126 



NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA. 



proach tlie coast form iu iuteiisity of coloiatiou. The series of uieasurements appended will show 

 the relative i)roportions of these birds from different regions, and at the same time show the 

 differences in the dimensions between /m?i'us and its American representative: 



C. FULYUS FROM EXTRALIMITAL LOCALITIES. 



Amoy, China 



Shanghai, China . 



Loo Choo ? 



Honolulu? 



New South Wales 



ALASKAN COAST SPECIilEKS. 



Mayl 



May 30, lesi , 



September 5, 1877. . . 

 Septembers, 1877. 



Spring 



June 3 



May 27, 1881 



June 5 



Kotlik (Yukon) . 



C. DOMINIC us. 



Dr. Streets, iu bis contribution to the natural history of the Hawaiian Islands, published iu 

 Bulletin No. 7 of the National Museum, records this bird as being very abundant on the i.sland of 

 Oahu, where he was informed by the inhabitants that they make their appearance about the 

 first of September, arriving very poor and weak, having evidently been a long time without food. 

 During the winter they become very fat, and in March and April they prepare for their departure. 

 At tills time they can be seen taking long or short flights out at sea and returning again to the 

 island. This exercise, the doctor thinks, was undoubtedly for the purpose of strengthening 

 themselves for the final eftbrt, their muscles having become flabby and feeble during the 

 iuactivitj' of winter. 



While the Corwin was midway between the Aleutian Islands and San Francisco, in October, 

 1881, a small party of birds, undoubtedly of this species, was seen passing high overhead, coming 

 from the direction of the Aleutian Islands and passing directly toward the Hawaiian group. This 

 is certainly a remarkable flight for birds of this character to undertake, and its accomplishment 

 indicates great powers of flight, as well as great endurance. 



J3GIALITIS SEMiPALMATA Bouap. Semipalmatcd Plover. 



According to Dall this bird is very common at Nulato and the Yukon mouth, but his statement 

 of its abundance at Saint Michaels I did not verify, as I found it to be of infrequent occurrence 

 along the Norton Sound coast. It is probably much more numerous in the interior, and I received 

 specimens from various places on the Yukon. It was found rather common at Sitka by Bischoft'. 

 On the Asiatic coast at Plover Bay, and again on the north coast near Koliuchin Bay, I found 

 them rather common about the sandy or gravelly borders of pools near the sea. It also occurs on 

 the shore of Kotzebue Sound and northwartl. Mr. Dall states tlie number of eggs to be generally 

 two. I have never had an opportunity to learn anything about their breeding habits. It appears 

 to be most abundant along the Atlantic, where it is found in great numbers, but on the west coast 

 its numbers are much less, esjiecially in the north. 



