SCOLOPACIDA. 435 
louse, something like our wood-louse, which greedily 
preys on animal substances, as dead floating birds, 
and is to be met with, with other species, amongst 
floating sea-weed: the bird takes these both by 
swimming and by dropping on the water, also from 
sea-weed and the tidal portions of the coast. It 
swims light as a cork, gull-fashion, and incessantly 
keeps nodding its head: it also dives} after its food 
for a distance of five or six feet.” 
The nest is said to be never far from the sea- 
shore, made in a hollow of the ground and carefully 
lined with a few grasses, or formed amongst short 
herbage.* 
Like so many other birds, especially those 
included in this Order, the Grey Phalarope differs 
in plumage very materially at different times. 
Yarrell says the female appears to assume more 
perfect colours in the breeding-season, and to retain 
them longer, than the male. A female in fine 
summer plumage has the beak yellow, the point 
dark brown; around the base of the beak and on 
the top of the head dark brownish black; irides 
dark brown; around the eye is a patch of white; a 
narrow stripe down the back of the neck; all the 
back and rump nearly black, with pale yellow 
margins ; lesser wing-coverts pale lead grey, edged 
with white; greater wing-coverts and secondaries 
* Meyer's ‘ British Birds,’ vol. v., p. 118. 
2P2 
