294 BULLETIN 142, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



arrival on May 15, it could be heard for an hour at a time high up in the air, as 

 it circled about, uttering continuously its wild far-reaching cry, which was 

 very distinctive among the medley of voices. The call of the male is often 

 answered by the female with the syllables, tut-tut, not unlike a clucking chicken. 

 The Pacific godwit differed from the other shore birds nesting at Hooper Bay 

 in that individuals in immature plumage were breeding. Sometimes a gray- 

 breasted immature female would be paired with a rich plumaged male, or again 

 both mates would be in full color ; but I encountered many pairs in which both 

 parents showed the light grayish breast of adolescence. In fact, the immatures; 

 seemed to be in the majority. It is believed that this godwit does not assume 

 its fully adult feathers until the beginning of the third year ; but, like the bald 

 eagle, it breeds during the second year. The earliest spring arrivals at Hooper 

 Bay were immatures and they seemed to migrate in separate flocks. One group 

 of about 20 richly e'nnamon-breasted adults stayed in our vicinity for several 

 days from May 20 onward. Perhaps they were resting and feeding in prepara- 

 tion for the final stage of their journey to more polar lands for they, as well 

 as all the other large flocks of godwits no doubt passed on to the north. The 

 birds that nested in the Hooper Bay region arrived in an inconspicuous manner, 

 simply filtering into their chosen haunts and were already mated. 



Field marks. — The Pacific godwit can be easily distinguished in 

 the field from either of our two other American godwits. The mar- 

 bled godwit has much more rufous in the upper parts, particularly 

 in the wings, and has no white on the rump. The Hudsonian is very 

 dark on the upper parts, almost black on the wings; it has a pure 

 white rump and a black tail. The Pacific is dull brown above, with 

 no rufous ; it has a white rump, spotted with dusky, and a tail barred 

 with dark gray and white. 



Fall. — Doctor Nelson (1887) says: 



These godwits are among the first of the waders to leave Alaska in fall. 

 The young are flying by the middle of July and before the end of August not 

 one of these birds, young or old, is to be found. 



Young birds apparently wander northward and eastward before 

 they start on their southward migration, for they have been taken 

 in August at Wainwright and at Point Barrow in company with 

 young dowitchers and red-backed sandpipers. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Alaska and eastern Asia south to Australia, New Zealand, 

 and the Samoan Islands. 



Breeding range. — The Pacific godwit breeds from northeastern 

 Siberia (Taimyr Peninsula, Marcova, and Nijni Kolymsk) ; east to 

 western Alaska (UnalasKa Island, Hooper Bay, Kotlik, Pastolik, 

 Cape Prince of Wales, Cape Blossom, and Kowak River). 



Winter range. — The Malay Archipelago, Samoan and Fiji Islands, 

 New Zealand, and Australia, and probably other islands of Oceanica. 



Migration. — The migration route of this species is almost entirely 

 in the Eastern Hemisphere, through the Commander Islands, Japan, 



