Bill little longer than the head, slender, straight, compressed, tapering, with the tip a little enlarged and blunt; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and slightly declinate, the ridge narrow and flattened until towards the end, when it becomes considerably broader, the sides sloping, the tip convex above and ending in a blunt point, the edges thick and flattened; nasal groove extending to near the tip; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line straight, the sides sloping outwards, with a long narrow groove, the tip a little broader, but tapering. Head rather small, oblong, compressed; neck of ordinary length; body rather full. Feet rather long, slender; tibia bare a third part of its length; tarsus anteriorly and posteriorly scutellate; hind toe very small, or wanting, the rest of moderate length, slender, the fourth slightly longer than the second, the third longest, all free, broadly marginate, with numerous scutella. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather obtuse. Plumage soft, blended, on the back distinct. Wings very long, pointed; primaries tapering, obtuse, the first longest; one of the inner secondaries very long. Tail rather short, nearly even, of twelve feathers.
328. 1. Tringa Bartramia, Wils. Bartramian Sandpiper.—Highland Plover. Papabote.
Plate CCCIII. Male and Female.
Bill scarcely longer than the head, slender, slightly deflected at the end, yellowish-green, with the tip dusky; legs rather long, light greyish-yellow, toes greenish; upper part of head dark brown, with a median pale yellowish-brown line, of which colour are the margins of the feathers; hind part and sides of the neck light yellowish-brown, streaked with dusky; fore part of neck and breast paler, with longitudinal pointed dusky streaks, becoming transverse on the breast and sides; throat and the rest of the lower parts yellowish-white, except the axillars and lower wing-coverts which are white, banded with brownish-black; on the upper parts the feathers dark brown glossed with green, their margins with alternate yellowish-brown and dusky spots; the hind part of the back darker, without spots; alula, primary coverts, and primary quills, blackish-brown, the inner webs crossed by white bands until about an inch from the end; the shaft of first quill brownish-white, of the rest brown; secondaries greyish-brown, the outer margins pale brown, with dusky spots, the inner darker; two middle feathers of tail dark olive, tinged with grey, transversely barred with black, the last bar arrow-shaped, the margins cream-coloured; the next feather on each side lighter, and tinged with yellowish-red, the rest gradually lighter, the outer white, all barred with black.
Male, 121/2, 22. Female, 13, 223/4.
From Texas along the coast to Nova Scotia. Breeds from Maryland northward to the Saskatchewan. In vast flocks in Louisiana, Oppelousas, and the Western Prairies, in autumn and spring. Rare in Kentucky.
Bartram Sandpiper, Tringa Bartramia, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 63.
Totanus Bartramius, Bonap. Syn. p. 262.
Totanus Bartramius, Bartram Tatler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 391.
Bartramian Tatler, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 169.
Bartramian Sandpiper, Totanus Bartramius, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 24.
329. 2. Tringa Islandica, Linn. Ash-coloured Sandpiper.—Knot. Grey-back, Red-breasted Sandpiper.
Plate CCCXV. Summer and winter plumage.