New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-26
DOE BIRDS.
THEIR HABITS AND THEIR HABITAT.

DOE BIRDS.
THEIR HABITS AND THEIR HABITAT.
To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: In Tho Sunday Tribune Of the 7th instant was
IN article about Doe Birds The name "Doe
Birds is new to me, but the birds themselves are
familiar nom the description given. The scientific
name is Bartramia longcauda" and 1t Is variouslv
called I" Bartram's Sandpper" "Tattler," upland
sandpiper.' Highland snipe" etc. Wilson, in his
Volume VII. 1918, named 1t after william Bartram 1t
s found throughout the country east OF the Rocky
Mountains, from Maine to Manitoba Louisiana and
Texas. At Bangor Rockland, Bath and Portland Me-;
Portsmouth, n H.. and at Ipswich and other places
In Massachusetts, It r. called "Upand Piover." 1t is
generally called "Upland Plover" in the East, and
equally" on the Assiniboiue. At Banegat and other
places In New-JerScy and Columbus. Ohio It is COM
monty called Field Plover." 1t Is also called High
land Plovcr," Pasture Plovero Uplander" and Hill
Bird" at various places in New England. and Grass
Plover" and Humility on Long Island :" Gray Po-
ver" at Belport, "Plan PlOvern ut Seaford, and at
Washington, D. c. besides some Of the above, Corn.
field Pover." Or. COues. In 1874, speaks Of it as
I" Prairie Pigeon" between the Mississippi and the
Rocky Mountains. In Southern Wisconsin ii was for
msrly s74) called Prairie Plover." and also Prairie
Snipe" At NcwOrleans, La, It is tho Papabot' or
Papabottc 1t is also called in various places in the
United States, "PepperPod," Butter Ball." etc. At
Brownsville Tex and Matamoras. Mexico. it is called
is we'll known by local huntsmen there as upland
Plover.n
Its manner OF passage Is very curious In April
and May It crosses the Rio Grande, going North from
tho coast lands OF the State Of Tamaupas, Mexico,
into Texas. They are then generally pretty thin,
although i have found some that were fair eating.
This is after the last cold norher. In August and
September and before tile first cold norther Of the
coming season, they return and go to the South At
this time they very fat and II one Is shot twenty
feet up In tile it will often burst open on striking
the ground. ON going North in April and May they
spend about ten days only in one neighborhood. but
returning fat in August and September they stay nearly
q MONTH This, however. Is due In part to plenty OF
damp pasture and fresh young grass on their return
They invariably crossed the river at night ana their
peculiar whistllng call they went over the cities
was carefully listened to and identified by local sports
men, 10 he followed up the next day. One OF these
gentlemen, now dead declared that 1t was the only
game bird he had ever shot that would not squat TO
dog. Our usual and most successful method oil hunt
ing Is In carriage. ] stand up, or even sit on the
top the carriage and by driving toward the flock al
an angle, can get close to them as chose We
usually make shot on the ground and tile SECOND
barrel as they RISE In first days sport, however,
have often shot right and left and followed up
large flock OF them some distance before they woUld
RISE After little shooting they rise quicker after
a shot from the carriage. You can't get anywhere
near them OH foot. We had Mexican boy down there
who mad a horse trained to 60 before him while ne
rounded up q flock into bunch and shot dozen at
q time with old smooth-borc musket. lie WAS al
ways handy to buy from II we had bad luck.
Here at Nuevo Laredo VIC have heard them whistlng
every night for week, crossing the river going sOuth
but the, country is so dry they are not stopping
much. However, we hope 10 60 ont tonight and get
q couple Of dozen.
AS general average they may be described as fol-
lows; (See Trumbulls "Birds." 1881 above,
mixture Of the feathers edged with
slightly reddish rusty white neck lighter. yellow
sh brown with dusky sreaks sides OF head light aso
top of head dark brown; arrow head markings about
front Of breast and lower neck throat and belly white
with buff tnts inner surface of wings prety barred
gray and white; tall, mixture OF yellowlsh Drown
and white speclded and bloched with black Legs 0f
live brd) light gray tinged with greenish-yellow.
Bill Give bird), black above and at tip the remainder
bright yellow"
Trumbulps measurements, which have personally
verified (taken from seven freshly killed birds)
Length eleven and quarter to twelve and quarter
inches extent, twenty one and thrce-eghts to twenty
top o about uS one and three. sxteenths inches
The meat is dark brown but very gamy and IN their
Southern journey, in August and September very fat
Yin that this bird has great n1m N, sSoe Of
s: i IL Aassy Ss hS V a"S
be familiar 70 all spormssn n,s and ,snna IT
Its habits In other places but whenever we heard the
R Rs sSs sS e ss s Il ap Or
that season; When they returned; the last days Of
August the fore part Of september 1t was always
well ahead Of the first norter of the fall one season
when had very nice feeding for them IN Septeli,
her they STAYED in the neighborhOOd until the 1st
Of October. Then We had a slight nother: aud when
went out the next dy for than met
piover was to be found Two days before there had
been thousands.
do not see any reason for the mistake but ! find
that people confuse this Upland Ployer, with i'm
the Jack Sniper-" Gallinago Dencato,' probably the
gamest game bird In the world. There is slight re-
semblance I'm the cooring but the snipe has much
latter also has much more white In the under color
ings While the pover is extremely difficult to APP
proach. except In carriage or by pushing morse IN
front Of you, yet when you take advantage OF tesS
weaknesses, il is about stupid as bird can be-
have fired three shots into flock OF ten or fifteen
from the carriage before the rest of them would rise
Then they went only short distance; 200 or 3 tEo
same ease. I never shot them with dogs. SO ! DON'T
know how they would act. SPohlSMAN.
NeXcO Sent 13, 1890.