPALAMA. THE LONG-LEGGED SANDPIPERS. 
Gen. Ch. Bill, less than twice the length of the head. Marginal indentations, four', outer, twice as deep as inner. Cor¬ 
acoids, slightly exceeding in length the height of keel. Basal membranes between toes, large. Legs, very long, with tibia feath¬ 
ered for about one half its length. 
Members of this genus have the hill expanded at tip and slightly curved. The legs are strikingly long. Sexes, sim¬ 
ilar. There is but one species within our limits. 
MICROPALAMA HIMANTOPUS. 
Stilt Sandpiper. 
Micropalama himantopus Baird, Birds N. A.; 1858, 726 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Cn, Form, slender. Size, medium. Tongue, long, thin, and slender, tapering toward tip which is slightly round¬ 
ed. Sternum, stout. 
Color. Adult. Above, very dark-brown, becoming lighter on the scapularies and upper wing coverts, with the feath¬ 
ers of the back, edged with reddish and white. Band from bill, meeting on occiput, and spot behind eye, dull reddish. 
Upper tail coverts, white, banded with black. Tail, white, broadly tipped with ashy. Under parts, pale yellowish-red, 
transversely banded with dark-brown. 
Adult in winter. Above, ashy-brown, with the center of the feathers, darker. The rufous bands on head are replaced 
by some of white; and the central under portions are pure white, streaked on throat, breast, sides, and under tail coverts, 
with dusky. Otherwise, similar to the above. 
Young. Very similar to the winter adult but much more rufous above. Bill, brown, iris, brown. and feet, greenish, in 
all stages. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Readily known by the long legs, large basal toe membrane, and colors as described. Distributed in summer, through¬ 
out Arctic America; not common on the coast of New England, in autumn. Winters south of the United States. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 9 - 07; stretch, 16'40; wing, 5 00; tail, 
2’ 15; bill, 1'60; tarsus, l - 70. Longest specimen, 9‘15; greatest extent of wing, 16’80; longest wing, 5 25; tail, 2'35; bill, 
1'70; tarsus, 1’85. Shortest specimen, 900; smallest extent of wing, L6‘ 00; shortest wing, 4‘75; tail, 1‘90; bill, 150; tar¬ 
sus, 1*60. 
HABITS. 
The Stilt Sandpiper which is not of uncommon occurrence on the New England coast, 
during the autumnal migration, is called by many gunners, the Bastard Yellow Leg and is 
considered to be a hybrid between the Red-breasted Snipe and Lesser Yellow Leg. This 
absurd idea, without doubt, had its origin in the fact that this long-legged Sandpiper pre¬ 
sents some characters common to both species; not only in form and color does it resemble 
them but it has some habits of both, and also associates with them. Thus individuals are 
met with among the flocks of Red-breasted Sandpipers on the marshes, where they behave 
much like their larger companions; and others occur with small companies of Yellow Legs 
and feed on the borders of pools. I have also seen solitary individuals alight to my de¬ 
coys, as I lay hidden in a booth, while now and then, flocks consisting of half a dozen spec¬ 
imens, may be seen flying swiftly along the shore, uttering a chuckling whistle as they go. 
I never had any difficulty in distinguishing the Stilt Sandpiper by its note and form, for 
the long legs give it a characteristic appearance. 1 once started one of this species at Dum- 
mett’s, on Indian River, on the twenty-fourth of April, 1872. This is the only specimen 
that I ever saw in the state, neither did I ever meet with the species in the North in spring. 
I have never seen an authentic specimen of the egg of the Stilt Sandpiper. 
