TRINGA SUBARQUATA. 
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TRINGA SUBARQUATA. 
Curlew Sandpiper. 
Trintja subarquata Temm., Man., I; 1815, 393. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch, Form, slender. Size, medium. Bill, slender, longer than head, slightly curved and widened at tip. Toes, 
without basal membrane. Outer marginal indentations, less than twice as deep as inner. 
Color. Adult. Above, dark-brown becoming ashy on the rump and wings; every feather, excepting primaries, edged 
with bright yellowish-rufous. Upper tail coverts, white, transversely banded with dark-brown. Secondaries, tipped with 
white. Tail, ashy. Beneath, dark yellowish-rufous, with the under wing coverts, axillaries, under tail coverts, sides, and 
flanks, white. 
Yount/. Ashy, above, with few red markings. Under parts, ashy-white tinged on breast and sides, with yellowish. 
There is a whitish line from bill over eye, and the tail feathers are also whitish; otherwise similar to the adult. Iris, brown, 
bill and feet, greenish, in all stages. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Readily known by the slightly curved bill, white banded upper tail coverts, unspotted lower portions, and colors as de¬ 
scribed. Distributed throughout the Old World. Rare on the Eastern coast of the United States. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 8‘35; stretch, 15 - 50; wing, 4 50; tail, 2'25; 
bill, 135; tarsus, 1'12. Longest specimen, 8‘75; greatest extent of wing, 16'00; longest wing, 5'00; tail, 2 50; bill, 1'50; 
tarsus, 1’25. Shortest specimen, 8'00; smallest extent ofwing, 15 00; shortest wing, 400; tail, 2 00; bill, l - 25; tarsus, POO. 
HABITS. 
The Curlew Sandpiper has been known as an inhabitant of the United States for many 
years, yet it has never been taken in any numbers. Specimens, however, have been ob¬ 
tained from New Brunswick to Florida but more have been found in New Jersey than else¬ 
where. It is a well-known, widely distributed, European species, the breeding place of 
which appears to be unknown; consequently the eggs have never been taken. It is an op¬ 
en question whether the birds taken with us are merely stragglers from across the Atlan¬ 
tic, or whether they breed on this continent in high latitudes. The Curlew Sandpiper 
appears to frequent the muddy flats or beaches covered with debris, in company with oth¬ 
er Sandpipers having similar habits. 
TRINGA CANUTA. 
Red-breasted Sandpiper. 
Trintja canuta Linn., Syst. Nat. I; 1766, 251. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form, robust. Size, large. Bill, stout, but little longer than head, and slightly widened at tip. Legs, short 
and stout. Toes, without basal membrane but widely margined. Tongue, rather wide, and tapering toward tip which is 
rounded and provided with a tuft of coarse cilia.. The outer marginal indentations are twice as deep as inner. 
Color. Adult in summer. Above, pale bluish-ash, lined and spotted with black and pale reddish. Rump and upper 
tail coverts, white, transversely banded with black. Tips of greater wing coverts, white. Primaries, dark-brown, edged 
with white. Tail, ashy. Under portions, pale chestnut-red, lighter on abdomen. Axillaries, under wing and tail cov¬ 
erts, flanks, and tibia, white, banded with dark-brown. 
Adult in winter. Above, pale bluish-ash with each feather edged with whitish preceded by a band of black. Line 
over eye, whitish. Beneath, white tinged with yellowish, finely mottled across breast and on sides with bluish-ash. Oth¬ 
erwise, similar to the above. 
Yount/. Similar to the winter adult but lacks, ina great measure, theyellowish tinging below. Bill,black, iris,brown 
and feet, greenish, in all stages. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Readily known by the larger size, and pale bluish-ash colors above. 
Regions. Winters south of the United States. 
49 
Distributed, in summer, throughout the Arctic 
