SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 
91 
2. Bill nearly twice as long- as middle toe and claw . pacifica, p. 93. 
2'. Bill shorter or but little longer than middle toe and claw. 
3. Upper tail coverts white, slightly streaked . fuscicollis, p. 92. 
3'. Upper tail coverts blackish. 
4. Wing over 5. maculata, p. 91. 
4'. Wing under 5. 
5. Wing 4.80-4.90 . bairdii, p. 92. 
5'. Wing 3.50-3.75 .minutilla, p. 92. 
Subgenus Tringa. 
234. Tringa canutus Linn. Knot. 
The only species of Tringa in which the middle pair of tail feathers are 
not decidedly longer than the rest. Adults 
in summer: upper parts grayish and 
dusky, tinged with buff; rump and up¬ 
per tail coverts white, barred and spotted 
with dusky; line over eye and most of 
under parts pale cinnamon; flanks and 
under tail coverts white. Adults in winter : upper parts plain gray ; under 
parts, rump, and tail coverts white, barred or streaked with dusky except 
on belly and under tail coverts. Young: like adults in winter but gray 
feathers of back edged with whitish and dusky, and breast often suffused 
with huffy. Length: 10-11, wing 6.50, tail 2.50, bill 1.40. 
Distribution. —Northern hemisphere, chiefly on the seacoasts ; south in 
winter nearly through the southern hemisphere ; breeding far north. 
Eggs. — Deposited in a tuft of grass; 4, light pea green specked with 
brown. 
The knot is rare inland and apparently less common along the 
Pacific than on the Atlantic coast. It is a beach bird, getting its 
food from the wash of the waves. 
Subgenus Actodromas. 
239. Tringa maculata Vieill. Pectoral Sandpiper. 
Bill longer than tarsus ; middle pair of tail feathers pointed and longer 
than the rest; shaft of outer quill only, 
pure white; rump, upper coverts, and mid¬ 
dle tail feathers, black. Adults: upper 
parts mottled dusky, black, and buffy; 
chest dark gray, finely streaked with Fig * 106, 
dusky ; chin and belly white. Young : similar to adults, but upper parts 
striped with ochraceous, brightest on edges of tertials and tail feathers ; 
chest buffy, finely streaked with dusky. Length : 8.00-9.50, wing 5.00- 
5.50, bill 1.10-1.20, tarsus 1.00-1.10. 
Distribution. — Whole of North America, the West Indies, and most of 
South America, breeding in arctic regions. Occasional in Europe. 
Nest. — On dry ground, in the grass. Eggs: 4, greenish drab, spotted 
with brown. 
The pectoral sandpiper is a common migrant in the eastern United 
States and the Mississippi valley, but less common westward. It is 
found in flocks, on the marshes and muddy flats rather than along 
the beaches. 
Fig. 105. 
