298 BULLETIN 146, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



eastward to western Greenland, and westward to Bering Strait and 

 to the Pacific islands. Both color and size have been taken into 

 account in this study.] 



Egg datet^. — Bering Sea coast of Alaska : 10 records, May 29 to 

 June 27. Arctic coasts of Alaska and Canada: 19 records, June 

 19 to August 1 ; 10 records, June 28 to July 21. 



ARENARIA MELANOCEPHALA (Vigors) 

 BLACK TURNSTONE 



HABITS 



The black turnstone replaces to a large extent on the Pacific coast 

 our well-known ruddy turnstone; both species are found there on 

 migrations and in winter, but the black is the commoner on tliat 

 coast, to which it is restricted. It is a characteristic bird of the 

 barnacle-covered reefs and rocky shores, being more often seen on 

 the outjying islands and ledges than on the mainland. Therq it 

 lives at the water's edge, seeking its food within reach of the waves 

 and often drenched with ocean spra3^ As it stands motionless it 

 is almost invisible in its coat of dark brown and might easily be 

 mistaken for a knob of rock or a bunch of seaweed; but when 

 startled into flight its conspicuous pattern of black and white flashes 

 out a distinctive mark of recognition. 



Spring. — The black turnstone starts on its northward migration 

 from the coast of California early in April. Much of the flight is 

 over the ocean, as the following observation by Austin H. Clark 

 (1910) shows: 



On the first day out of San Francisco, May 4, we saw several small flocks 

 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 10 or 20 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 o'clock, and increased in numbers until about 2, when they were very 

 abundant; shortly after 3 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 Puget Sound. Whether 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 other shore 

 birds in these multitudes, but all which came near the ship were of this 

 species. 



Lucien M. Turner (1886) says that this is one of the earliest 

 arrivals at St. Michael. His earliest date is May 13. "It arrives 

 with the earlier geese, and for the first few weeks frequents the 



