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Title: Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2) Author: Arthur Cleveland Bent Release Date: October 3, 2014 [EBook #47028] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NORTH AMERICAN SHORE BIRDS, PART 1 *** Produced by Chris Curnow, Matthias Grammel, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net DOVER BOOKS ON BIRDS AUDUBON'S BIRDS OF AMERICA COLORING BOOK, John James Audubon. (23049-X) $1.50 ROSEATE SPOONBILL, Robert Porter Allen. (21566-0) $2.50 BIRD STUDY, Andrew J. Berger. (22699-9) $4.00 BIRD SONG AND BIRD BEHAVIOR, Donald J. Borror. (22779-0) Record and manual $3.50 COMMON BIRD SONGS, Donald J. Borror. (21829-5) Record and manual $4.00 SONGS OF EASTERN BIRDS, Donald J. Borror. (22378-7) Record and album $3.50 SONGS OF WESTERN BIRDS, Donald J. Borror. (22765-0) Record and album $3.50 BIRD OF THE NEW YORK AREA, John Bull. (23222-0) $6.00 WHAT BIRD IS THIS?, Henry H. 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(23195-X) $6.00 Life Histories of North American Shore Birds Life Histories of North American Shore Birds BY ARTHUR CLEVELAND BENT IN TWO PARTS Part I DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC. NEW YORK Published in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario. Published in the United Kingdom by Constable and Company, Ltd., 10 Orange Street, London WC 2. This Dover edition, first published in 1962, is an unabridged and unaltered republication of the work originally published by the United States Government Printing Office. Part I was originally published in 1927 as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 142; Part II was originally published in 1929 as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 146. International Standard Book Number: 0-486-20933-4 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 62-51562 Manufactured in the United States of America Dover Publications, Inc. 180 Varick Street New York, N. Y. 10014 ADVERTISEMENT THE SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM INCLUDE TWO SERIES, KNOWN, RESPECTIVELY, AS Proceedings AND Bulletin. The Proceedings, BEGUN IN 1878, IS INTENDED PRIMARILY AS A MEDIUM FOR THE PUBLICATION OF ORIGINAL PAPERS, BASED ON THE COLLECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, THAT SET FORTH NEWLY ACQUIRED FACTS IN BIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND GEOLOGY, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW FORMS AND REVISIONS OF LIMITED GROUPS. COPIES OF EACH PAPER, IN PAMPHLET FORM, ARE DISTRIBUTED AS PUBLISHED TO LIBRARIES AND SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS AND TO SPECIALISTS AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN THE DIFFERENT SUBJECTS. THE dates at which these separate papers are published are recorded in the table of contents of each of the volumes. The Bulletin, THE FIRST OF WHICH WAS ISSUED IN 1875, CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF SEPARATE PUBLICATIONS COMPRISING MONOGRAPHS OF LARGE ZOOLOGICAL GROUPS AND OTHER GENERAL SYSTEMATIC TREATISES (OCCASIONALLY IN SEVERAL VOLUMES), FAUNAL WORKS, REPORTS OF EXPEDITIONS, CATALOGUES OF TYPE-SPECIMENS, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, AND OTHER MATERIAL OF SIMILAR NATURE. THE MAJORITY OF THE VOLUMES ARE OCTAVO IN SIZE, BUT A QUARTO SIZE HAS BEEN ADOPTED IN A FEW INSTANCES IN WHICH LARGE PLATES WERE REGARDED AS INDISPENSABLE. IN THE Bulletin SERIES APPEAR VOLUMES UNDER THE HEADING Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, IN OCTAVO FORM, PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM SINCE 1902, WHICH CONTAIN PAPERS relating to the botanical collections of the Museum. The present work forms No. 142 of the Bulletin series. ALEXANDER WETMORE, Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution. WASHINGTON, D. C., November 15, 1927. [Pg i] TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Order Limicolae 1 Family Phalaropodidae 1 Phalaropus fulicarius 1 Red phalarope 1 Habits 1 Distribution 14 Lobipes lobatus 15 Northern phalarope 15 Habits 15 Distribution 26 Steganopus tricolor 28 Wilson phalarope 28 Habits 28 Distribution 35 Family Recurvirostridae 37 Recurvirostra americana 37 American avocet 37 Habits 37 Distribution 44 Himantopus mexicanus 47 Black-necked stilt 47 Habits 47 Distribution 53 Family Scolopacidae 54 Scolopax rusticola 54 European woodcock 54 Habits 54 Distribution 60 Rubicola minor 61 American woodcock 61 Habits 61 Distribution 75 Capella gallinago gallinago 78 European snipe 78 Habits 78 Distribution 81 Capella gallinago delicata 81 Wilson snipe 81 Habits 81 Distribution 94 Capella media 98 Great snipe 98 Habits 98 Distribution 101 Lymnocryptes minimus 101 Jack snipe 101 Habits 101 Distribution 105 Limnodromus griseus griseus 106 Eastern dowitcher 106 Habits 106 Distribution 113 Limnodromus griseus scolopaceus 115 Long-billed dowitcher 115 Habits 115 Distribution 121 Micropalama himantopus 122 Stilt sandpiper 122 Habits 122 Distribution 129 Calidris canutus rufus 131 American knot 131 Habits 131 Distribution 143 Calidris tenuirostris 145 Eastern Asiatic knot 145 Arquatella maritima 146 Purple sandpiper 146 [Pg iii] [Pg iv] Habits 146 Distribution 151 Arquatella ptilocnemis ptilocnemis 152 Pribilof sandpiper 152 Habits 152 Distribution 158 Arquatella ptilocnemis couesi 159 Aleutian sandpiper 159 Habits 159 Distribution 166 Pisobia acuminata 167 Sharp-tailed sandpiper 167 Habits 167 Distribution 169 Pisobia maculata 169 Pectoral sandpiper 169 Habits 169 Distribution 177 Pisobia fuscicollis 181 White-rumped sandpiper 181 Habits 181 Distribution 191 Pisobia bairdi 193 Baird sandpiper 193 Habits 193 Distribution 199 Pisobia minutilla 202 Least sandpiper 202 Habits 202 Distribution 209 Pisobia subminuta 213 Long-toed stint 213 Habits 213 Distribution 214 Pisobia ruficollis 215 Rufous-necked sandpiper 215 Habits 215 Distribution 217 Pelidna alpina alpina 217 Dunlin 217 Habits 217 Distribution 220 Pelidna alpina sakhalina 221 Red-backed sandpiper 221 Habits 221 Distribution 229 Erolia ferruginea 232 Curlew sandpiper 232 Habits 232 Distribution 236 Eurynorhynchus pygmeus 237 Spoonbill sandpiper 237 Habits 237 Distribution 243 Ereunetes pusillus 244 Semipalmated sandpiper 244 Habits 244 Distribution 252 Ereunetes mauri 255 Western sandpiper 255 Habits 255 Distribution 263 Crocethia alba 265 Sanderling 265 Habits 265 Distribution 274 Limosa fedoa 277 Marbled godwit 277 Habits 277 Distribution 287 Limosa lapponica baueri 289 Pacific godwit 289 Habits 289 Distribution 294 Limosa haemastica 295 [Pg v] Limosa haemastica 295 Hudsonian godwit 295 Habits 295 Distribution 302 Limosa limosa limosa 304 Black-tailed godwit 304 Habits 304 Distribution 308 Glottis nebularia 309 Greenshank 309 Habits 309 Distribution 313 Totanus totanus 315 Redshank 315 Habits 315 Distribution 319 Totanus melanoleucus 321 Greater yellow-legs 321 Habits 321 Distribution 332 Totanus flavipes 336 Lesser yellow-legs 336 Habits 336 Distribution 346 References to bibliography 350 Explanation of plates 360 Index 415 [Pg vi] INTRODUCTION THIS IS THE SEVENTH IN A SERIES OF BULLETINS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM ON THE LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN birds. Previous numbers have been issued as follows: 107. Life Histories of North American Diving Birds, August 1, 1919. 113. Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, August 27, 1921. 121. Life Histories of North American Petrels, Pelicans and their Allies, October 19, 1922. 126. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl, May 25, 1923. 130. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl, June 27, 1925. 135. Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds, "1926." (= March 11, 1927). THE SAME GENERAL PLAN HAS BEEN FOLLOWED, AS EXPLAINED IN PREVIOUS BULLETINS, AND THE SAME SOURCES OF INFORMATION HAVE been utilized. THE CLASSIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE ADOPTED BY THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION, IN ITS LATEST CHECK LIST AND ITS SUPPLEMENTS, HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED, MAINLY, WITH SUCH FEW CHANGES AS, IN THE AUTHOR'S OPINION, WILL BE, OR SHOULD BE, MADE to bring the work up to date, and in line with recent advances in the science. THE MAIN RANGES ARE AS ACCURATELY OUTLINED AS LIMITED SPACE WILL PERMIT; THE NORMAL MIGRATIONS ARE GIVEN IN SUFFICIENT DETAIL TO INDICATE THE USUAL MOVEMENTS OF THE SPECIES; NO ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO GIVE ALL RECORDS, FOR ECONOMY IN SPACE, AND NO PRETENSE AT COMPLETE PERFECTION IS CLAIMED. MANY PUBLISHED RECORDS, OFTEN REPEATED, HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED AND DISCARDED; MANY APPARENTLY DOUBTFUL RECORDS HAVE BEEN VERIFIED; SOME PUBLISHED RECORDS, IMPOSSIBLE to either verify or disprove, have been accepted if the evidence seemed to warrant it. THE EGG DATES ARE THE CONDENSED RESULTS OF A MASS OF RECORDS TAKEN FROM THE DATA IN A LARGE NUMBER OF THE BEST EGG COLLECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY, AS WELL AS FROM CONTRIBUTED FIELD NOTES AND FROM A FEW PUBLISHED SOURCES. THEY INDICATE THE DATES ON WHICH EGGS HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY FOUND IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, SHOWING THE EARLIEST AND LATEST DATES AND the limits between which half the dates fall, the height of the season. THE PLUMAGES ARE DESCRIBED ONLY IN ENOUGH DETAIL TO ENABLE THE READER TO TRACE THE SEQUENCE OF MOLTS AND PLUMAGES from birth to MATURITY AND TO RECOGNIZE THE BIRDS IN THE DIFFERENT STAGES AND AT THE DIFFERENT SEASONS. NO ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO FULLY DESCRIBE ADULT PLUMAGES; THIS HAS BEEN ALREADY WELL DONE IN THE MANY MANUALS. THE NAMES OF COLORS, WHEN IN QUOTATION MARKS, ARE TAKEN FROM RIDGWAY'S COLOR STANDARDS AND NOMENCLATURE (1912) AND THE TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE THE SHAPES OF EGGS ARE TAKEN FROM HIS NOMENCLATURE OF COLORS (1886 EDITION). THE HEAVY-FACED TYPE IN THE measurements of eggs indicates the four extremes of measurements. MANY OF THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED MATERIAL FOR FORMER VOLUMES HAVE RENDERED A SIMILAR SERVICE IN THIS CASE. IN ADDITION TO THOSE WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED PREVIOUSLY, OUR THANKS ARE DUE TO THE FOLLOWING NEW CONTRIBUTORS: PHOTOGRAPHS, NOTES, OR DATA HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED BY W. B. ALEXANDER, CLARK BLICKENSDERFER, C. E. CHAPMAN, KARL CHRISTOFFERSON, C. W. COLTHRUP, WALTER COLVIN, W. M. CONGREVE, JOSEPH DIXON, J. G. GORDON, S. A. GRIMES, W. C. HERMAN, FRANK HOWLAND, W. I. LYON, T. R. MILEY, D. J. NICHOLSON, R. H. RAUCH, RUSSELL RICHARDSON, JR., W. A. SMITH, J. D. SOPER, E. S. THOMAS, M. B. TRAUTMAN, C. F. WALKER, F. M. WESTON, H. F. WITHERBY, A. H. WOOD, JR., and C. J. Young. Receipt of material from over 250 contributors has been acknowledged in previous volumes. THROUGH THE COURTESY OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY, THE SERVICES OF FREDERICK C. LINCOLN WERE SECURED TO COMPILE THE DISTRIBUTION PARAGRAPHS. WITH THE MATCHLESS REFERENCE FILES OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY AT HIS DISPOSAL AND WITH SOME ADVICE AND HELP FROM DR. HARRY C. OBERHOLSER, HIS MANY HOURS OF CAREFUL AND THOROUGH WORK HAVE PRODUCED RESULTS FAR MORE SATISFACTORY THAN COULD HAVE BEEN ATTAINED BY THE AUTHOR, WHO CLAIMS NO CREDIT AND ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS part of the work. The few minor changes made in the system do not materially alter the general plan. DR. CHARLES W. TOWNSEND HAS WRITTEN THE LIFE HISTORIES OF TWO SPECIES AND THE REV. FRANCIS C. R. JOURDAIN, A WELL- KNOWN BRITISH AUTHORITY, HAS CONTRIBUTED THE LIFE HISTORIES AND THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF SIX OLD WORLD SPECIES, WHICH ARE KNOWN TO US ONLY AS RARE STRAGGLERS. MR. J. H. RILEY HAS FURNISHED DESCRIPTIONS AND MEASUREMENTS OF SOME RARE EGGS IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. WE ARE INDEBTED TO MR. H. F. WITHERBY FOR THE LOAN OF THE VALUABLE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE KNOT, taken by Admiral Peary, which the author publishes at his own risk, without permission. AS MOST OF THE SHORE BIRDS ARE KNOWN TO US MAINLY, OR ENTIRELY, AS MIGRANTS IT HAS SEEMED DESIRABLE TO DESCRIBE THEIR MIGRATIONS QUITE FULLY. AS IT IS A WELL-KNOWN FACT THAT MANY, IF NOT ALL, IMMATURE AND NONBREEDING SHORE BIRDS REMAIN FAR SOUTH OF THEIR BREEDING RANGES ALL SUMMER IT HAS NOT SEEMED NECESSARY TO MENTION THIS IN EACH CASE. NOR DID IT SEEM necessary to say that only one brood is raised in a season, as this is a nearly universal rule with all water birds. THE MANUSCRIPT FOR THIS VOLUME WAS COMPLETED IN MARCH, 1927. CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED SINCE THEN WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED LATER. ONLY INFORMATION OF GREAT IMPORTANCE COULD BE ADDED. WHEN THIS VOLUME APPEARS CONTRIBUTIONS OF photographs or notes relating to the gallinaceous birds should be sent to [Pg vii] [Pg viii] [Pg ix] THE AUTHOR. [Pg x] Life Histories of North American Shore Birds [Pg xi] [Pg xii] LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN SHORE BIRDS ORDER LIMICOLAE (PART 1) By Arthur Cleveland Bent Of Taunton, Massachusetts Family PHALAROPODIDAE, Phalaropes PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS (Linnaeus) RED PHALAROPE HABITS THE FEMALE RED PHALAROPE IN HER FULL NUPTIAL PLUMAGE IS, TO MY MIND, THE HANDSOMEST, CERTAINLY THE MOST RICHLY COLORED, OF THE THREE KNOWN SPECIES OF PHALAROPES. THE SPECIES IS COSMOPOLITAN, WITH A CIRCUMPOLAR BREEDING RANGE; IT IS APPARENTLY HOMOGENEOUS THROUGHOUT ITS WIDE RANGE EXCEPT FOR A LOCAL RACE, BREEDING IN SPITSBERGEN, WHICH HAS BEEN SEPARATED AND NAMED Phalaropus fulicarius jourdaini IREDALE; THIS RACE IS SAID TO HAVE PALER EDGINGS ON THE BACK, SCAPULARS, AND TERTIALS. THE SPECIES IS COMMONLY KNOWN ABROAD AS THE GREY PHALAROPE, AN APPROPRIATE NAME FOR THE BIRD IN ITS WINTER plumage, in which it is most often seen. IT IS LESS OFTEN SEEN IN THE UNITED STATES THAN THE OTHER TWO SPECIES; ITS SUMMER HOME IS SO FAR NORTH THAT IT IS BEYOND THE REACH OF MOST OF US; AND AT OTHER SEASONS IT IS MUCH MORE PELAGIC THAN THE OTHER SPECIES, MIGRATING AND APPARENTLY SPENDING THE WINTER FAR OUT ON THE OPEN SEA, OFTEN A HUNDRED MILES OR MORE FROM LAND. IT SELDOM COMES ASHORE ON THE MAINLAND EXCEPT WHEN DRIVEN IN BY THICK WEATHER OR A SEVERE STORM. HENCE IT IS AN APPARENTLY RARE BIRD TO MOST OF US. BUT IN ITS ARCTIC SUMMER HOME IT IS EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANT. ALFRED M. BAILEY (1925) SAYS THAT "THIS WAS THE MOST ABUNDANT OF THE SHORE BIRDS AT WALES, AS AT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA. AS A PERSON WALKS OVER THE TUNDRA THERE IS A CONTINUAL STRING OF those handsome birds rising from the grass." Again he writes: At Whalen, near East Cape, Siberia, we saw thousands of these beautiful little fellows on July 11. The day was very disagreeable, with a strong wind off the ice and a drizzling rain. From the ship we could see waves of birds rising some distance off in such dense flocks that individuals could not be distinguished; the mass looked like a long, thin cloud swirling before the wind; one end of the line rose high in the air, while the other end swerved nearer to the water. They swung about with the erratic movements and wave-like flight so characteristic of black skimmers, now high in the air, again low over the water. As we worked along the shore, thousands that were feeding close along the beach rose and flew across the sand spit in front of us. There was a continual stream of them drifting by, like so much sand before a strong wind. They were, at this time, beginning to molt their breeding plumage. Spring.—THE MIGRATIONS OF THE RED PHALAROPE ARE MAINLY AT SEA, USUALLY FAR OUT FROM LAND. DURING THE MONTH OF MAY ENORMOUS FLOCKS MAY BE SEEN ON THE OCEAN OFF THE COASTS OF NEW ENGLAND, BUT IT IS ONLY DURING STRESS OF WEATHER THAT THEY ARE DRIVEN INSHORE. I CAN WELL REMEMBER A BIG STORM, ON MAY 21, 1892, WHICH BROUGHT A LARGE FLIGHT OF THESE BIRDS INTO CAPE COD BAY; NAT GOULD KILLED A LARGE NUMBER THAT DAY ON MONOMOY ISLAND AND I SHOT ONE AT PLYMOUTH BEACH; OTHERS WERE TAKEN AT PROVINCETOWN. IN PLEASANT WEATHER THESE BIRDS ARE WELL AT HOME ON THE HEAVING BOSOM OF THE ocean, flying about in flocks, twisting, turning, and wheeling like flocks of sandpipers, or resting or feeding on the drifting rafts of seaweeds. On the Pacific coast these birds are even more abundant, if one goes far enough offshore to see them DURING APRIL AND MAY. THEY OFTEN CONGREGATE IN CONSIDERABLE NUMBERS ABOUT THE FARALLON ISLANDS. W. LEON DAWSON (1923) has drawn a graphic picture of them there, as follows: Here in late spring thousands of these birds ride at anchor in the lee of the main island, along with other thousands of the other northern species, Lobipes lobatus. Of these some few scores are driven ashore by hunger and seek their sustenance in brackish pools, or else battle with the breakers in the little "bight" of the rocky lee shore. The date is May 23, and the company under survey numbers a few brilliant red birds in high plumage among the scores in unchanged gray, together with others exhibiting every intermediate gradation. When to this variety is added a similar diversity among the northerns, which mingle indiscriminately with them, you have a motley company—no two birds alike. Ho! but these are agile surfmen! Never, save in the case of the [Pg 1] [Pg 2] wandering tattler and the American dipper, have I seen such absolute disregard of danger and such instant adjustment to watery circumstance. Here are 30 of these phalaropes "fine mixed," threading a narrow passage in the reefs where danger threatens in the minutest fraction of a second. Crash! comes a comber. Our little world is obliterated in foam. Sea anemones and rock oysters sputter and choke, and there is a fine fury of readjustment. But the phalaropes rise automatically, clear the crest of the crasher, and are down again, preening their feathers or snatching dainties with the utmost unconcern. Now a bird is left stranded on a reef, or now he is whisked and whirled a dozen feet away. All right, if he likes it; but if not, he is back again, automatically, at the old rendezvous. Life goes on right merrily in spite of these shocking interruptions. Food getting is the main business, and this is pursued with extraordinary ardor. The bird's tiny feet kick the water violently, and there is the tiniest compensatory bob for every stroke, so that their little bodies seem all a tremble. There seems to be no difference of opinion between the two species, but there is time for a good deal of amatory play between the sexes of the reds. It is always the bright-colored female who makes the advances, for the wanton phalaropes have revised nature's order, and the modest male either seeks escape by flight, or else defends himself with determined dabs. Here is the authentic lady for whom Shakespeare's "pilgrim" sighed. Of their arrival on their breeding grounds in northern Alaska, E. W. Nelson (1887) writes: It is much more gregarious than its relative, and for a week or two after its first arrival 50 or more flock together. These flocks were very numerous the 1st of June, 1879, at the Yukon mouth, where I had an excellent opportunity to observe them. In the morning the birds which were paired could be found scattered here and there, by twos, over the slightly flooded grassy flats. At times these pairs would rise and fly a short distance, the female, easily known by her bright colors and larger size, in advance, and uttering now and then a low and musical "clink, clink," sounding very much like the noise made by lightly tapping together two small bars of steel. When disturbed these notes were repeated oftener and became harder and louder. A little later in the day, as their hunger became satisfied, they began to unite into parties until 15 or 20 birds would rise and pursue an erratic course over the flat. As they passed swiftly along stray individuals and pairs might be seen to spring up and join the flock. Other flocks would rise and the smaller coalesce with the larger until from two hundred to three or even four hundred birds were gathered in a single flock. As the size of the flock increased its movements became more and more irregular. At one moment they would glide straight along the ground, then change to a wayward flight, back and forth, twisting about with such rapidity that it was difficult to follow them with the eye. Suddenly their course would change, and the compact flock, as if animated by a single impulse, would rise high over head, and, after a series of graceful and swift evolutions, come sweeping down with a loud, rushing sound to resume their playful course near the ground. During all their motions the entire flock moves in such unison that the alternate flashing of the underside of their wings and the dark color of the back, like the play of light and shade, makes a beautiful spectacle. When wearied of their sport the flock disbands and the birds again resume their feeding. Courtship.—THE WELL-KNOWN REVERSAL OF SEXUAL CHARACTERS IN THE PHALAROPES MAKES THEIR COURTSHIP PARTICULARLY INTERESTING, AS THE LARGE, HANDSOME FEMALES PRESS THEIR ARDENT SUITS AGAINST THE TIMID AND DULL-COLORED LITTLE MALES. A. L. V. Manniche (1910) has given us the best account of it, as follows: June 19, 1907, early in the morning, I had the pleasure of watching for hours the actions of a loving couple of phalaropes on the beach of a pool surrounded by large sedge tufts, covered with long, withered grass. This act I found very funny, peculiar, and charming. When the male had been eagerly searching for food for some 20 minutes, often standing on his head in the water, like a duck, to fish or pick up something from the bottom, he would lie down on a tuft, stretching out his one leg and his one wing as if he would fully enjoy the rest after his exertions. The female for some moments was lying quietly and mutely in the middle of the pool; suddenly she began with increasing rapidity to whirl around on the surface of the water, always in the same little circle, the diameter of which was some 10 centimeters. As the male seemed to pay no attention to her alluring movements, she flew rapidly up to him—producing as she left the water a peculiar whirling sound with her wings and uttering short angry cries—pushed him with her bill, and then she returned to the water and took up her swimming dance. Now the male came out to her, and the two birds whirled around for some moments equally eager and with increasing rapidity. Uttering a short call, the female again flew to a tuft surrounded by water and waited some seconds in vain for the male; again she flew to the water to induce him with eager pushes and thumps to accompany her. They again whirled violently around, whereafter she, uttering a strong, alluring sound, flew back to the tuft, this time accompanied by the male—and the pairing immediately took place. In the matrimony of the grey phalarope the female only decides. She exceeds the male in size and brilliancy of plumage and has the decisive power in all family affairs. If she wants to shift her place of residence she flies up swift as an arrow with a commanding cry—which may be expressed as "pittss"—and if the male does not follow her at once she will immediately return and give him a severe punishment, which never fails to have the desired effect. It is a well-known fact that she completely ignores her eggs and young ones. Nesting.—The same author describes the nesting habits of this species, in northeast Greenland, as follows: It is peculiar, that the male has well-marked breeding spots before the breeding begins and certainly before the female has laid her first egg; but this fact has been proved by several solid examinations. June 26, 1907, I [Pg 3] [Pg 4] observed on the beach of the Bjergandeso in the Stormkap district, that the nest building was executed by the male. He was busy in building the nest on a low bank covered with short grass, while she paid no attention to his labor, but swam around the beach searching food. The male shaped a nest hollow by turning round his body against the ground on the place selected, having first by aid of the feet scraped away and trampled down the longest and most troublesome straws. He diligently used feet and bill at the same time to arrange the shorter fine straws, which are carefully bent into the nest hollow and form the lining of this. The nest was much smaller than that of Tringa alpina and contained one egg the next day. Along the beaches of a smaller lake not far from the ship's harbor I saw, June 30, three solitary swimming males, at least one of which showed signs of having a nest. I soon found this close to the place of residence of the male in question. The nest contained four fresh eggs and was built in exactly the same way as the before-mentioned nest. The male proved so far from being shy, that he could be driven to his nest and merely be caught by hand; having laid himself upon the nest he was still more fearless. A breeding phalarope will lie motionless with his head pressed deep down against his back. He is almost fully covered by straws, which surround the nest, as he with the bill bends these over himself, besides he is so similar to the surroundings that no human eye is able to distinguish him from these, if the spot is not known beforehand. July 9, 1907, I again found a phalarope's nest by the Bjergandeso; it contained four fresh eggs and was built a little differently from the two before-mentioned nests. These were found close to a lake on low banks covered with short grass, but this one was built on a tuft covered with long, withered grass, situated some 10 meters from the real lake, but surrounded by shallow water, that came from a little river running out from the lake and irrigating all the tufts, one of which contained the nest. This bird also kept very close on the nest, and did not leave it before I parted the long grass with my foot. When frightened up from the nest the bird for a short while lay screaming and flapping on the water not far from me; thereupon he flew away, silently and rapidly, to land on the opposite side of the lake. Having been absent for some five minutes he returned just as rapidly, flew a good way to the other side of the nest, sat down, and kept quiet for a couple of minutes, whereafter he again flew up and took the earth some 20 meters from the nest, which he then rapidly approached walking and swimming hidden by aquatic plants and tufts. All this was done in order to mislead me, who was lying some 15 meters from the nest without any shelter and therefore seen by the bird all the while. C. W. G. EIFRIG (1905) FOUND THE RED PHALAROPE BREEDING VERY COMMONLY AROUND CAPE FULLERTON AND SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND, HUDSON BAY. "THEY NEST AROUND FRESH WATER PONDS, LAYING THEIR EGGS, WITHOUT NESTING MATERIAL, IN DEPRESSIONS IN the sand or moss, often in lichens." John Murdoch (1885), on the other hand, says, at Point Barrow, Alaska, that— The nest is always in the grass, never in the black or mossy portions of the tundra, and usually in a pretty wet situation, though a nest was occasionally found high and dry, in a place where the nest of the pectoral sandpiper would be looked for. A favorite nesting site was a narrow grassy isthmus between two of the shallow ponds. The nest is a very slight affair of dried grass and always well concealed. In the Kotzebue Sound region Joseph Grinnell (1900) found three nests, of which he says: The nests were all on higher ground and at a distance of 100 yards or more from the lagoons where the birds usually congregated for feeding and social purposes. The three nests agreed in situation, being rather deep depressions sunk into the tops of mossy hummocks. There was a thin lining of dry grasses, and in one case the drooping blades from an adjoining clump of grass partially concealed the nest from view from above. MISS MAUD D. HAVILAND (1915) RELATES HER EXPERIENCE WITH THE NESTING HABITS OF THIS SPECIES, AT THE MOUTH OF THE Yenesei River, Siberia, as follows: I found the first nest on Golchika Island early in July. My attention was called to it by the male bird, which flew round uneasily. Even when the nesting ground is invaded, this phalarope is very quiet and not very demonstrative. He flits round the intruder with a peculiar silent flight, rather like a big red moth, while he utters his chirruping alarm note—"zhit zhit." This call is shriller than that of Phalaropus lobatus, and quite recognizable where the two species breed side by side. I sat down on a log of driftwood, and in about half an hour was able to flush the bird from four fresh eggs. This nest, however, was not placed very well for photography, for about 50 yards away was a turf hut, which a Russian family had just taken possession of for the summer, and I dared not leave the hiding tent or apparatus near the spot. On the following day I was more fortunate, and found a nest which was also on the island but about half a verst away. It was in rather a dryer situation than the last, but like all the nests of this species that I saw, the eggs lay on quite a substantial platform of dead grass. In other cases the sites were so wet that the bird must have been sitting actually in water—and the photographer would have had to do likewise! In the photograph, the grass has been parted in order to show the eggs, but before this was done they were screened as carefully as the eggs of a redshank or reeve. I pitched the tent at once, and went in to hide. The male phalarope stood on a tussock about 20 yards away and watched attentively, I should not thus have tackled the nest of any other wader, but I relied upon the confidence and simplicity of the phalarope, and I did not rely upon them in vain. In about 20 minutes I caught sight of the [Pg 5] [Pg 6]