On the Migration of Phalaropes in Montana. 67 



were not nesting. Their principal occupation seemed to be 

 robbing the Boobies and Gannets of their food. The natives 

 said they nested in November^ but I had no opportunity of 

 proving this. 



On June 24th^ 1898, I visited Beacon Island, a small rock 

 in the heart of the S.E. trade-wind, about five miles from 

 Port Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles group. The landing was 

 very difficult, the swell being heavy, but I managed to jump 

 ashore. Generally this island is inaccessible, as the sea 

 breaks all round it, except in the finest weather, and there 

 is alivays a swell. Here I found Sterna ancestheta and 

 S. fuliginosa in fair numbers, though not nearly so numerous 

 as at Goelet Island. The former is a small replica of 

 S. fuliginosa, but is not quite so black on the neck and 

 back, and the inner web of the middle toe does not reach 

 to the end of it, as in S. fuliginosa. S. fuliginosa had mostly 

 fresh eggs, and ;S^. anastheta generally hard-set or young. 

 S. fuliginosa always nested in the open, S. anastheta, more 

 often than not, under stones^ rocks, or hidden under tufts 

 of grass. Both these species bred all over the island. 

 This to a certain extent was true of Anous stolidas, 

 which was fairly plentiful, but seemed to keep together more 

 than the other two. There was a fair-sized colony of 

 S. dougalli here also, but they were most exclusive, keeping 

 quite by themselves, and were much wilder than any of the 

 others. I could not catch S. dougalli by hand, all the others 

 I could. These were the only birds on the island, but there 

 were immense numbers of beautiful copper-coloured lizards, 

 which must have taken a heavy toll of the eggs. If I broke 

 one, the lizards found and ate it at once ; they were not large 

 enough to take the young birds. 



VI. — On the Migration of Phalaropes in Montana. 

 By EWEN SOMERLED Cameron, F.Z.S. 



Previously to the spring of 1899 I had looked upon Pha- 

 laropes as quite rare in North-eastern Montana, having seen 

 the Red-necked Phalarope only once, and Wilson's Phalarope 



f2 



