no. L727. BIRDS OF THE 1906 " VLB VTROSS" CRUISE— CL LRK. 51 



Family APHRIZID^. 



ARENARIA MELANOCEPHALA (Vigors). 

 BLACK TURNSTONE. KIDMALGIK. 



On the first day out of San Francisco, May 1, we saw several small 

 Hocks of these birds on their way north; each succeeding day they 

 became more abundant until on the afternoon of May 8 we saw them 

 by thousands, in flocks of from ten or twenty to several hundred. At 

 one time, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the whole sea appeared 

 dotted with white, so abundant were they. All the birds noticed were 

 headed up the coast, going the same direction as we. 



In the mornings these birds were comparatively rare; they began 

 to appear about 11, and increased in numbers until about 2, when they 

 were very abundant; shortly after ."> there was a falling off until by 

 half past 4 few, if any, were to be seen. This was true every day we 

 were at sea on the voyage from San Francisco to Pugel Sound. 

 Whet her they spent the night and early morning on the neighboring 

 shores or resting on the water I am unable to say; but all we saw were 

 on the wing; possibly there were othershore birds in these multitudes, 

 but all which came near the ship were of this species. 



Order GALLING. 

 Suborder PHASIANI. 



Family TETRAONID^E. 



Subfamily TETRAONIN.K. 



BONASA UMBELLUS SABINI (Douglas). 



OREGON RUFFED GROUSE. 



I never found ruffed grouse nearly so common as this subspecies 

 was about Union Bay, Vancouver Island. They were 1 abundant in 

 all the wooded districts, and the males were heard drumming on all 

 sides. 



LAGOPUS LAGOPUS ALEXANDRA J. Grinnell. 

 ALEXANDER'S WILLOW PTARMIGAN. 



Lagopus lagopus alexandra .1 Grinnell, Univ. of California Publ., Zool., vol. 5, 

 L909, No. 2, p. 204 (Feb. L8). 



In the course of my work upon the collections which I made while 

 on the Albatross, I had occasion to enter rather deeply into the 

 question of the recognizable forms belonging to t he willow pt armigan 

 group in North America. The results from this study were not 

 entirely satisfactory, owing to the absence of material from certain 

 important intermediate districts, and of specimens from all localities 

 in strictly comparable plumages, so the work was temporarily laid 

 aside until further material might become available. Mr. Joseph 



