86 
Tringa maritima. 
1881 ., 
(Jan.3) his back,, then deliberately fold them again, otherwise 
they seldom moved. It was a most interesting sight, 
that of those hardy Waders perched high over the v/ater 
with a snov/ bank above them and ice surges incessantly 
tolling beneath or breaking in the glistening spray on 
the half exposed ledges. Their stronghole had been 
well chosen, for it is rarely calm enough in winter for 
boats to approach the spot. They are said never to 
leave these holes except during heavy easterly weather 
v/hon the surf sometimes breaks completely over them. 
After v/atching the birds for a \7hilo I fired into 
them and secured seven vrith two barrels. Eight v^ere 
and these after flying about for a fev^ minutes alighted 
on the other island where I killed three more. The re¬ 
maining five then became very shy and I left them. 
These Sandpipers flew sv^iftly in a dense cluster, usually 
just over the crests of the iwaves. Once or twice they 
tried to alight on one of the ledges that v/-ere beginning 
to be uncovered by the falling tide, but the surf seemed 
them, and after standing for a moment with 
raised v/ings they y/ould whirl off again over the sea. 
When flying they uttred a short quit which closely resem¬ 
bled that of the Sandling. On the Gray rocks they 
looked nearly black. Once after they had alighted in a 
cluster in a flat lodge at the base of•one of the rocks 
they scattered about and began to food, I noticed they 
walked slowly and deliberately; indeed, all their move- 
i-ients seemed sluggish. On dissection I found their 
stomachs filled with small shells several of which are 
whole, Jeffries tells mie that he has occasi onally 
seen them on the mainland during a heavy storm , but at 
other times they remain on the Pig Rocks. When freshly 
killed the basal third of the bill is reddish orange, 
the terminal two-thirds dark brovm, these colors shading 
into one another at their point of contact. The tarsi 
and toes are stout, fleshy, and brownish—orange in col¬ 
or; the itis is dark hazel, tSwampscott,Mass.), 
