870 Philippine Journal of Science 1920 
tidal creeks that are not altogether deserted. The common sand- 
piper, Actitis hypoleucos (Linnzeus), clings to his old hunting 
grounds along the shores of an estero in Malate, and I can often 
see his teetering body from my window. Curlews, Numenius 
variegatus (Scopoli), stop each year on some marshy tideland 
that is now surrounded by houses. A few years ago we netted 
rails in a marshy area that is now filled and forms a part of 
Taft Avenue and a part of the Bureau of Science lawn. _ One day 
my cat brought into the house a specimen of the banded crake, 
Hypotexnidia torquata (Linnzeus). Small plovers can still be 
found within the city limits on Pasay Beach. 
SHORE BIRDS OF THE PAMPANGA DELTA 
The area now occupied by Manila was formerly inhabited by 
swamp-loving species and was visited by migratory shore birds. 
Nearly all of these have been driven out by the filling of their 
marshy haunts, and no other species have taken their places. 
However, within a few kilometers of Manila can be found two 
groups of birds, the members of which are characteristic of the 
open lowland of nearly all the islands. One of these groups 
includes the shore birds and the waders, the other comprises 
the birds of grasslands and second-growth thickets. 
At the head of Manila Bay on the beach and about the openings 
of the delta of Pampanga River, already mentioned, there are 
wide flats, and beyond the flats is much shallow water. This is 
a way station of vast flocks of plovers, sandpipers, snipe, curlews, 
and godwits. I have never seen anywhere else such clouds of 
shore birds. I have published records of some of the rarer 
species,*® and doubtless others will be added from time to time. 
The following is a nearly complete list of the shore birds that 
have been collected in the vicinity of Obando, Bulacan Province, 
Luzon, a few kilometers from Manila: ° 
Arenaria interpres (Linneus). Actitis hypoleucos (Linnzus). 
Ochthodromus geoffroyi (Wagler). Terekia cinerea (Giildenstddt). 
At gialitis dubia (Scopoli). Glottis nebularius (Gunnerus)- 
Numenius arquatus (Linnzus). Rhyacophilus glareola (Linnzus). 
Numenius cyanopus Vieillot. Pisobia ruficollis (Pallas). 
Numenius variegatus (Scopoli). Pisobia subminuta (Middendorff). 
Limosa baueri Naumann. Heteropygia acuminata ( Horsfield). 
Limosa limosa (Linnzus). Erolia ferruginea (Brunnich). 
Macrorhamphus semipalmatus (Jer- Canutus rogersi Mathews. 
don). Canutus tenuirostris (Horsfield). 
Totanus eurhinus Oberholser. Limicola platyrhyncha (Temminck). 
Totanus stagnatilis Bechstein. 
* Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 11 (1916) 269-277, 2 text figs.; 13 1-19, 3 pls., 
10 text figs. 
