150 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Erolia alpina: Dunlin 

 Erolia alpina pacifica 



The red-backed dunlin, or sandpiper, occurs in some localities 

 on the Alaska Peninsula. Osgood (1904) observed several flocks 

 flying up and down the Egegik River on September 29. He men- 

 tions several specimens taken by McKay at Ugashik in May and 

 July 1881. G. D. Hanna obtained three specimens at Nushagak 

 on May 31, 1911, and Hine obtained a specimen near the mouth 

 of Katmai River, August 23, 1919. 



The specimens taken by McKay suggest nesting. Certainly, 

 in 1936 we found good evidence of nesting at Ugashik River; 

 these sandpipers were common on the tide flats on May 27 and 

 29. They were paired and evidently breeding. One was obviously 

 flushed from a nest, though the nest was not found. 



On April 29, 1925, I saw a red-backed dunlin feeding on the 

 shore of a lagoon at Urilia Bay, Unimak Island, in company with 

 some Aleutian sandpipers. This may have been a migrant be- 

 cause none were found nesting on the marshes about Izembek 

 Bay. The dunlin's westernmost nesting locality on Alaska Penin- 

 sula is, so far as we know, the tidal marshes about Ugashik 

 River. 



Taber (1946) noted a few red-backed dunlins wintering on 

 Adak Island. 



Stejneger (1885) reported this bird as a migrant in the Com- 

 mander Islands. 



Limnodromus griseus: Short-billed Dowitcher 

 Limnodromus griseus caurinus 



A series of specimens from various parts of the Alaska Penin- 

 sula is available, and comparison of these birds with those in 

 other series from differing localities brings up the question of 

 the subspecific status among the dowitchers. Specimens from 

 Point Barrow, St. Michael, Hooper Bay, Fort Yukon, Nushagak, 

 Ugashik, and the west end of Alaska Peninsula were examined 

 and compared with numerous specimens from eastern localities. 



At the time that these comparisons were made, it appeared that 

 the Alaska Peninsula birds should properly be included with 

 scolopaceus. Since then, Pitelka (1950) has studied this genus 

 intensively with nearly 3,000 specimens. On the basis of this 

 study, he concluded that scolopaceus and griseus are distinct 

 species, and that griseus includes three forms — griseus, hender- 

 soni, and a new subspecies, caurinus. Previously, Aldrich (1948) 

 had concluded that intergradation between populations could be 



