Part 114

Bill longer than the head, subulate, slender, straight, or recurved, or decurved; upper mandible with the nasal groove very long, the edges flattened or rounded, the tip generally rather obtuse; lower mandible with the angle extremely long and narrow, the sides longitudinally grooved. Nostrils basal, linear, small. Head rather small, oblong, anteriorly rounded; neck of moderate length or long; body ovate, deep. Legs generally long, slender; tarsus long, compressed, scutellate; toes generally four, first small, sometimes wanting; anterior toes of moderate length, slender. Claws small, arched, compressed, rather acute. Wings long, pointed, with the first quill longest, and the inner secondaries tapering and much elongated; tail rather short, of twelve feathers. Tongue long, slender, trigonal, pointed; œsophagus of moderate width, stomach oblong or roundish, moderately muscular, with dense rugous epithelium; intestine long, of moderate width; cœca rather long, cylindrical, contracted at the base. Trachea flattened, with a single pair of inferior laryngeal muscles.

GENUS I. TRINGA, Linn. SANDPIPER.

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, 12-1/2, 22. Female, 13, 22-3/4.

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.

In summer, the bill and feet black, upper part of the head and hind neck light grey, tinged with buff, and longitudinally streaked or spotted with dusky; fore part of back and scapulars variegated with brownish-black and yellowish, and each feather with several spots of the latter, and tipped with whitish; hind part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, barred with black; wing-coverts ash-grey, edged with paler; alula and primary coverts brownish-black, tipped with white; primaries similar, their shafts, and the outer margins of all, excepting the first three white, the inner webs toward the base light grey; secondaries and their coverts grey, margined with white; sides of head, fore part of neck, breast, and abdomen, rich brownish-orange; lower tail-coverts and feathers of legs white, each of the former with a central dusky arrow-shaped or elongated spot; axillaries white, barred with dusky; lower wing-coverts dusky with white margins. In winter the bill greenish-black, feet yellowish-green; upper parts deep ash-grey, each feather margined with whitish; feathers of rump greyish-white; upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky; quills and tail as in summer; a band from the bill over the eye to the hind part of the head, white; loral space, cheeks, and sides of neck pale grey, streaked with darker; throat and lower parts white; sides, axillar feathers, and lower wing-coverts, barred or spotted with dusky; lower tail-coverts as in summer. Young in autumn like the adult in winter, but each feather on the upper parts with a narrow margin of white, within which is a dusky line.

Male, 10-1/4, 21.

In autumn and spring ranges along the coast from Texas to Labrador. Breeds in the Fur Countries, to a very high latitude. Common.

Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Tringa cinerea, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 36. Winter.

Red-breasted Sandpiper, Tringa rufa, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 57. Summer.

Tringa islandica, Bonap. Syn. p. 350.

Tringa cinerea, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 387.

Knot or Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 125.

Knot or Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Tringa islandica, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 130.

330. 3. Tringa pectoralis, Bonap. Pectoral Sandpiper.

Plate CCXCIV. Male and Female.

Bill dull olive-green, dusky towards the point; feet dull yellowish-green; upper part of head reddish-brown, the central part of each feather brownish-black; a faint whitish line from the bill to a little beyond the eye; lores dusky; sides of head and anterior and lateral parts of neck, with a portion of the breast, light brownish-grey, with longitudinal dark brown lines; chin, breast, and abdomen white; feathers of the upper part brownish-black, edged with reddish-brown, those on the wings lighter; primary quills dusky, outer secondaries tinged with grey, and narrowly tipped with white, inner like the back; tail-feathers light brownish-grey, slightly margined and tipped with white, the two central dark like the back.

Male, 9-1/4, 18.