BIRDS. 



109 



The skiu of the throat aud breast becomes very flabby and loose at this season, and its iuuer 

 surface is covered with small globular masses of fat. When not inflated, the skiu loaded with this 

 extra weight aud with a slight serous sufiusiou which is present hangs dowu in a pendulous flap 

 or fold exactly like a dewlap, about an inch and a half wide. The ajsophagus is very loose aud 

 becomes remarkably soft and distensible, but is easily ruptured in this state, as I found by dissec- 

 tion. In the plate accompanying this report the extent aud character of this inflation, unique at 

 least among American waders, is shown. The bird may frequently be seen running along the 

 ground close to the female, its enormous sac inflated, and its head drawn back aud the bill pointing 

 directly forward, or, filled with spring-time vigor, the bird flits with slow but energetic wing-strokes 

 close along the ground, its bead raised high over the shoulders and the tail haugiug almost directly 

 down. As it thus flies it utters a succession of the hollow booming notes, which have a strange 

 veutriloquial quality. At times the male, rises 20 or 30 yards in the air and inflating its throat 

 glides dowu to the ground with its sac hanging below, as is shown in the accompanying plate 

 Again he crosses back aud forth in front of the female, puffing his breast out aud bowing from 

 side to side, running here and there, as if intoxicated with passion. Whenever he pursues his 

 love-making, his rather low but pervading note swells and dies iu musical cadences, which form a 

 striking part of the great bird chorus heard at this season iu the north. 



The Eskimo name indicates that its notes are like those of the walrus, heuce the term " walrus 

 talker." Since my return from the uorth my attention has been called to a note iu the Proceed- 

 ings of the Zoological Society of Loudon {1859, p. 130), where it appears that Dr. Adams noted 

 the peculiar habits of this bird years ago when he passed a season at Saint Michaels. These Sand- 

 pil)ers were beginning to nest when I left the Tukou mouth, and iu one instance a female was seen 

 engaged iu prepariug a place for her eggs iu a tuft of grass, but the spot was afterwards abandoned. 

 The nests taken hj Mr. Murdoch each contained four eggs of the usual i)yriform shape. They vary 

 iu size as follows : 1.58 by 1.00 : 1.41 by 1.11 ; 1.42 by 1.08 ; 1.54 by 1.02 inches. They have a drab 

 ground color, with a greenish shade in some cases, and aie spotted and blotched with umber-browu, 

 varying in distribution ou difl:erent specimens, as is usual among waders' eggs. In autumn its 

 habits iu the uorth are precisely those so familiar to all who know the bird iu its southern haunts. 



The young birds iu fall have the feathers of crown aud entire upper parts edged with rusty 

 and buff; some of the feathers have white tips which, although generally duller and less marked 

 than iu the ordinary acuminata, renders it very difficult to distinguish the birds by this character 

 alone. The larger bill and broad pectoral baud of shaft markings aud browu form the two most 

 distinct characters. 



For the purpose of comparison with acuminata 1 ai)pend the following list of measurements 

 of tive specimens of maculata from Saint Michaels: 



Teinga FUtSOlCOLLis Vieill. White-rumped Sandpiper. 



Eare at Point Barrew, where Murdoch took two specimens. It breeds abundantly in the 

 Mackenzie Eiver region, but the i)re.sent record is the first we have of its presence in Western 

 Alaska. 



Tringa bairdu (Ooues). Baird's Sandpiper. 



A single specimen of this species, a young bird iu its first plumage, brought me iu August, 

 1877, is the only instance known to me of its occurrence at Saint Michaels during my residence 

 there. 



