Chapter XIV: Introduction (13)

Young birds are in juvenal plumage when they arrive here in August and generally do not show much signs of molting before they leave here in September. This plumage is darker and more richly colored above than in the spring adult; the feathers of the crown, back, scapulars and all wing coverts are broadly edged with rich, bright browns, "hazel" or "cinnamon rufous," broadest and brightest on the back and scapulars; some scapulars are tipped with white; the throat is often faintly, but sometimes not at all, streaked with dusky. A partial postjuvenal molt in the fall, involving the body plumage and some of the scapulars and tertials, produces a first winter plumage which can be distinguished from the adult by the retained juvenal wing coverts, scapulars, and tertials. At the first prenuptial molt the next spring young birds become indistinguishable from adults, except for some of the old juvenal wing coverts.

The complete postnuptial molt of adults begins in August and is mainly accomplished after the birds have migrated. At a partial prenuptial molt, mainly in April and May, the adult renews the body plumage and tail and some of the tertials and wing coverts. Adults in spring are more brightly colored, with more rufous and buffy edgings, and the breast is more distinctly streaked than in fall.]

_Food._--These birds appear to be feeding on small crustaceans and worms on the beaches and on insects and their larvae in the marshes. It is to be hoped that with the increase of the birds the pest of green-head flies and of mosquitoes in the salt marshes may diminish. E. A. Preble (1923) examined two stomachs from birds shot in the Pribilof Islands and found that one of them contained amphipods exclusively, the other the following items: "23 seeds of bottle brush (_Hippuris vulgaris_), 50 per cent; bits of hydroid stems, 40 per cent; and chitin from the blue mussel (_Mytilus edulis_), 10 per cent." A. H. Howell (1924) reports as follows: "Of the 19 stomachs of this bird collected in Alabama, practically all contained larvae or pupae of small flies (Chironomidae) in a few bits of aquatic beetles were found." Dr. Alexander Wetmore (1916) found in the stomach of a bird taken in Porto Rico "the heads of more than 100 minute fly larvae (75 per cent) and fragments of small beetles (_Hetercerus_ sp.) (25 per cent)."

_Behavior._--The least sandpiper has always been a confiding and an unsuspicious bird, and these characteristics have increased since it has been protected at all seasons. So diligent are they in their search for food that they appear to take no notice of man if he remain quiet, and they run about almost at his feet. They are fascinating birds to watch. Not only are they gregarious, collecting in large and small flocks on the migrations, but they are also of a sociable disposition and associate amicably with other shore birds, large and small. They run around among yellow legs like pigmies among giants. A mixed company of several kinds of sandpipers and of plovers feeding together is a common sight. In flight the different species, although in company, generally, but not always, keep by themselves.

In the marshes--which are their preferred feeding grounds, although, as stated above, they are sometimes found on the beaches, especially in the spring--they scatter widely, and one may flush one bird after another, previously unseen in the grass. They soon unite in a flock, however, and after circling about and turning now this way, now that, with great nicety of evolution, drop down again suddenly, often near the spot from which they sprang. A single bird flushed generally darts off in irregular zigzags, very much after the manner of a Wilson snipe, calling as it goes.

In feeding in marshes they frequent the short grass and also the open sloughs or mud holes. Here they snap up insects or probe diligently for larvae in the mud and shallow water. They are fond of the mud and sand flats in the tidal estuaries at low water where they appear to find plenty of food, and they run about on the eel grass. In all these places they spread out in an irregular fashion when feeding. Such gluttons are they that they are generally loaded with fat on the southward migration and they are often very fat in the spring. Notwithstanding this, their wind seems to be excellent and their flight as swift. They are fond of bathing like most birds, and of this Mr. Nichols writes in his notes as follows:

It squats in shallow water, ducking the head under, throwing the
water back and fluttering the wings, and at the end of the bath
jumps an inch or two into the air with a flutter, apparently to
shake the water out of its feathers. Afterwards it usually stands
quietly and gives its plumage a thorough preening.

_Voice._--The nuptial song has been described under courtship, but the bird has also a variety of call notes from a simple _weep_ or _peep_, from which, doubtless, it gets its common name, to a succession of notes more or less complicated. John T. Nichols (1920) has written at length on the voices of shore birds, and has kindly furnished the following for this article:

The identification flight-call is a loud diagnostic _kreep_,
distinguished by the [=e][=e] sound from any note of the
semipalmated sandpiper.... In flushing, a least sandpiper sometimes
utters a string of short unloud notes with or without the [=e][=e]
sound, _quee-quee-quee-que_ or _queque_ to be followed almost
immediately by some variation of the flight call, as it gets more
fully under way. The flight note varies down to a _che_ and _cher_,
not readily, if at all, distinguishable from similar calls of the
semipalmated sandpiper.... When a flock are up and wheeling about a
feeding spot to alight there again almost at once, they have
sometimes a confiding little note _chu chu chu chu_, etc. It has
also a whinny, a little less clearly enunciated than that of the
semipalmated but almost identical with the same.

_Field marks._--The small size of the least sandpiper distinguishes it readily from all the other sandpipers in this country except the semipalmated, with two exceptions to be noted later. As the least is more frequently found on tidal flats in the estuaries and in salt marshes, it is sometimes called the "mud peep," while the semipalmated, which especially delights in the sand beaches is called the "sand peep." Unfortunately this rule, although of general value, is far from absolute, and the birds often exchange places. The least sandpiper is more often found on the beach in the spring than in the fall. The semipalmation is, of course, a diagnostic mark in the hand, but only under exceptional circumstances can it be seen in the field. The color of the tarsus, however, is distinctive and can be made out in favorable light at a considerable distance. I have always thought it absolutely distinctive, but the published descriptions and plates of these two birds are often inaccurate. I have, therefore, compared the legs of both these species, freshly collected, with Ridgway's (1912) "Color Standards and Color Nomenclature." In the semipalmated sandpiper the tarsi of the adults are black and this is also the case in the juvenals except that there is a slight greenish tinge to be seen on close inspection. In the adult least sandpiper the tarsi are distinctly yellow with a faint greenish cast. They correspond best to the _sulphine yellow_ of Ridgway, while the toes, which shade off a little darker, are _citrine_. In the juvenal, there is more of a greenish tinge, and I have put the tarsi down as _oil yellow_, the toes shading into _yellowish oil green_. In deciding on these colors I have had the advice of an artist. The richer brown plumage of the back and the darker streakings and wash of the breast help to distinguish the least from the lighter and grayer semipalmated bird, but in the fall these distinctions are less marked in the adult. Even at this season, however, a least sandpiper on the beach in a flock of semipalmated stands out by its browner colors, and, in the marsh, a semipalmated in a flock of least looks very gray. The least sandpiper is a little smaller than the other bird, but this character as well as the color of the plumage are of slight value without the presence of both birds for comparison.

Another point, which at times can be satisfactorily made out in the field, is that the bill of the least sandpiper is slightly decurved, while that of the semipalmated is straight and stouter. It has been noted by Coues (1861) and by others independently, that the least sandpiper is a perfect miniature of the pectoral sandpiper even to the color of its legs. The great difference in size, however, prevents any confusion.

Two other sandpipers, referred to above, may, however, be mistaken for least or semipalmated sandpipers, although they are somewhat larger. Gunners at Ipswich used to call them "bull peep." I refer to the white-rumped and the Baird sandpipers. The white rump of the former is diagnostic and is easily seen in flight, but is generally covered by the wings when the birds are running on the sand. The plumage of both Baird and white-rumped sandpipers is dark in front of the bend of the wing, while in the semipalmated and juvenal least it is light. This is a fine point that I have found of great value.

_Fall._--The last migrant for the north has scarcely gone before wisps of returning sandpipers appear. The regular northward migration in Massachusetts ceases about June 7, although an occasional nonbreeding bird may remain, and the migrants begin to return about July 4. A surprisingly large number of early fall migrants appeared at Ipswich on July 3, 1911. A flock of at least 50 whirled about and alighted near me on the marsh. One must suppose that the early migrants in the spring are the early ones to return in the fall. They are generally all gone from the New England coast by the end of the first week in September, although stragglers may be found in October. They migrate both by day and by night.

Carl Lien writes in his notes from Destruction Island, Washington, that the least sandpiper--

Constitutes, with the western sandpiper, the great body of
migratory birds, and if the nights are a little misty the numbers
that circle around the light at night resemble a snow storm, and
they continue until daybreak when they apparently get their
bearings, and continue their journey. The spring movement begins
about the middle of April or a little later, and lasts until about
the 10th of May, beginning again the first week in July and lasting
until the middle of September.

_Game._--Fortunately this bird has been removed from the list of game by the Federal law, and we may be sure it will never be replaced. In the absence of larger birds--too frequently the case--the gunner used to shoot these tiny birds in large numbers, and it must be admitted they were delicious eating. At his blind near a slough or mud hole in the salt marshes he would arrange his flock of tin or wooden decoys, generally made to represent yellow-legs, within easy reach of his gun, and he would call down with his tin whistle any passing flock. A projecting spit of mud extending out into the little pool afforded a convenient alighting place for the "peep," and their death trap, for here they could conveniently be raked by gun fire from the blind. The terrified and bewildered survivors spring into the air, and circling about over their dead and dying companions afford several more effective shots, which shower the victims down into the mud and water. Only a remnant of the flock escapes, to fall victims, perhaps, to their easy credulity at a neighboring blind. Sometimes the gunner in his greed would wait for the birds to bunch together closely on the spit, but before this took place to his satisfaction the alarm calls of a tattler or yellow-legs might ring out over the marsh and every bird would spring into the air and be off, much to his chagrin. Fortunately this destruction has not been carried too far. The law has stepped in before it is too late, as alas! may be the case with some of the larger shore birds. The increase of this species since the Federal law went into effect in 1913 is very striking. Mr. Philipp (1925) says there is "a large increase in this dainty shore bird. In 1907 an exhaustive search for breeding birds in the Magdalens resulted in finding 11 pairs. In 1923 in the same territory over 50 pairs were located with eggs or young."

DISTRIBUTION

_Range._--North and South America; casual in Europe and Asia.

_Breeding Range._--The least sandpiper breeds north to Alaska (Cape Blossom and the Kowak River); probably Yukon (Herschel Island); Mackenzie (Peel River, Fort Anderson, Rendezvous Lake, and Franklin Bay); southern Franklin (Cambridge Bay); Keewatin (Cape Fullerton); Labrador (Ramah); and Newfoundland (Quarry and Gaff Topsail). East to Labrador (Ramah, Okak, and Nain); Newfoundland (Quarry); and Nova Scotia (Sable Island). South to Nova Scotia (Sable Island); Quebec (Magdalen Islands); Keewatin (probably Fort Churchill); probably Saskatchewan (Isle de la Crosse); southern Mackenzie (probably Fort Simpson); southern Yukon (Teslin River and Lake Marsh); and southern Alaska (probably Gustavus Bay, and probably Kodiak). West to Alaska (probably Kodiak, Nushagak, Lake Aleknagik, and Cape Blossom).

_Winter Range._--North to California (San Francisco Bay, Owens Lake, and Salton Sea); rarely Arizona (Mellen); Texas (Lomita and Decatur); rarely Louisiana (Vermilion Bay); Alabama (Dauphin Island); and rarely North Carolina (Pea Island). East to rarely North Carolina (Pea Island); South Carolina (near Charleston); Georgia (Savannah, Darien, and St. Marys); the Bahama Islands (Abaco, New Providence, San Salvador, Acklin, and Great Inagua Islands); probably the Lesser Antilles (St. Christopher); French Guiana (Cayenne); and Brazil (Para, Pernambuco, and Bahia). South to Brazil (Bahia and Cuyaba); and Peru (Chorillos and Tumbez). West to Peru (Tumbez); Ecuador (Santa Elena); the Galapagos Islands (Indefatigable Island); Costa Rica (La Estrella de Cartago and Puntarenas); Honduras (Chamelicon); Guatemala (Lake Atitlan and Chiapam); Jalisco (Zapotlan, La Barca, and Guadalajara); Sinaloa (Mazatlan); Lower California (San Jose del Cabo and Carmen Island); and California (Santa Barbara and San Francisco Bay).

_Spring migration._--Early dates of arrival are: Virginia, Back Bay, April 18; District of Columbia, Washington, April 19; Maryland, Cambridge, May 1; Pennsylvania, Mercer County, April 18, Butler, April 27, Cataract, May 2, Erie, May 8, and Pittsburgh, May 9; New Jersey, Cape May, April 4, Caldwell, April 7, Princeton, April 30, and Camden, May 4; New York, Orient, April 21, New York City, April 25, Auburn, April 29, Canandaigua, May 4, and Rochester, May 9; Connecticut, Saybrook, May 3, and New Haven, May 8; Massachusetts, Woods Hole, April 23, Ipswich, April 24, Rehoboth, April 29, and Monomoy Island, May 6; Vermont, St. Johnsbury, May 6; Maine, Saco, May 5; Quebec, Quebec City, April 28, and Godbout, May 12; Nova Scotia, Halifax, April 20; Kentucky, Bowling Green, April 23, and Lexington, May 7; Missouri, Courtenay, April 1, Corning, April 5, and Independence, April 15; Illinois, De Kalb, April 6, Rantoul, April 9, and Milford, April 13; Indiana, Jeffersonville, April 5, Richmond, April 21, and Fort Wayne, April 22; Ohio, New Bremen, April 19, Painesville, April 30, and Oberlin, May 5; Michigan, Vicksburg, April 30, Battle Creek, May 3, and Detroit, May 4; Ontario, Listowel, May 3, Toronto, May 4, Hamilton, May 8, and Ottawa, May 10; Iowa, Marshalltown, April 25, Emmetsburg, April 27, and Forest City, April 30; Wisconsin, Beloit, April 18, Whitewater, April 28, and Madison, May 7; Minnesota, Lake Wilson, April 18, Heron Lake, April 24, and Waseca, April 30; Kansas, McPherson, April 9, Lawrence, April 24, and Wichita, April 28; Nebraska, Lincoln, March 21, Valentine, April 6, and Alda, April 10; South Dakota, Huron, April 8, Vermilion, April 20, and Pitrodie, April 22; North Dakota, Stump Lake, April 28, Jamestown, May 1, and Grafton, May 3; Manitoba, Gimli, May 6, and Shoal Lake, May 15; Saskatchewan, Orestwynd, May 7, Indian Head, May 12, and Dinsmore, May 14; Mackenzie, Fort Providence, May 15, Fort Simpson, May 17, and Fort Resolution, May 19; Colorado, Durango, April 12, Loveland, April 19, and Barr, April 26; Utah, Bear River Marshes, May 10; Wyoming, Cheyenne, April 23, and Laramie, April 23; Montana, Great Falls, April 16; Alberta, Carvel, May 6, and Flagstaff, May 9; Oregon, Narrows, April 16, Newport, April 21, and Klamath Lake, April 30; Washington, Tacoma, April 28, and Grays Harbor, April 30; British Columbia, Comox, April 20, Chilliwack, April 21, and Courtenay, April 22; and Alaska, Craig, May 2, Juneau, May 4, Bethel, May 6, and Kowak River, May 15.

Late dates of spring departure are: Porto Rico, Laguna de Guanica, May 26; Cuba, Mariel, May 10, and Santiago de las Vegas, May 14; the Bahama Islands, April 25; Florida, Punta Rassa, May 13, and St. Marks, May 28; Alabama, Bayou Labatre, May 16; Georgia, Savannah, May 17; South Carolina, Lady Island, May 12, and Aiken, May 14; North Carolina, Lake Ellis, May 18, and Raleigh, May 22; Pennsylvania, Erie, May 24, and Beaver, May 28; New Jersey, Bernardsville, May 20, Bloomfield, May 23, and Elizabeth, May 30; New York, Pine Plains, May 30, Rochester, May 31, and Orient, June 4; Connecticut, Norwalk, May 30, and New Haven, June 5; Massachusetts, Dennis, June 2, Harvard, June 9, and Pittsfield, June 16; Vermont, St. Johnsbury, June 6; New Hampshire, Manchester, June 3; Maine, Fryeburg, May 30, and Lewiston, June 6; Kentucky, Lexington, May 23; Chicago, May 23, and Port Byron, June 15; Indiana, Greencastle, May 26, and Lake County, June 1; Ohio, Columbus, May 21, Oberlin, May 23, and Youngstown, June 11; Michigan, Detroit, May 23, Sault Ste. Marie, May 26, and Manchester, May 29; Ontario, Listowel, May 23, Point Pelee, May 30, London, June 1, and Brighton, June 10; Iowa, Sioux City, May 30, Forest City, May 31, and Keokuk, June 2; Wisconsin, Berlin, May 24, Tomahawk, May 27, and Green Bay, June 4; Minnesota, Elk River, May 23, and Walker, June 6; Texas, Seadrift, May 8, Ingram, May 10, and San Angelo, May 16; Kansas, Emporia, May 15, Wichita, May 18, and Lawrence, May 21; Nebraska, Peru, May 15, Neligh, May 16, and Badger, May 18; South Dakota, Forestburg, May 21, Huron, May 23, and Yankton, May 25; North Dakota, Cando, May 24, and Charlson, June 1; Manitoba, Margaret, June 4, Reaburn, June 15, and Shoal Lake, June 20; Saskatchewan, Indian Head, May 23, and Osler, June 19; Colorado, Fort Lyon, May 29, and Barr, June 19; Wyoming, Cheyenne, May 27; Montana, Terry, May 21, and Great Falls, June 3; Alberta, Flagstaff, June 1; Tepic, Las Penas Islands, May 5; Lower California, Rivera, April 21, and Gardners Lagoon, April 23; California, Santa Barbara, May 10, Alameda, May 13, and Los Angeles, May 19; Oregon, Newport, May 20; Washington, Chelan, May 21, and Seattle, May 31; and British Columbia, Okanagan Landing, May 19.

_Fall migration._--Early dates of fall arrival are: British Columbia, Atlin, June 29, Chilliwack, July 2, Okanagan Landing, July 3, and Courtenay, July 7; Washington, North Dalles, July 4, and Clallam Bay, July 17; Oregon, Silver Lake, July 1; California, Santa Barbara, July 18, and Bakersfield, July 19; Lower California, San Quentin, August 10; Alberta, Onoway, July 1; Wyoming, Fort Bridger, July 13; Utah, Provo, July 26; Colorado, Barr, July 5; Chihuahua, Pochaco, August 3; Saskatchewan, Isle de la Crosse, July 18; Manitoba, Victoria Beach, July 7, and Shoal Lake, July 27; North Dakota, Pembina, July 17, and Turtle Mountain, July 30; South Dakota, Forestburg, July 5, and Sioux Falls, July 24; Nebraska, Lincoln, July 14; Kansas, Emporia, August 6, and Osawatomie, August 31; Texas, Tom Green, and Concho Counties, July 20, and Tivoli, July 30; Minnesota, North Pacific Junction, July 8, Lanesboro, July 15, and St. Vincent, July 30; Wisconsin, Madison, July 11, North Freedom, July 14, and Madison, July 24; Iowa, Marshalltown, July 8, and Sioux City, July 17; Ontario, Toronto, July 4; Michigan, Detroit, July 7, and Charity Island, July 10; Ohio, Bay Point, July 3, Painesville, July 8, and Youngstown, July 27; Illinois, Chicago, July 2, and Peoria, July 13; Kentucky, Lexington, July 16; Maine, Portland, July 23; New Hampshire, Manchester, July 10; Vermont, St. Johnsbury, July 16, and Rutland, July 19; Massachusetts, Cape Cod, July 1, Ponkapog, July 16, and Dennis, July 25; Connecticut, New Haven, July 14, and Niantic, July 22; New York, Long Beach, July 3, Mastic, July 4, and Rochester, July 21; New Jersey, Tuckerton, July 3, Camden, July 7, and North Branch, July 8; Pennsylvania, Renovo, August 3, Beaver, August 11, Erie, August 13, and Pittsburgh, August 15; Maryland, Chesapeake Beach, August 16; South Carolina, Bulls Point, July 30; Georgia, Savannah, July 23; Alabama, Leighton, July 26; Florida, Palma Sola, July 9, James Island, July 20, and Pensacola, July 26; Bahama Islands, Long Island, July 16, Great Bahama, July 18, and Inagua, July 28; Cuba, Guantanamo, August 15, and Batabano, August 26; Jamaica, Port Henderson, August 2; Porto Rico, Mona Island, August 9, and Joyuda, August 28; Lesser Antilles, Barbuda, August 14, St. Vincent, August 20, and Trinidad, August 22; and Venezuela, Bonaire, July 23, Macuto, August 2, and La Guaira, August 10.

Late dates of fall departure are: Alaska, St. Paul Island, September 14; British Columbia, Chilliwack, September 11, and Okanagan Landing, September 15; Washington, Nisqually Flats, November 14; Oregon, Portland, September 7, Netarts Bay, September 11, and Tillamook, September 15; Montana, Corvallis, September 7; Utah, Ogden, October 8; Colorado, Denver, October 3, and Barr, October 5; Saskatchewan, Indian Head, September 4, and Rosetown, September 6; Manitoba, Aweme, September 26, and Margaret, October 3; North Dakota, Grafton, September 22; South Dakota, Forestburg, September 21, and Lacreek, September 29; Nebraska, Nebraska City, October 10, and Lincoln, November 11; Oklahoma, Copan, October 16; Minnesota, Lanesboro, September 15; Iowa, Emmetsburg, September 23, Keokuk, September 24, and Marshalltown, October 12; Ontario, Kingston, September 29, Ottawa, October 12, and Point Pelee, October 15; Michigan, Detroit, October 6; Ohio, Columbus, October 22, Youngstown, October 29, and Cleveland, November 9; Illinois, De Kalb, October 9; Missouri, Courtenay, November 9; Tennessee, October 23; Nova Scotia, Pictou, October 8; Quebec, Montreal, October 20; Maine, Lewiston, October 16; Massachusetts, Lynn, October 4, Taunton, October 7, and Woods Hole, October 30; New York, Sayville, October 6, Ithaca, October 12, Canandaigua, October 14, and Branchport, October 28; Maryland, Back River, November 3; and District of Columbia, Anacostia River, November 27.

_Casual records._--The least sandpiper has on a few occasions been detected outside of its normal range. Among these occurrences are: Chile (no definite locality [Salvin]); Greenland (Disko Fjord, August, 1878, Noursoak Peninsula, spring of 1867, and Frederikshaab, July, 1857); England (Cornwall, October 1853, and September, 1890, and Devonshire, September, 1869, and August, 1892); and northeastern Siberia (Belkoffsky, July 23, 1880, and Plover Bay, August 13, 1880).

_Egg dates._--Magdalen Islands: 79 records, June 3 to 30; 40 records, June 8 to 17. Labrador and Newfoundland: 13 records, June 7 to July 1; 7 records, June 15 to 25. Arctic Canada: 14 records, June 14 to July 8; 7 records, June 27 to July 1.

PISOBIA SUBMINUTA (Middendorff)

LONG-TOED STINT

HABITS

I prefer the above name, as adopted by Robert Ridgway (1919), to the Check List name, _damacensis_, as it seems to have more certain application. The status of the species and its nomenclature is fully discussed by Dr. Leonhard Stejneger (1885).

This is one of several Asiatic species that have gained places on our list as stragglers to Alaska. A specimen of the long-toed stint was taken by Dr. Charles H. Townsend on Otter Island, in the Pribilofs, on June 8, 1885, constituting the only North American record. As the species migrates regularly through the Commander Islands to Kamchatka, it would not be surprising if careful collecting in the western Aleutians showed it to occur frequently in North American territory. Its close resemblance to some other small sandpipers might easily cause it to be overlooked. Very little seems to be known about its habits.

_Spring._--Doctor Stejneger (1885) says:

The long-toed stint arrives at Bering Island in large flocks during
the latter part of May, and are then met with on sandy beaches,
where the surf has thrown up large masses of seaweed, busily
engaged in picking up the numerous small crustaceans, etc., with
which the weeds abound. Most of the birds stay only a few days,
going further north, while a small number remain over summer,
breeding sparingly on the large swamp behind the village. My
efforts to find the nests were unsuccessful, but I shot birds near
Zapornaja Reschka on the 17th and 22d of June, and on the 7th of
August.

W. Sprague Brooks (1915) reports birds seen or taken at points in Kamchatka on May 21 and 25, 1913, which probably were just arriving on their breeding grounds.

_Eggs._--I can find no description of the nesting habits of the long-toed stint in print and have located only one set of eggs. This is in Col. John E. Thayer's collection and has very scanty data. It was taken by O. Bernhaner at Lake Baikal, Siberia, on June 18, 1902; the nest was "placed on the ground." The four eggs in this set are ovate pyriform in shape and have hardly any gloss. The ground colors vary from "olive buff" to "deep olive buff." They are spotted, chiefly at the larger end, with "snuff brown," "sepia," and "warm sepia," with a few underlying spots of "pale brownish drab." They measure 28.3 by 20, 28 by 19.7, 28.5 by 20.7 and 28.3 by 20 millimeters.

_Plumages._--The downy young seems to be entirely unknown. I have not seen enough specimens to add anything to our knowledge of the molts. Mr. Ridgway (1919) has described the immature and seasonal plumages quite fully.

DISTRIBUTION

_Breeding range._--Said to breed in eastern Siberia, the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka, Bering Island, and south to the Kurile Islands. Eggs have been taken at Lake Baikal, Siberia, and it probably breeds in the valley of the Lena River, south of the Arctic Circle.

_Winter range._--The Malay Archipelago, India, Burma, Ceylon, the Philippines, and Australia.

_Migration._--It arrives on Bering Island during the latter part of May and on Kamchatka as early as May 21. Fall migrants reach the Philippines as early as August 10.

_Casual record._--Accidental on the Pribilof Islands, Otter Island, June 8, 1885.

_Egg date._--Siberia: 1 record, June 18.

PISOBIA RUFICOLLIS (Pallas)

RUFOUS-NECKED SANDPIPER

HABITS

A long time ago Col. John E. Thayer (1909) added this species to the North American list. In a lot of birds which he received from A. H. Dunham were a pair of adults and two young of the rufous-necked sandpiper, or eastern least stint, as it is also called. They were collected at Nome, Alaska, on July 10, 1908, where they had evidently bred. This record was discredited, however, and the species was placed on the hypothetical list. But the species was firmly established as a North American bird by Alfred M. Bailey (1926), who reported the capture of two specimens in Alaska, an adult female at Cape Prince of Wales on June 11, and a bird of the year at Wainwright on August 15, 1922. The birds were breeding in that vicinity, an offshoot from the main breeding range of the species in northeastern Siberia.

_Spring._--The main migration route is northward from southern Asia, the Philippine Islands, and even Australia, through the Kurile and Commander Islands and Kamchatka to its breeding grounds. Dr. Leonhard Stejneger (1885) says:

This species arrives at Bering Island late in May in rather large
flocks, but does not stay long. None were met with during the whole
summer, until, in the first half of September, they took a short
rest on the shores of our island before continuing their long
travel to the southward.

A large series of these birds was collected by the Jesup North Pacific expedition in northeastern Siberia. Dr. J. A. Allen (1905) quotes from the field notes of N. G. Buxton as follows:

Abundant spring and fall migrant, and some breed at Kooshka, but
the majority move farther inland during the breeding season. First
birds arrived May 28, and were common on the 30th in large flocks
and in company with the red backed. By June 5 they have paired or
passed on, and are not common again until the second week of July.
They have mostly gone by September 11. In habits similar to
_Pelidna alpina_.

_Nesting._--Mr. Bailey (1926) was fortunate enough to see a pair building their nest, along a stream bed on the high tundra at the base of Wales Mountain, Alaska; in his notes for June 14, 1922, he wrote:

With my glasses I watched a pair of little pink-necked sandpipers
as they worked around the grass at the foot of the hill. The male
would give up his searching among the dried grass stalks to
demonstrate his love for his little partner, upon which she would
take to wing and circle about. Finally she entered a little tussock
of grass, standing on her "nose" fluttering her tail and wings.
Soon the male pushed his way inside, too, and after a few more
rustling about, they took to wing. I looked in the grass and found
a little cavity which they were just lining with leaves. Upon
examining their nesting clump, I found a small pit, exactly similar
to the nest of the western sandpiper, in which they had deposited
about 20 small willow leaves. I marked the spot carefully, but upon
my return found the nest abandoned.

W. Sprague Brooks (1915) found a few pairs breeding at the head of Providence Bay, northeastern Siberia; he writes:

Two sets of fresh eggs, numbering three and four, respectively,
were taken on June 11, 1913; the male incubating one and the female
the other. Both birds when disturbed fluttered off the nest like
other sandpipers. The nests were cavities on small mounds of tundra
lined with dry willow leaves.

_Eggs._--I have been unable to locate any eggs of the rufous-necked sandpiper and do not know what became of the two sets referred to above. Joseph Dixon (1918) implies that the eggs resemble those of the spoonbill sandpiper.

_Plumages._--In the downy young the crown and upper parts are variegated with black, "tawny" and "warm buff"; the forehead, superciliary stripe and sides of the head and neck are "warm buff"; the under parts are white, washed on the breast with pale buff; a narrow median stripe on the forehead and a broader loral stripe are black. The specimen described above was taken at Cape Serdze, Siberia, on July 16, and shows the beginning of the juvenal plumage; the back and scapulars are well covered with young feathers and the wings are well started, though the bird is still very small and mostly downy. The feathers of the back and scapulars are black, broadly edged with "hazel," and the scapulars are tipped with white.

Older young and subsequent plumages are well described by Robert Ridgway (1919). The molts are apparently similar to those of other species in the genus. The postnuptial molt of the body plumage occurs mainly in August and the wings and tail are molted in January and February. I have seen birds in winter plumage as early as August 13 and as late as March 15. Probably the prenuptial molt of the body plumage takes place in April. In fresh nuptial plumage the bright colors of the upper parts are veiled with "drab-gray" tips, which soon wear away. There is much individual variation in the amount of rufous on the head, neck, and breast. Mr. Dixon (1918) says that in this plumage the rufous-necked sandpiper looks very much like the spoonbill sandpiper; and, as its behavior is similar, it might easily be mistaken for it.

DISTRIBUTION

_Breeding range._--Northeastern Siberia (probably the delta of the Lena River and the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, certainly at Providence Bay, Kooshka, and Cape Serdze); and northwestern Alaska (Cape Prince of Wales, Wainwright, and probably Nome.)

_Winter range._--The Malay Archipelago, the Philippines, and Australia.

_Migrations._--First arrivals reach Gichiga, Siberia, May 28, and they are mostly gone by September 11. They pass Bering Island late in May and again during the first half of September. One taken by G. Dallas Hanna on St. Paul Island, August 27, 1920. They have been taken in the Philippines as early as August 13. Japan, China, and Lake Baikal are included in the migration route.

PELIDNA ALPINA ALPINA (Linnaeus)

DUNLIN

HABITS

The well-known European dunlin has occurred occasionally as a straggler on our eastern coasts, Massachusetts and New York. It has probably occurred here more often than is known, for it closely resembles our red-backed sandpiper, especially in winter plumage. There is no reason why it should not occur here more often, for it is now known to breed regularly on the east coast of Greenland.

Thayer and Bangs (1914) thought, at one time, that we should recognize three races of the dunlin, which they designated as follows:

_Pelidna alpina alpina_ (Linn.), western Europe. Small, with
shortest, straightest bill; upper parts darker with less reddish;
heavily spotted (sometimes almost streaked) with dusky below,
between throat and black breast patch.

_Pelidna alpina pacifica_ Coues. North America. Much larger, with
much longer, more curved bill; upper parts paler with much more
reddish; much less heavily spotted with dusky below, between
throat and black breast patch.

_Pelidna alpina sakhalina_ (Vieill.) East Siberia. Size and length
and shape of bill intermediate between that of the other two
forms; colors much paler than in either; upper parts very pale
reddish, much mixed with gray; back of neck and top of head nearly
wholly pale gray; below very slightly spotted with dusky, between
throat and black breast patch (much less so, even than in
_pacifica_).

Recently, Mr. Bangs tells me, he has come to the conclusion that the Siberian bird should not be separated from the American, as the characters are too slight and rather intermediate. This seems like a wise decision, as the naming of intermediates is undesirable.

Much has been published on the habits of the dunlin, but, as they differ but little from those of our birds, it seems superfluous to write its full life history.

_Nesting._--Comparatively few of the great hosts of dunlins which visit England in fall and winter breed on the mainland of Great Britain. Macgillivray (1852) gives a good account of their nesting habits in Scotland, as follows:

The dunlins, in fact, breed in great numbers on the heaths of many
parts of Scotland and its larger islands, where they may be found
scattered in the haunts selected by the golden plovers, with which
they are so frequently seen in company that they have popularly
obtained the name of plovers' pages. Sometimes about the middle of
April, but always before that of May, they are seen dispersed over
the moors in pairs like the birds just named, which at this season
they greatly resemble in manners. From this period until the end of
August none are to be found along the shores of the sea, instead of
searching which, they now seek for insects and worms, in the
shallow pools, soft ground, and by the edges of lakes and marshes.
The male frequently flies up to a person intruding upon his haunts,
and sometimes endeavours to entice him away by feigning lameness.

Rev. Henry H. Slater (1898) says that the nest "is usually in a tussock of grass, a roughly made hollow, inartistically lined with grass, but often carefully concealed in the herbage."

A. L. V. Manniche (1910) found the dunlin a common breeding bird on the northeast coast of Greenland. He writes:

The nests are most frequently built on hillocks with long grass. I
found, however, not seldom nests of dunlins on small islets covered
with short grass, but always near to or surrounded by shallow
water. The dunlin's nest is often placed on similar spots, and has
the same exterior as that of the phalarope, but it can easily be
distinguished, as the bottom of the dunlin's nest is always lined
with a few withered leaves of _Salix arctica_, while the phalarope
uses bent straws as layer for its eggs. On spots where many dunlins
nest several newly scratched but half-finished nests may always be
found; they are probably left because the birds have found the
ground too wet. The dunlins like to nest on moors and bogs partly
irrigated by melted snow streaming down from the rocks. On such
places I found many nests with eggs and newborn downy young, which
were lying close together in broods carefully guarded by the old
female, on isolated larger hillocks surrounded by the ice-cold snow
water. When the flood of melting snow is unusually strong, such
localities may be completely inundated, and then not only the eggs
but also the frail young ones, which are not yet able to save
themselves by swimming through the cold water to dry spots, will be
destroyed.

_Eggs._--The great amount of variation in the beautiful eggs of the dunlin is well illustrated in Frank Poynting's (1895) fine colored plate of 12 eggs. Herbert Massey (1913) gives a better description of the eggs than I can give, so I quote him, as follows:

The eggs of this species resemble those of _G. gallinago_ very
closely in color, but in comparing a series (74 sets or 296 eggs)
with that of _G. gallinago_ one is struck by the greater proportion
of the lighter ground colors in the dunlin, the very deep olives
and the very dark browns being almost absent. On the other hand,
the beautiful light blue-green and the pale buff are rare in _G.
gallinago_. The surface spots are chiefly two shades of brown, a
rich red and a dark brown, with, in many cases, spots of violet
gray. In _T. alpina_ it is rare to find the two shades of brown in
the same egg, as is often the case with _G. gallinago_. The
markings are very varied, some eggs dusted all over with tiny
specks, others with specks and fair-sized spots, and again others
with great blotches of color, chiefly at the larger end. The
pattern markings on the eggs of the same set are often very
dissimilar. Many of the eggs of this species show the spiral
arrangement of the spots. The eggs are very glossy, and on this
account have a brighter appearance than eggs of _G. gallinago_. I
have only one set entirely without gloss.

The number of eggs is normally four, occasionally only three, and as many as five and even six have been found in a nest. The measurements of 100 eggs, furnished by Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, average 34.3 by 24.4 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure =38.3= by 25.4, 35 by =25.8=, =31.3= by 23.2, and 32 by =23= millimeters.

_Young._--Incubation is shared by both sexes and requires 22 days. Macgillivray (1852) says of the young:

Like those of the golden plover and lapwing, they leave the nest
immediately after exclusion from the egg, run about, and when
alarmed conceal themselves by sitting close to the ground and
remaining motionless. If at this period a person approaches their
retreat, the male especially, but frequently the female also, flies
up to meet the intruder and uses the same artifices for deceiving
him as many other birds of this family. After they are able to
shift for themselves the young remain several weeks on the moors
with their parents, both collecting into small flocks, which are
often intermingled with those of the golden plover, and often in
the evenings uniting into larger. They rest at night on the
smoother parts of the heath, and both species, when resting by day,
either stand or lie on the ground. When one advances within a
hundred yards of such a flock it is pleasant to see them stretch up
their wings, as if preparing for flight, utter a few low notes, and
immediately stand on the alert, or run a short way; but at this
season they are not at all shy.

Seton Gordon (1915), after giving a charming account of the breeding haunts of the dunlin in Scotland, has this to say about the solicitude of a devoted mother.

It was about this time that I saw the hen in precisely the same
locality as before. She showed much more anxiety than the cock,
uttering almost incessantly two alarm notes as she walked round me.
One of these notes was the characteristic trill, unlike, I think,
any other cry in the bird world; the other, which appeared to be
the note of extra alarm, was a harsh cry reminding me much of the
alarm note of the lesser tern. In order to observe the effect, I
called several times, imitating the cry of one of her chicks. The
effect was striking and instantaneous; the bird rushed up in alarm
and literally rolled herself about on the ground with feathers
ruffled. She, indeed, presented such an appearance that it was
quite impossible to see her head or feet emerging from the
disheveled bundle into which she rolled herself. Evidently her
tactics were quite different--considerably less elegant, but
perhaps equally forcible--to those used by the dotterel under
similar circumstances. After a time she began to realize that her
deception was producing no effect on the object of her mistrust,
and moved anxiously round me.

_Plumages._--In natal down the young dunlin is similar to the young red-backed sandpiper, but is paler in color, more buffy, and less rufous. The subsequent molts and plumages are similar to those of our American bird. They are well described in Witherby's (1920) Handbook.

_Food._--Macgillivray (1852) made some careful observations on the feeding habits of dunlins, which are well worth quoting, as follows:

Being in a muddy place, which probably afforded a good supply of
food, they did not run much, but yet moved quickly about, with
their legs a little bent, the body horizontal, the head a little
declined, and the bill directed forward toward the ground at an
angle of about 45°. I observed that they seemed in general merely
to touch the surface, but also sometimes to introduce their bill
into the mud for about a fourth of its length; but this was always
with a rapid tapping and somewhat wriggling movement, and not by
thrusting it in sedately. This flock having flown away, I observed
another of about 12 individuals alight at a little distance on the
other side of the mill stream. Being very intent on tapping the
mud, they allowed me to approach within 10 paces, so that I could
see them very distinctly. I examined the marks made by them in the
mud. Although it was soft, very few footmarks were left, but the
place was covered with numberless small holes made by their bills,
and forming little groups, as if made by the individual birds
separately. Of these impressions very many were mere hollows not
much larger than those on a thimble, and not a twelfth of an inch
deep; others scarcely perceptible, while a few were larger,
extending to a depth of two-twelfths; and here and there one or two
to the depth of nearly half an inch. On scraping the mud, I could
perceive no worms or shells. It is thus clear that they search by
gently tapping, and it appears that they discover the object of
their search rather by the kind of resistance which it yields than
by touch like that of the human skin.

Witherby's (1920) Handbook says that the food is mainly animal and includes mollusks, worms, crustaceans (shrimps and sandhoppers), insects (beetles, flies, etc.), and spiders.

_Behavior._--The habits of the European dunlin seem to be the same as those of our bird. It is equally tame and confiding, unless shot at too much, and it has the same habit of flying in large, closely bunched flocks. John T. Nichols tells me that some that he saw near Liverpool in September, "when on the ground, moved about very actively for the most part (contrasted with the sluggishness of the redback as we know it in migration) and presented a low, hunch-shouldered figure." Abel Chapman (1924) says:

On one occasion, on May 14, seeing three small waders floating on
the mirror-like surface of the tide and quite 200 yards offshore,
we punted out to them in full anticipation of having at last fallen
in with phalaropes. Curiously, the trio proved to be dunlins, a
species I can not recall having seen contentedly swimming in deep
water on any other occasion.

DISTRIBUTION

_Breeding range._--Northern Europe: Iceland, the Faroes, British Isles, northern coasts of Germany, northern Russia east to Kolguev, Spitzbergen, and probably Nova Zembla. South to Holland and rarely to northern Spain and northern Italy. Replaced by one or more other forms in Siberia, to which Asiatic migrants probably belong.

_Winter range._--Great Britain, Madeira, the Canaries, the Mediterranean, northern and eastern Africa as far south as Zanzibar, the Red Sea, and perhaps India.

_Casual records._--Accidental in North America; Shinnecock Bay, Long Island, New York, September 15, 1892; Chatham, Massachusetts, August 11, 1900. It has probably been many times overlooked.

_Egg dates._--Orkney Islands: 50 records, May 12 to June 27; 25 records, May 20 to June 2. Iceland: 16 records, May 18 to June 16; 8 records, June 3 to 12.

PELIDNA ALPINA SAKHALINA (Vieillot)

RED-BACKED SANDPIPER

HABITS

Although this sandpiper is certainly red-backed enough to deserve the name, it seems to me that American dunlin would be a better name, as it is only subspecifically distinct from the well-known European dunlin. The doubtful question as to whether a third subspecies should be recognized on the Pacific coast has been referred to under the preceding form.

_Spring._--It is a hardy bird and perhaps a lazy bird for it winters farther north than most of its tribe and makes shorter migrations than any of the waders that breed in Arctic regions. From its winter range well within the United States it migrates northward from Florida and the Carolinas along the Atlantic coast to the Middle States, rarely to New England, through the Great Lakes region, and along the west coast of Hudson Bay to its summer home on the barren grounds. C. J. Pennock tells me he has seen it in Florida, Wakulla County, as late as May 26; I found it very abundant and in fine spring plumage on the coastal islands of South Carolina on May 22 and 23; and I have seen it near Corpus Christi, Texas, as late as May 29. These are all late dates, however, for the migration starts in April and is generally completed in May. A single bird which I saw on the coast of Louisiana on June 22, 1910, was a nonbreeding loiterer. A. G. Lawrence and C. G. Harrold both record it in their notes as common in Manitoba from the middle to the last of May (12 to 29). William Rowan, however, finds it rare in Alberta.

There is a heavy northward migration along the Pacific coast. In some notes sent to me by D. E. Brown from Grays Harbor, Washington, he says:

This bird, next to the western sandpiper, was by far the most
abundant of all the shore birds. It was noted in immense flocks the
day of my arrival, May 3, and was very common when I left, May 24.
Mixed flocks of this species and western sandpipers must have
contained 6,000 or 7,000 birds.

Herbert W. Brandt in his manuscript notes says:

The red-backed sandpiper is one of the most abundant shore birds
inhabiting the Hooper Bay region, confining itself almost entirely
to the low-lying flats. The Eskimos first reported this hardy
species on May 10 and two days later we collected our first
specimen at Point Dall. They were common in loose flocks by May 15
and abundant by May 20. At that time they were often associated
with the Aleutian sandpiper, to which, in the field, they bear a
marked resemblance. Soon after the later date the flocks
disintegrated into mated couples and they then repaired to their
lowland breeding haunts.

_Courtship._--Dr. E. W. Nelson (1887) gives an attractive account of the courtship of this species, as follows:

Soon after they arrive in spring they are engaged in pairing, and
the males may be seen upon quivering wings flying after the female
and uttering a musical, trilling note, which falls upon the ear
like the mellow tinkle of large water drops falling rapidly into a
partly filled vessel. Imagine the sounds thus produced by the water
run together into a steady and rapid trill some 5 to 10 seconds in
length, and the note of this sandpiper is represented. It is not
loud but has a rich full tone, difficult to describe, but pleasant
to hear among the discordant notes of the various waterfowl whose
hoarse cries arise on all sides. As the lover's suit approaches its
end the handsome suitor becomes exalted, and in his moments of
excitement he rises 15 or 20 yards, and, hovering on tremulous
wings over the object of his passion, pours forth a perfect gush of
music, until he glides back to earth exhausted, but ready to repeat
the effort a few minutes later. The female coyly retreats before
the advances of the male, but after various mishaps each bird finds
its partner for the summer and they start off house hunting in all
the ardor of a rising honeymoon.

Mr. Brandt in his manuscript notes describes it a little differently, thus:

The red-backed sandpiper, often called the American dunlin, arrives
in flocks, the individuals of which are apparently not all mated. A
female will jump up and be immediately pursued by two to five
males, and as they all twist about, in and out, twittering all the
time, the alternate flashing of their reddish backs and black lower
parts seems like the signals of the telegraphic code. The males
appear never to catch the females, but to try to keep as close to
them as possible. When they alight again in the flock whence they
started they at once resume feeding without further display. The
thrilling song of this dainty bird is delivered while hovering with
quivering wing beats in mid-air. It appears as if both male and
female carry on the vocal effort, which sounds something like the
cheery tinkling of ice in a glass, and ends with a real lover's
note _dear, dear, dear_. This is repeated again and again and is
one of the pleasant characteristic songs of the marshy grass-woven
flats, where the discords of waterfowl prevail. After the fastest
male has captured his elusive sweetheart the two retire to their
chosen place on the flats to take up their more serious duties.
Here the female lays her eggs, often in a situation that is moist,
and never very far from a small pond or slough.

_Nesting._--The same observer says of the nest:

The home of the red-backed sandpiper is almost always found on a
dry eminence in the widespread grassy tidelands, where, near some
pool under the damp matted vegetation of the previous year,
sufficient concealment is afforded. Here in a mere depression in
the ground, still frozen underneath, a fragile nest is hurriedly
made of dry grass stems and filled, rather than lined, with the
tiny crisp leaves of the berry-bearing plants, that are deposited
by the flood tides of autumn in this area. The range of
measurements of 25 nests is: Inside diameter, 3-1/2 to 4 inches;
inside depth 2 to 3 inches; total depth, 3 to 5 inches.

This sandpiper is among the early nesters, we having taken the
first completed set of eggs on May 29, while by June 1 we had
discovered 75. The middle of June found the downy young bursting
forth, dainty creatures clad in black and brown with markings
similar to those of the other sandpiper chicks.

Dr. Joseph Grinnell (1900) found this species breeding on the Arctic coast of Alaska, about 20 miles northeast of Cape Prince of Wales, on June 27 and 28; he writes:

The birds were found scattered out on the tundras whence they could
be flushed from their nests or from where they had been feeding.
One nest was a cup-shaped cavity slightly lined with grasses and
sunk into the top of a hummock of moss surrounded by marshy ground.
The two others found were similarly located except that they were
embedded in clumps of grass, and mostly hidden from view by the
surrounding blades. Each nest contained four eggs. One was fresh
but the other two were considerably incubated.

Prof. Wells W. Cooke (1912) made the statement that this species has two breeding areas "separated by nearly 1,500 miles of Arctic coast, from Point Barrow to the Boothia Peninsula," where "there seems to be no certain record of the occurrence of the red-backed sandpiper." This is far from true, for it is well known to breed there and eggs have been taken at many places along the Arctic coast.

_Eggs._--Herbert W. Brandt (Mss.) describes his series of 120 eggs of this sandpiper very well, as follows: