5 6 The Irish Naturalists .... March, 



glimmer of daylight I left it peacefully swimming about in the 

 centre of its favourite little pond. I must have been a good 

 half hour making observations, during which time the bird at 

 irregular intervals quitted the water, but it never wandered 

 far from the edge of the pool. 



The confidence of the Grey Phalarope in allowing man to 

 approach closely to it is remarkable. Some authorities 

 endeavour to explain the reason straight away by saying it 

 results from the bird being bred in the arctic wilds. But there 

 are many other wading birds which have been bred in a similar 

 locality, e.g. t Sanderling, Knots, Curlew, Sandpipers, &c. 

 These are often very tame in the early part of the season when 

 the southern migration is going on (August and September), 

 especially if the birds are immature, but they become more 

 difficult to approach later on. According to most observers the 

 Phalarope remains tame at all times of the year, with few 

 exceptions. Why this should be so is hard to say. To look 

 at it, as it runs or swims about, one would say without 

 hesitation that it is a much less nervous bird than, say, an 

 immature Sanderling or Dunlin. You may practically 

 approach to within a few feet of a Phalarope, and it takes no 

 notice. It goes on feeding as though you were not there at 

 all. If you observe a tame Sanderling or Dunlin from the 

 same distance it will look at you with astonishment, and will 

 often stop picking until you retreat a bit. If your gaze 

 becomes too scrutinizing it will run away from you, or perhaps 

 rise and fly. Thus the Phalarope differs from many of the 

 more typical waders in that it possesses a less neurotic 

 temperament. Another thing about the Phalarope is this, it 

 is very fond of settling on a smalt pool of water, preferably near 

 the coast, as already mentioned. This it appears to become 

 partial to, disliking at the same time to change its quarters, 

 especially if another pond is not at hand ; and so as it paddles 

 about in the little pool it can be closely approached. 



The question of its tameness is more difficult to explain in 

 the case of the Phalarope frequenting the open sea. It is also 

 worth noting that many of the Phalaropes touching on our 

 coasts arrive in a semi-exhausted state. Several specimens 

 examined in the flesh appear to have been in a poor and very 

 thin condition. 



