328 PR^COCIAL GRALLATORES — LIMICOL^. 



follows the whales, immediately approaching, when one is seen to blow, in quest of 

 the marine animals thus brought to the surface. Whalemen always watch the motions 

 of this bird, as it is well known that it can discern a whale at a much greater distance 

 than they can. A specimen which had been killed on the back of an Orca gladiator 

 was brought to Mr. Kumlien by an Eskimo, and its oesophagus was found to be crammed 

 with small crustaceans, which were still alive, tliough the bird had been killed several 

 hours. This species arrives in Cumberland with the breaking-up of the ice, and is 

 said to have greater powers of flight than either the L. lobatns or the S. Wilsoni, and 

 to lly much more swiftly. 



Prof. Alfred ]Srewton found these birds breeding on Spitzbergen, though he was not 

 able to discover any of their uests. The exploring expedition of the previous year 

 met with one, however, in the beginning of July up the Xorth Fjord of the Sound. 

 Later in the month Professor Duner found a nest with three fresh eggs in Bell 

 Sound. They lay on the ground, without any bedding, among small splinters of stone. 

 Dr. Malmgren met with this species as far north as latitude 80° 10', and states that 

 it feeds chiefly on a species of nostoc ; but the stomachs of those Professor Newton 

 dissected on Pvosso contained gnats and their larvae. Professor Newton also refers 

 to this species as one of the birds of Iceland, where it is well known to the natives. 

 Faber met with three pairs, June 21, 1821, and again, on the 9th of July, with a 

 family party of this species. In 1858 Professor Newton discovered two pairs on a 

 lake in the same district where Faber had found his, but they did not remain to 

 breed. lu 1802 he received four eggs, well identified, Avhich had been sent to him 

 from Iceland by a friend. 



AVheelwright found this species very rare in Scandinavia ; but although he never 

 obtained its eggs, he had no dt)ubt that it breeds on the coast of North Norway and 

 in East and West Finland. 



The Eed Phalarope is a distinguished swimmer. Sabine, in his memoir on the 

 Birds of Greenland, having met with a flock of four, in latitude 68°, mentions their 

 swimming in the sea among icebergs, several-miles from the shore ; and Richardson, 

 in his Appendix to " Parry's Second Voyage," states that it was observed in the open 

 sea, out of sight of land, preferring to escape danger by swimming rather than by 

 flying. This bird feeds on the smaller thin-shelled Crustacea and on aquatic insects, 

 which it pursues in the water and picks up as they are swimming ; and its attitude 

 has been com])ared to that of a Teal Avith the head drawn backwards. 



This bird is common in the early summer in Greenland. In Parry's Arctic voy- 

 ages it was also observed to be abundant on the North Georgian Islands, and was 

 found breeding at Igloolik and on Melville Island. It is included in the list of birds 

 given in the zoology of Beechey's voyage, but the locality is not given. 



Dr. Walker met with a single specimen in Melville Bay, near Cape York. Rein- 

 hardt also enumerates it among the l)irds of Greenland, Avliere it is evidently very 

 abundant during the breeding-season. Captain Blakiston received specimens from 

 Hudson's Bay which were in their summer plumage. 



In the summer of 1860 a very remarkable visitation of this bird took place in 

 Great Britain. It appeared in unusually large numbers, and a great many were shot. 

 Mr. J. H. Gurney, in a pamphlet recording this unusual occurrence, states that the 

 first-comers made their ap])earance on the 20th of August, none being seen after the 

 8th of October. The greater number of those taken Avere shot between the 15th and 

 the 25th of Se})tember, inclusive. Adult specimens and the young of the year were 

 obtained to the number of not less than two hiuidred and fifty ; they were chiefly 

 taken in the south of England. 



