Page 146




 Knot.
Purple Sandpiper. 234. Knot. Tringa canutus. Range.--Arctic regions in summer; south through the United States, chiefly on the Atlantic coast, to South America. Of about the same size as the Dowitchers, length 10.5 inches, but with a much shorter bill. In summer the entire under parts are a uniform reddish chestnut color. They are known to breed in Arctic America, from Point Barrow and Hudson Bay, northward, but no authentic eggs are known, at present, to exist in collections. One taken from a bird by Lieut. Greely, was a pea green color, specked with brown; size 1.10 × 1.00. As it was not fully developed, it was probably correct neither as to size nor color. 235. Purple Sandpiper. Arquatella maritima maritima. Range.--Arctic regions, wintering south to the Middle States and the Great Lakes, but chiefly on the coast. Grayish buff. A grayish and blackish colored species, about nine inches long. It nests in northern Labrador, about Hudson Bay and in Iceland. Its eggs are a grayish buff color handsomely splashed with rich shades of brown and obscure markings of darker gray. Data.--Northern Iceland, June 7, 1897. Four eggs. Nest a hollow in the ground among grass and weeds and lined with a few grasses. Collector, C. Jefferys. 235a. Aleutian Sandpiper. Arguatella maritima couesi. Range.--Supposed to be a resident on the coast and islands of Alaska, from the Aleutians northward. A very similar species to the preceding; scarcely distinguishable. These Sandpipers, which are found in Alaska at all seasons of the year, breed during May and June. Their nesting habits are the same as those of the preceding bird and the eggs are indistinguishable. Size 1.40 × 1.00. Data.--Unalaska, Bering Sea, June 3, 1898. Nest containing four eggs, a depression in the moss, lined with grasses and bits of moss. The eggs were laid with their small ends together.
Page 147 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
Pectoral Sandpiper. 237. Pribilof Sandpiper. Arquatella maritina ptilocnemis. Range.--Coast and islands of Bering Sea, south in winter to southern Alaska. This bird, which is ten inches in length, has the feathers of the upper parts edged with rusty, and the underparts light, with a distinguishing patch of black on the breast. Similar in appearance to the Red-backed Sandpiper, but not so reddish above, and the latter has the black patch on the belly. They breed commonly on the Pribilof and other islands in Bering Sea, nesting the same as other Sandpipers. Their four eggs are similar to those of the preceding, but average darker. Size 1.50 × 1.05. 238. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Pisobia aurita. Range.--An Asiatic species, quite abundant in Alaska in the summer; supposed to migrate south in winter, wholly on the Asiatic side of the Pacific. A similar bird, in appearance, to the following, but slightly smaller and with the breast more ruddy. Its nesting habits probably do not differ from those of the following Sandpiper. 239. Pectoral Sandpiper. Pisobia maculata. Range.--Whole of North America, breeding in the Arctic regions, and wintering south of the United States, most abundant in the eastern parts of the United States during migrations. This species is blackish brown above, with light brown edgings to the feathers, and white below, except the chest, which is brownish, streaked with black. A very peculiar species, having the power, during the mating season, of inflating the throat to a great extent, making a balloon-like appendage, nearly the size of the bird. They have more the habits of Snipe, than do most of the Sandpipers, frequenting grassy meadows or marshes, in preference to the seashore. Their nests are grass lined depressions, and the eggs are grayish or greenish buff, blotched with brown. Size 1.45 × 1.00. Data.--Cape Smythe, Alaska, June 1900. Four eggs in a hollow in the ground, lined with grass.




Page 148




 White-rumped Sandpiper.
Baird's Sandpiper.
Least Sandpiper. 240. White-rumped Sandpiper. Pisobia fuscicollis. Range.--North America, breeding from Labrador and southern Greenland, northward and wintering from central to Southern South America; most common on the Atlantic coast. This species is 7.5 inches in length, and has white upper tail coverts; otherwise it is marked similarly to the preceding Sandpiper. Its nesting habits are the same as those of the majority of the family, and the three or four eggs that they lay cannot be distinguished from those of the following species. Size 1.30 × .90. These are one of the most common of the beach birds along the Atlantic coast during migrations; they are very often known as Bonaparte Sandpipers. 241. Baird's Sandpiper. Pisobia bairdi. Range.--North America, chiefly in the interior, breeding along the Arctic coast and about Hudson Bay, and wintering south of the United States. A very similar species to the preceding, but without the white rump. Their nests are hollows in the ground, generally concealed in a tuft of grass, and lined with grasses and a few leaves. They lay three or four eggs having a grayish colored ground, and marked with different shades of brown, and also with some faint markings of lilac. Size 1.30 × .90. Data.--Peel River, Arctic America, June 18, 1898. Four eggs, taken with the bird by an Indian. Eggs in a slight hollow on the river bank. 242. Least Sandpiper. Pisobia minutilla. Range.--North America, breeding from the southern parts of the British Provinces northward; winters from southern United States southward. Common in the interior and on both coasts. Grayish. This is the smallest of our Sandpipers, being under six inches in length. Except for size, they are similar in appearance to Baird's Sandpiper, only the back is browner. A very abundant species during migrations, being found on the seashore or in marshes, nearly always in company with other species of the family. Their nests are the same as other Sandpipers, and the eggs are grayish, thickly specked with brown. Size 1.15 × .80. Data.--Peel River, Arctic America, June 20, 1899. Nest simply a depression in the river bank, lined with grass.
Page 149 Red-backed Sandpiper.
Curlew Sandpiper. 242.1. Long-toed Stint. Pisobia damacensis. An Asiatic species accidentally found on the Alaskan shores. It is a very similar bird to the Least Sandpiper, and about the same size. As implied by its name, it has unusually long toes. 243. Dunlin. Pelidna alpina alpina. A very common Sandpiper in the British Isles and in Europe, but only casually occurring as a straggler along the Atlantic coast. Very similar to the next species, but a trifle smaller. The nest and eggs do not differ from the following. 243a. Red-backed Sandpiper. Pelidna alpina sakhalina. Greenish buff. Range.--Whole of North America, breeding from southern Greenland, Labrador, Hudson Bay and the Yukon, northward, wintering from the Gulf States southward. This handsome species is similar to the Pribilof Sandpiper, but is smaller (length 8 inches), the upperparts are more reddish, the breast more heavily streaked, and it has a black patch on the belly instead of on the breast as in ptilocnemis. Their nesting habits are similar to others of the family; they lay three or four eggs with a brownish or greenish buff color, heavily blotched and spotted with shades of brown and chestnut. Size 1.40 × 1.00. Data.--- Peel River, Arctic America, June 30, 1899. Nest a simple cavity in the ground, lined with a few grasses and three or four leaves. Collector, J. O. Stringer. 244. Curlew Sandpiper. Erolia ferruginea. Range.--A common Old World species, but regarded as rare in eastern North America and northern Alaska. A bird of slighter build, but similar coloration to the Knot; smaller (length eight inches) and with a slightly decurved bill. Until within recent years, eggs of these birds were rarely seen in collections, and I believe they have not yet been taken in this country, although a few pairs nest along our Arctic coast. Their eggs are very similar to those of the Red-backed Sandpiper, but average somewhat larger. Size 1.50 × 1.05. Data.--Kola, northern Lapland, June 15, 1898. Four eggs laid in a grass-lined hollow in the ground. Collector, J. Ramberg.




Page 150




 Spoonbill Sandpiper.
Semipalmated Sandpiper. 245. Spoonbill Sandpiper. Eurynorhynchus pygmeus. A very rare Asiatic species, which has been taken in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. A very peculiar bird having the end of the bill broadened and flattened into a sort of spatula. Otherwise very similar to the Least Sandpiper, but with the breast and sides of neck ruddy in summer. About 75 specimens of this rare bird are known to exist. 246. Semipalmated Sandpiper. Ereunetes pusillus. Grayish. Range.--Whole of North America, but chiefly in the eastern and central parts, breeding about the ponds and streams of Labrador and Hudson Bay, and northward. These little Sandpipers are abundant during the migrations either in marshes or on beaches. They are most often found in company with other species, such as the Spotted and Least Sandpipers. Their appearance is very similar to that of the Least Sandpipers, but they are slightly larger and the feet are partially webbed. Their eggs have a greenish buff or grayish ground color and are spotted with brownish or blackish, sometimes, so heavily as to completely obscure the shell color. Size 1.20 × .80. Data.--Small island near Okak, Labrador, July 3, 1895. 2 eggs. Nest a hollow at the foot of a tuft of grass, lined with a few bits of grass and small leaves. Eggs unmistakable in this dark type.
Page 151 Western Sandpiper.
Sanderling.
Marbled Godwit. 247. Western Sandpiper. Ereunetes mauri. Range.--Western North America, breeding in the Arctic regions and migrating through the United States, chiefly west of the Mississippi to the Gulf States and southward. Grayish buff. Scarcely to be distinguished from the preceding species, but the upper parts are said to be brighter and the bill, to average a trifle longer. The nesting habits and eggs are precisely the same as those of the Semipalmated variety. Data.--Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, June 28, 1898. Four eggs. Nest a neatly rounded hollow, sunk into a mossy hummock in marshy ground. Collector, Joseph Grinnell. 248. Sanderling. Calidris leucophaea. Range.--Found in all parts of the northern hemisphere, breeding within the Arctic Circle and wintering in North America, from California and South Carolina southward. A handsome and abundant species, found during migrations by thousands on beaches and about large bodies of water in the interior. They are one of the lightest colored of the Sandpipers, either in winter or summer plumage. In summer the upper parts are a light rusty color and black, and the whole underparts are white. Owing to their extreme northerly distribution in summer, but few of their eggs have been taken. Their nesting habits are like those of the other Sandpipers. The three or four eggs are greenish buff in color, spotted and blotched with brown. Size 1.45 × .95. Data.--Peel River, Alaska, June 18, 1897. Three eggs in a depression on the ground. 249. Marbled Godwit. Limosa fedoa. Range.--North America, breeding, chiefly in the interior, from northern United States northward. Godwits are large Plovers with long slightly up-curved bills. This species is 19 inches in length, is of a nearly uniform ruddy color and is handsomely marbled above, and barred below with black. Their eggs are laid upon the ground in the vicinity of ponds or rivers; sometimes there is no lining and again a few straws or grasses may be twisted around the depression. Their eggs number three or four and have a ground color of grayish or greenish buff, sometimes quite dark, and are blotched with dark brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Devil's Lake, N. D., June 10, 1895. Four eggs laid on the ground in the middle of an unused road. Lined with a few grasses. Collector, W. F. Hill.




Page 152




 Pacific Godwit.
Hudsonian Godwit 250. Pacific Godwit. Limosa lapponica baueri. Range.--Coasts and islands of the Pacific Ocean on the Asiatic side, north in summer to Alaska. This species is more uniform and brighter ruddy beneath than the preceding, and the back is not marbled as strongly. Even in Alaska where it breeds, it is not a common species, and it only occurs elsewhere on the Pacific coast of America casually. The nesting habits are the same, but the eggs are somewhat darker than those of the preceding, but not as dark as those of the following species. Size 2.20 × 1.45. 251. Hudsonian Godwit. Limosa haemastica. Range.--North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, breeding in the Arctic regions and wintering south of the United States. Brownish. This species is apparently not as common or is more locally distributed during migrations than is the Marbled Godwit. They are more abundant in their breeding grounds and are occasionally seen in large flocks. They are smaller than the Marbled Godwit (length 18 inches) and are deep reddish brown below. They lay four eggs on the ground, in marshes or near ponds or streams, lining the hollow with weeds and dried leaves. The eggs have a dark brownish buff ground color and are blotched with brownish black. Size 2.20 × 1.40. Data.--Mackenzie River, Arctic America. Four eggs laid in a hollow in the ground. Collector, J. O. Stringer. 252. Black-tailed Godwit. Limosa limosa. A European and Asiatic species only casually occurring in Greenland. Very similar in appearance to our Hudsonian Godwit, which is frequently called by the name of this species. The nesting habits and the eggs are precisely like those of the American bird. 253. Green Shank. Glottis nebularia. A common bird in Europe and the British Isles, but only American as having been taken once in Florida. A very similar species to the following.
Page 153 Greater Yellow-legs.
Yellow-legs. 254. Greater Yellow-legs. Totanus melanoleucus. Range.--Whole of North America, nesting in the British Provinces and rarely in the northern part of the Mississippi Valley. Grayish white. This and the next species are much sought by sportsmen during their migrations; they are commonly called "Tell-tale," the present species being the "Greater Tell-tale." They are blackish above, speckled with white, and below are white and, in summer, marked with arrowhead spots of black. The legs, as implied by the name of the bird, are yellow and long; length of bird, 14 inches. They nest most abundantly in localities remote from habitations, in the interior of Canada. The eggs are generally laid on the ground, near a marsh or on the bank of a stream, with little or no lining to the nest. They are grayish white, boldly splashed with several shades of brown, and with lilac. Size 1.65 × 1.25. Data.--Whale River, Labrador, June 10, 1902. Eggs laid on the ground in an open marsh. 255. Yellow-legs. Totanus flavipes. Buffy. Range.--North America, breeding chiefly in the interior and eastern parts of Canada, and rarely in the upper Mississippi Valley. This species is very similar to the preceding, but is smaller; length 10.5 inches. It is also called the "Lesser Tell-tale," a name applied because of their wariness, and because, when they fly, they warn all other species within hearing, of danger. Their eggs are laid on the ground, and in similar localities to the preceding. They are three or four in number, grayish or buffy in color, and are quite heavily blotched and spotted with rich brown and grayish or lilac. Size 1.60 × 1.20. Data.--Whale River, Labrador, June 14, 1902. Four eggs laid on the ground in a large marsh.




Page 154




 Solitary Sandpiper. 256. Solitary Sandpiper. Helodromas solitarius solitarius. Range.--Eastern North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States boundary, but apt to be found nesting in any part of its range; winters south of the United States. Clay-colored. A bird with a greenish gray back, barred with white, and white below; length 8.5 inches. This species is one of the oddities among the waders. They are most always met with, singly or in pairs, and are very rarely seen, even in very small flocks. Their preference is for small ponds or streams in wet woods or open meadows, rather than marshes which are frequented by other species. They are occasionally seen during the nesting season, even in the southern parts of their range, and they probably breed there although their eggs are very rarely found. The eggs are clay-colored, spotted with brownish black. Data.--Simco Island, Kingston, Ontario, June 10, 1898. 5 eggs in a shallow depression on the ground, lined with a few grasses.
NEST OF SPOTTED SANDPIPER.
Page 155 Western Sandpiper.
Willet. 256a. Western Solitary Sandpiper. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus. Range.--North America, west of the Plains; breeds in British Columbia and probably south of there, also. This bird is like the last, except that the spots on the back are buffy instead of white. Its nest and eggs will not differ in any respect from those of the eastern form. 257. Green Sandpiper. Helodromas acrophus. This species, which very closely resembles our Solitary Sandpiper, is common in the northern parts of the Old World. It has only accidentally strayed to our shores. 258. Willet. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus semipalmatus. Range.--Eastern United States, breeding north to the Middle States and occasionally straying to the Canadian border, especially in the Mississippi Valley. Buff. These large waders are among the most abundant of the marsh or beach birds. They breed in small companies in marshes, frequently in those which are covered with water at high tide, building a frail nest of grasses and weeds, where it will be barely out of reach of the highest water. The three or four eggs have a brownish, or sometimes greenish, buff ground color and are blotched with umber, and have fainter markings of lilac. Size 2.00 × 1.50. Data.--Sandy Bank, South Carolina, May 3, 1901. Nest on the ground, secreted in the high grass. Made of dead marsh grass, lined with finer grasses.