THE MUSEUM. 



57 



"breed although I did not succeed in 

 finding any of their nests. However 

 as early as the latter part of July even 

 larger flocks than those seen in the 

 spring return from the north. From 

 this time until late in autumn enor- 

 mous masses of them may be seen on 

 the killing grounds, near the seal rook- 

 eries, where thousands of putrified car- 

 casses of the slain fur-seals swarm 

 with myriads of the white larvae of the 

 flesh;-:fly, upon which the pretty Turn- 

 stones feed and grow exceedingly fat. 

 At sunset they retire to the beach, 

 where they pass the night, not how- 

 ever without having a soldier-like drill 

 by flying up and down the endless 

 tundra, now in full body, now again 

 in detached divisions, and with admir- 

 able precision turning and maneuver- 

 ing as if obeying the command of a 

 leading officer. 



Pacific Golden Plover, Cliaradrius 



do 1/1 in ic ii s fii ii • // .s- . 



This form is distinguished from its 

 near American relative CJi. domiiii- 

 cus which also has the axillaries 

 smoky gray, by the greater brightness 

 of the yellow color. The Pacific 

 Plover is, however, the form which 

 occurs most commonly in Alaska, oc- 

 cupying the whole shore of Bering 

 Sea, while the true dominicus only 

 breeds in the interior and along the 

 coast of the Arctic Ocean. The in- 

 dividuals oi fulvns breeding in Amer- 

 ica migrate in- winter along the Asiatic 

 Coasts, thus giving evidence of the 

 way in which the species once immi- 

 grated into Alaska. They arrive 

 about the middle of May, coming 

 again after the 15th of September. 



Mongolian Plover, Acgiolitis mo7i- 

 gola. 

 One of the brightest and handsome- 

 est of the shore birds and always glad- 

 ly welcomed when making its appear- 

 ance during the first half of May. 

 While at Glinka on Copper Island, in 

 July, 1883 a young bird of this species 

 not yet fully feathered was brought to 

 me alive. Allowed to run free on the 

 floor it immediately commenced a 

 very animated pursuit of the rather 

 numerous flies which were caught with 

 remarkable precision and rapidity and 

 devoured with an unsatiable appetite. 

 The little fellow did not pay any at- 

 tention to the presence of several per- 

 sons in the room, but when the dog 

 rose from his nap in the corner, the 

 swiftfooted fly-killer suddenly dropped 

 flat on the floor, with withdrawn neck, 

 making himself as small and flat as 

 possible, and remained there perfectly 

 immovable until the dog turned his 

 head the other way, when:he ran off 

 to the darkest corner of the room, 

 where he remained until the former 

 laid down in his old place. Then he 

 started the fly hunting again;^the dog 

 rose once more, and the same per- 

 formance was repeated. Within half 

 an hour, however, he diad learned that 

 the dog did not take any notice of 

 him whatever, and consequently he 

 afterwards paid as little attention to 

 dog as to man. A nest was found 

 on the islet Toporkof, on the 4th of 

 June and contained three'eggs. They 

 were lying with their ■ pointed ends 

 inwards and downwards, in a slight 

 hollow in the ground betw'een the 

 stems of four Angelica arcJiangclica. 

 Dry particles of the leaves and stems 

 of this plant, and [numerous seeds of 



