146 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Four specimens were collected by F. L. Beals on Unimak Is- 

 land in January 1941. One of these is very dark, thus agreeing 

 with the description of quarta in winter plumage, and another is 

 nearly as dark as quarta. These specimens have not been identi- 

 fied definitely. 



It should be pointed out that in the series from Bering Island 

 (the type locality), there are several specimens that lack the 

 extreme of bright ruf escence which characterizes quarta ; in fact, 

 these specimens are very similar to average couesi. One speci- 

 men from Bering Island, No. 89037, is as pale as some ptilocnemis. 



In the light of this circumstance, it is difficult to evaluate the 

 Alaskan records. Are these stragglers of quarta, or are they ex- 

 tremes in variation within the population of couesi 1 ! Until more 

 Siberian material is obtained, and until a more extensive knowl- 

 edge of quarta is at hand, it may be best to accept our records 

 as stragglers of the Old World form. 



Since the above studies were made, Conover (1944) reviewed 

 the group and referred the mainland birds north of Alaska 

 Peninsula to tschuktschorum. 



Erolia acuminata: Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 



Specimens of this sandpiper have been obtained in various 

 parts of Alaska, including St. Lawrence, St. Michael, and Nuni- 

 vak Islands, the Pribilofs and the Russian-held Commander Is- 

 lands. We saw none of these birds on our expeditions to the 

 Aleutian Islands, but Bailey (1925) reported the capture of a 

 specimen (a young of that year) by Hendee, on Unalaska Island, 

 on September 27; and Bishop (1900) obtained a specimen at 

 Unalaska, on October 5, 1899. Undoubtedly, this species occurs 

 in the Aleutian district during migration more often than is 

 shown by published records. 



Erolia melanotos: Pectoral Sandpiper 



The pectoral sandpiper proved to be exceedingly rare. Osgood 

 (1904) says "One was taken by Johnson at Nushagak October 15, 

 1884. The species was not seen by our party." Gabrielson saw 

 three of these birds up the Kvichak River, July 23, 1940. 



On July 23, 1925, I observed two birds in the grassy marsh 

 at MofFet Cove, Izembek Bay, which were believed to be imma- 

 ture pectoral sandpipers, but, unfortunately, specimens were not 

 obtained. The Alaska Peninsula should be in the migration route. 



Bishop (1900) obtained a specimen at Unalaska October 5, 



