84 
BIENNAL REPORT 
even then, the remnant can be saved, to say nothing of re-establishing the species 
in any considerable numbers. 
1 he Upland Plover built its nest on the prairies. After the prairies became 
grain fields, the nests were commonly concealed in the growing grain. This ready 
adaptability seems to indicate that this important bird might have been saved 
could the murderous hunting to which it was subjected have been controlled. Eco¬ 
nomically, aside from its value as food, it is of much importance, for it lives 
largely upon insects and its upland habits make it the enemy of many injurious 
species, especially grasshoppers. 
1 his sandpiper arrives from the south in the latter part of April and usually 
leaves in August, but a few stragglers may remain into September. It winters 
on the plains of southern South America. 
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, Formerly an uncommon migrant spring and 
fall. There are no recent records. It passed northward in May and re¬ 
appeared in the southern part of the state about August first, remaining through 
the month of September. In August, 1877, several flocks were found on “Sandy 
Lake Prairie” near Minneapolis and the first specimens for the state were secured 
by the writer and R. S. Williams. In the same locality on September 16, 1892, 
Dr. C. T. Cooke collected a pair, which are in the Survey Collection. Cantwell 
found them “fairly common” in Lac qui Parle County in May, 1887, and Peabody 
met with a flock “of about a dozen” near Heron Lake, May 21. 1895, the only 
ones he ever encountered in the state in his rather extensive experience. There 
is a specimen in the Survey Collection taken in Anoka County, September 27, 1882, 
by Wm. Howling. The most recent record is for Otter Tail County, late in August, 
1907 (Barker). This comprises about all that is known of this bird in Minnesota, 
so it may fairly be considered a rare species here, if indeed, it occurs at all at 
present. Forbush suggests that “apparently it is on the way to extinction.” 
The Buff-breast is rather plover-like in its habits, frequenting sandy prairies 
and fields, as well as the shores of lakes and ponds, flying in close flocks and 
circling rapidly about low over the ground in a restless, uneasy manner. It 
breeds in the far north and winters in southern South America. Dr. Hatch's 
surmise that it nested here was undoubtedly an error. 
SPOTTED SANDPIPER; TIP-UP; TEETER SNIPE. The most common 
and ubiquitous summer resident of this family. Still abundant everywhere and 
nesting by the margins of lakes and streams. The constant bowing and teetering 
of this bird constitute its best field mark as the young of the year lack the round, 
black spots of the under parts in the adult. The Solitary Sandpiper has somewhat 
the same habit but its movements consist rather of a bobbing and nodding of the 
head than a see-sawing and swaying of the hinder part of the body as in the 
present species. 
The Spotted Sandpiper arrives late in April and remains until the middle 
of October. It winters from the Gulf states to Peru and Brazil. 
LONG-BILLED CURLEW; SICKLE-BILL. This, the largest of the Shore 
Birds, was formerly a common nesting bird throughout the prairie and sparsely 
wooded regions of the state. It was especially numerous on the western prairies 
from the Iowa line northward, preferring in the Northwest the sandy ridge or 
