l86 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



was taken at Iliamma village, Alaska, July 14th, 1900. A few days 

 later we found a pair in possession of a small pond on the portage 

 between lakes Iliamma and Clark. During a great part of each of 

 several trips that we made back and forth, they accompanied us, 

 making noisy and belligerent demonstrations. The long-legged 

 birds, perched on the topmost twigs of spruce trees, looked very 

 much out of place. The species was not seen again until Swan lake 

 was reached, where one was seen frequently, standing in a few 

 inches of water at the edge of a riffle in a small stream and watch- 

 ing the water intently. Another was seen on the Malchatna river, 

 September 3rd, 1900. (Osgood.) 



Breeding Notes. — Audubon, Vol. V., 319, states he found this 

 species breeding in June in Labrador. (Turner.) Found in abund- 

 ance on Anticosti, where it was evidently breeding; about the 

 mouth of the Mingan river it is said to breed regularly. (Brewster.) 

 Resident on Stubbs island, west coast of Vancouver island. Breed- 

 ing in wet meadows among the woods north of the prairie, and in 

 the foot-hills of the Rocky mountains. I have seen young, scarcely 

 able to fly, in July. When the old birds are disturbed they will 

 often settle in trees. (Spreadborough.) It is singular that the eggs 

 of this bird remained so long undiscovered. The first set of eggs 

 taken are in my collection. They were found in the Little Red 

 Deer River region, Alberta on May 5th, 1903. The nest was a 

 depression in the ground not far from water. These birds perch 

 with ease on tree tops. (Raine.) Breeding about inland lakes as 

 far south as Clinton, B.C. At this season both sexes stand sentinel 

 on the tops of trees in the vicinity of the nest, rarely alighting on 

 the ground in the presence of an intruder. The newly fledged 

 young often follow the example of their parents in this respect. 

 (Rhoads.) Breeding in many localities in the Cariboo district, B.C., 

 but all efforts to find the nest were unsuccessful, owing to the ex- 

 treme watchfulness of the male bird which kept constant watch 

 from the extreme summit of some tall spruce. (Brooks.) 



255. Lesser Yellow-legs. 



Totanus flavipes (Gmel.) Vieill. 1816. 

 One sent from Greenland to Copenhagen in 1854. (Arct. Man.) 

 This is a common spring and autumn migrant in Nova Scotia, New 

 Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, but rarer than the preceding. 



