pacific godwit 295 



China, and the Philippines. They have been observed to arrive in 

 Siberia on May 10 (Bering Island) and May 30 (Nijni Kolymsk) 

 and in Alaska on May 15 (Hooper Bay), May 20 (St. Paul Island), 

 and May 29 (Unalaska). After the breeding season, individuals 

 have been known to wander north to the Colville delta and Point 

 Barrow. The latest date of fall departure noted for Point Barrow is 

 August 18 and for St. Michael September 10. 



Casual records. — One specimen obtained at La Paz, Lower Califor- 

 nia (Belding), and recorded as this species is now regarded as a 

 marbled godwit, and there is one record from the island of Kauai, and 

 several from Laysan, Hawaiian Islands (Bryan). A specimen taken 

 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on September 16, 1907, is referable to 

 the European form Lirrwsa lapponica lapponica. 



Egg dates. — Alaska : 15 records, May 25 to July 9 ; 8 records, May 

 29 to June 5. 



LIMOSA HAEMASTICA (Linnaeus) 



HUDSONIAN GODWIT 



HABITS 



I can count on the fingers of one hand the red-letter days when I 

 have been privileged to see this rare and handsome wader. It has 

 always been among the great desiderata of bird collectors. Its eggs 

 are exceedingly rare in collections. Many ornithologists have never 

 seen it in life. I can find no evidence that it was ever common. All 

 the earlier writers reported it as uncommon or rare. Audubon 

 (1840) referred to it as ''of rare occurrence in any part of the 

 United States." He never saw it in life and handled only a few 

 market specimens in the flesh. 



Spring. — From its winter home in far southern South America 

 the Hudsonian godwit migrates in spring by some unknown route 

 to the coast of Texas, where it arrives in April. I saw three adults 

 and collected a pair in fine spring plumage near Aransas Pass on 

 May 17, 1923. From Texas and Louisiana it migrates northward 

 through the Mississippi Valley, central Canada and the Mackenzie 

 Valley to the Arctic coast. Prof. William Rowan in his notes refers 

 to it as a scarce, but regular, spring migrant in Alberta; his dates 

 are between April 29 and May 29. He and C. G. Harrold (1923) 

 recorded 24 birds between these dates in 1923. Their records are as 

 follows : 



April 29, 2 flocks of 6 each (also 2 avocets on this date, although on the 

 30th it snowed all day) ; May 7, 2 Hudsonians at the lake and one with a party 

 of marbled godwits at a muddy slough a few miles away ; May 8, a flock of 

 4 Hudsonian and 2 marbled ; May 15, flock of 3 Hudsonian, 2 marbled, and 1 

 Willet; May 22, a fine male Hudsonian with 8 or 9 marbled. One other 

 specimen was seen flying over about May 10. 



