The Bird Book Part 28

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.

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 gra.s.s and weeds and lined with a few gra.s.ses. 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 gra.s.ses and bits of moss. The eggs were laid with their small ends together.

[Ill.u.s.tration 148: Knot. Purple Sandpiper.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Grayish buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: deco.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

Page 147

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 distinguis.h.i.+ng 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 gra.s.sy meadows or marshes, in preference to the seash.o.r.e. Their nests are gra.s.s 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 gra.s.s.

[Ill.u.s.tration 149: Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Pectoral Sandpiper.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: egg, no caption.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: deco.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: right hand margin.]

Page 148

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 gra.s.s, and lined with gra.s.ses 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.

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 seash.o.r.e 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 gra.s.s.

[Ill.u.s.tration 150: White-rumped Sandpiper. Baird's Sandpiper. Least Sandpiper.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Grayish.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

Page 149

242.1. LONG-TOED STINT. _Pisobia damacensis_.

An Asiatic species accidentally found on the Alaskan sh.o.r.es. 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_.

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 gra.s.ses and three or four leaves. Collector, J.

O. Stringer.