Out of the same flock I found some, both males and females, which had the beak considerably broader and flatter than others; some also have the feet blackish, and others clay-colour. In other respects the specimens were undistinguishable.
I found in the stomach comminuted animal matter, and fragments of shells.
SPOTTED SANDPIPER.[106]
Actitis macularius.
| Tringa macularia, | Wils.—Aud. pl. 310. |
| Actitis macularius, | Boie. |
[106] Length 7½ inches, expanse 12, flexure 4, tail 1⁹⁄₁₀, rictus 1¹⁄₂₀, tarsus 1¹⁄₁₀, middle toe ⁹⁄₁₀. Intestine 9 inches; two cæca 1½ inch from cloaca, 1 inch long, very slender.
This is a common species with us, affecting principally the margins and shallows of rocky streams, such as Bluefield River. It arrives from the north about the end of August, and remains certainly till after the middle of April, and I am not sure that individuals do not stay all the summer.
Wilson has delineated the manners of this bird in a very interesting manner, to which I have nothing to add. One which was wounded in the wing, I put into a cage for an hour or two; during which time it frequently made a succession of charges at the wires, squatting down at intervals on the belly. When it walked, it was in a singular manner; the heel much bent, the tarsus forming an acute angle with the ground, and the toes thrown forward.