486 GAME BIBDS OF CALIFORNIA 



feathers brownish black, shafts of outermost ones white; margin of wing 

 sealed white and brown; lining of wing and axillars white; inner surface of 

 flight feathers white toward bases, darkening to pale brown at ends; breast 

 with a mixture of ashy brown feathers, and pure white feathers with crescent- 

 shaped bars of blackish near ends; rest of under surface white, marked on 

 upper belly, sides, flanks and under tail coverts with bold crescents, triangles, 

 or streaks of brownish black; feet " 'olive green; claws black' " (Baird, 

 Brewer and Ridgway, 1884, I, p. 127). Adults and immatures, both sexes in 

 winter: Top and sides of head, whole neck, and breast, back, rump and outer 

 surface of closed wing, continuously blackish brown, the feathers with dull 

 darker shafts or shaft streaks, which are broadest and most noticeable on 

 head; eyelids white; cheeks streaked with dull ashy; chin white, sparingly 

 flecked with brown; rump, upper tail coverts, tail and flight feathers as in 

 summer adults; under surface behind dark breast area, white, sparingly streaked 

 or spotted with dark brown, on upper belly, flanks and under tail coverts. 

 Males: Total length 9.87 inches (251 mm.) (two specimens from Alaska); 

 folded wing 6.22-6.62 (158-168); bill along culmen 0.87-0.95 (22.5-24.2); 

 tarsus 1.14-1.25 (29.0-31.8) (ten specimens from Alaska). Females: Total 

 length 10.25 (261) (one specimen from Alaska); folded wing 6.42-6.97 (163- 

 177); bill along culmen 0.95-1.02 (24.2-25.8); tarsus 1.22-1.32 (31.0-33.6) (ten 

 specimens from Alaska and California). Juvenile (?) plumage: Like that of 

 adults in winter save that feathers of back are narrowly edged with grayish 

 white, wing coverts are slightly lighter than l)ack and more broadly margined 

 with white, and each ashy brown feather on breast is crossed near end by 

 two narrow white bands; iris dark hazel; bill black at tip, grayish yellow at 

 base; feet and legs yellowish (modified from Nelson, 1887, p. 128). Natal 

 plumage: Not known to us. 



Marks for field identification — Moderate size (much larger than that of 

 Killdeer), plump appearance, short bill (fig. 78) and legs, conspicuous white 

 "rump" patch (including upper tail coverts and bases of tail feathers), white 

 band across wing, and heavily marked under surface (pi. 13). Similar in 

 general appearance to the Turnstones, but distinguished from them by slightly 

 larger size, boldly marked instead of pure white hinder lower surface, and 

 single white patch at base of tail instead of two separated by black interval. 



Voice — A low piping note (Heermann, 1859, p. 64) ; a wild key-we'-ah (Bailey, 

 1916&, p. 103). 



Nest and eggs — Unknown. 



General distribution — Pacific coast of North and South America. Breed- 

 ing range unknown but probably in interior of northwestern Alaska; winters 

 in Chile south to Straits of Magellan; in migration occurs from Kowak River, 

 northern Alaska, to southern South America (A. O. U. Check-list, 1910, p. 131; 

 Cooke, 1910, p. 95). 



Distribution in California — Spring and fall migrant in moderate numbers 

 on rocky ocean shores; one instance of capture in winter. Recorded from 

 various localities from Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, south to Point Loma, San 

 Diego County. 



There remain at the present time but very few birds of regular 

 occurrence in northern North America M'hose life histories are not 

 fairly well known. The Surf -bird is one of these elusive species. In 

 winter it is known to occur along the western coast of southern South 



