I 24 g
B A R T R A M I A N S A N D P I P E R .
TOTA.XUS BARTRAMIUS, Temm.
PLATE ecoiii. M»!.k and Ìemale.
The Bartramian Sandpiper is the most truly terrestrial of its tribe
"with which I am acquainted. It is even more inclined, at all seasons,8
to keep away from the water, than the Kildeer' Plover, which may often
be seen wading in shallow pools, or searching along the sandy or
muddy margins of the shores of the sea, or of fresh-water lakes and
streams. -Although not unfréijpiently met with in the vicinity «if such
places-,:1"!® never ventures to wade into them; and yet the form and
length of its legs and feet would naturally inducftHa person not acquainted
with its habits to consider it as a wading bird.
The dry upland plains of those sections of Louisiana called Opellousas
and Attacapas, are amply peopled with this species in early
spring, as well as in autumn, They arrive there from the vast prairies:
of Texas and Mexico, where they spend the winter, in the beginning
of March, or about the period of the first, appearance of the Martins,
Hi/rimilo pwpwrea, and return about the first of 'August. Tlioy are
equally abundant on all the western prairies on either side of the Missouri,
whore, however, they arrive.about a month later than in Louisiana,
whence they disperse over the United States, reaching the middle
districts early in May, and the State of Maine by the middle of that
month, or about the same period at which they are seen in Indiana,
Kentucky, and Ohio. Some proceed as far north as the plains adjoining
the Saskatchewan River, where Dr Richardson met with this species
in the month of May.
It has been supposed that the Bartramian Sandpiper never forms large
flocks, but this is not correet, for in the neighbourhood of New Orleans,
where it is called the " Papabote," it usually arrives in great bands in
spring, and is met with on the open plains and large grassy savannahs,
where it generally remains about two week%" though sometimes individuals
may be seen asla^e as the 15th of May. I have observed the
same eircumstanéii on our western prairies, but have thought that
they were afterwards obliged to separate into small flocks, ór even into
BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER. 25'
pairs, as soon as they are ready to seek proper places for breeding m,
for I have seldom found mor.c than two pairs with nests or young m
the same field or piece of ground. On their first arrival, they are generally
thin,: but on their return southward, in the. beginning of Angus
«, when they tarry in Louisiana until the first of October, they are
fat.and juicy. I have observed, that in spring, when they are poor,
thJy are usually much-less shy than in autumn, when they are exceedingly
wary and difficult of approach ; but this general observation is not
without exceptions, and the différence, I think, depends on the nature
of the localities in which they happen to'be found at either period-
When on riew^ploughod fields, which they are fond of frequenting,
they, see ajpferson at a greater distance than when, they are: searching
for food among the slender grasses-of the plains. I have also thought
that the size of the flocks may depend upon similar contingencies, for
this bird is by no means fond of the: society of man.
Like the Spotted Sandpiper, Tot-amis mwiuiarius, they not unfrequently
alight on fenees, trees, and outhouses», but whether in such
situations or on the ground,, they Seldom settle without raising both
wings upright to their full extent, and uttering: their: loud and prolonged,
but pleasing notes. -They run with great activity, stop suddenly,
and vibrate their body once or twice. When earnestly followed
by the sportsman, they lower their heads in the manner of Wii-son's
Plover, and the species:: called the Piping, and run off rapidlji,,or squat,
according to the urgency of the, occasion. At other times, they partially
extend their wings,.run a few.steps as if about toffy, and then
.. Cunningly move:'off sideways, and conceal themselves among the grass,
or behind a clod. You are not milrec|ucntly rendered aware of your
being within sight of them, by unexpectedly hearing their: plaintive
and mellow notes, a circumstanc^however, which I always concluded
to be indicative of the wariness, of their disposition, for although you
have just heard those well-known cries, yet, on searching for the bird,
you nowhere see it, for the cunning creature: has slipped away and hid
itself. When wounded in the wing, they run to a great distance, and
are rarely found.
Like all experienced travellers, they appear to accommodate themselves
to circumstances as regards their food, for in Louisiana, they
feed on cantharidès and other coleopterous insects ; in Massachusetts on
grasshoppers, on which my friend Nut t a l l says, they soon grow very