SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

Totanus macularius, Temm.

Le Chevalier perle.

Tarts elegant little Sandpiper is most intimately allied to the well-known Common Sandpiper (Zotanus
hypoleucos), which pays its annual visit during the summer months to the brooks and rivulets of our island ;
but, unlike this latter bird, its visits are of the most rare occurrence, no instance having come under our own
observation. IM. Temminck states that it occurs accidentally on the shores of the Baltic, and in some of the
provinces of Germany, but never in Holland. The native country of this bird appears to be the arctic regions
of both continents ; but it is most abundant in America, extending from these high latitudes over the whole of
the United States, where it appears to take up the same situation as the Totanus hypoleucos, frequenting
Pennsylvania, and the rivers Schuylkill and Delaware, as we are informed by Wilson, from whose valuable work
we have taken the liberty of extracting an account of the habits and manners of this bird, which we have
not had the opportunity of observing. ‘‘ This species is as remarkable for perpetually wagging the tail, as
some others are for nodding the head ; for whether running on the ground or on fences, along rails or in the
water, this motion seems continual ; even the young, as soon as they are freed from the shell, run about
constantly wagging the tail. About the middle of May they resort to the corn-fields to breed, where I have
frequently found and examined their nests. One of these now before me, and which was built at the root of
a hill of Indian corn, on high ground, is composed wholly of short pieces of dry straw. The eggs are four,
of a pale clay or cream colour, marked with large irregular spots of black, and more thinly with others of a
paler tint. They are large in proportion to the size of the bird, measuring an inch and a quarter in length,
very thick at the great end, and tapering suddenly to the other. The young run about with wonderful speed
as soon as they leave the shell, and are then covered with a down of a dull drab colour, marked with a single
streak of black down the middle of the back, and with another behind the ear. They have a weak plaintive
note.” To this we may add, that the young in this stage of its existence, being destitute of the spotted
markings of the breast, is very like the young of the Common Sandpiper; its smaller size, however, will
always distinguish it. ‘‘ On the approach of any person, the parents exhibit symptoms of great distress,
counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along the ground with seeming difficulty. ... . The flight of this bird is
usually low, skimming along the surface of the water, its long wings making a considerable angle downwards
from the body, while it utters a rapid cry of weet, weet, weet, as it flutters along, seldom steering in a direct
line up or down a river, but making a long circuitous sweep, stretching a great way out, and gradually
bending in again to the shore.”

The tip and upper mandible of the bill ‘ dusky, basal part orange ; stripe over the eye, and lower eyelid,
pure white ; whole upper parts a glossy olive, with greenish reflections, each feather marked with waving
spots of dark brown ; quills dusky black ; bastard wing bordered and tipped with white ; a spot of white on
the middle of the inner vane of each guill-feather, except the first ; secondaries tipped with white ; tail
rounded, the six middle feathers greenish olive, the other three on each side white barred with black ; whole
lower parts white, beautifully marked with roundish spots of black, small and thick on the throat and bree
larger and thinner and well defined as they descend to the tail ; legs of a yellow clay colour ; claws black.

“The female is as thickly spotted below as the male ; but the young birds of both sexes are pure white
below, without any spots : they also want the orange on the Iola .

We have figured an adult male, and a young bird of the first autumn, of the natural size.