62 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE AROTIC OCEAN. 
MOTACILLIDA. WAGTAILS. 
BUDYTES FLAVA (Linn.) Gray. 
(14.) THE YELLOW WAGTAIL. 
As a summer resident on the shores of Bering Sea, in Alaska, this handsome bird makes its 
appearance the last of May or the first of June, according to the season, and very soon after is 
mated and performing its summer duty of nesting and rearing its young,in all the suitable portions 
of the low, open country, from the Yukon mouth on the south to the southern shore of Kotzebue 
Sound on the north. Saint Michael’s may be taken as the center of abundance of this bird in 
Alaska. At the Yukon mouth, [found it rare in the spring of 1879 and during the summer of 1880. 
I only found two or three specimens at the various landings made in Kotzebue Sound; it was, also, 
found sparingly at Plover Bay, where nearly every naturalist who has landed there has also found 
jt. It was not seen on the Arctic shore of Siberia visited by the Corwin, nor does Nordenskjéld 
mention if as being found at his wintering place. As autumn approaches, towards the last of 
August, these gentle birds prepare to return to their winter quarters in Southeastern Asia and 
adjoining islands. One by one they leave our shore, and unless some waif is caught, like the one 
Mr. Dall secured at sea, off Saint Matthew’s Island, nothing more is heard of them in America until 
they recross the sea again in spring. Meanwhile they have twice passed the strange scenes of 
China, Japan, and other adjoining lands of the Orient, and penetrated the countries of Southeastern 
Asia and the adjoining islands, joining meanwhile in pleasant fellowship with many a strange 
feathered companion, whose experience wots not of the wide lands roamed over by his jaunty, 
tip-tilted friend, whose air of complacent impertinence speaks of much sight-seeing in foreign parts ; 
and who knows but he even affects a slight Eskimo lisp as the result of his voyage across the seas ? 
However, he is a very welcome summer visitor to the cheerless bogs of Northwestern Alaska and 
makes a pleasant addition to the slightly varied character of the bird life in this portion of the far 
north. 
ANTHUS LUDOVICIANUS (Gm.) Licht. 
(15.) THE AMERICAN TITLARK. 
During the early spring the Titlark is found sparingly along the entire Alaskan coast of Bering 
Sea, but does not breed to my knowledge south of the straits, except perhaps on the mountains 
back from the coast, and L have not found it numerous at any season, though it is said to be 
common in the interior. It also occurs on the Chuekchee peninsula and Aleutian Islands. The 
first of August it comes straggling slowly back from its breeding ground in the north, bringing its 
young in train, and after lingering for a short time about favorite spots in the vicinity of Saint 
Michael’s passes on to seek winter quarters far to the south. 
ANTHUS PRATENSIS (Linn.) Bechst. 
(16.) THe EUROPEAN TITLARK. 
This widely-spread Old World bird has been taken but once within the region treated of in 
this paper. A single specimen was secured at Saint Michael’s by Mr. Dall, during the Russian- 
American Telegraph Expedition, and remains the only evidence of its presence on either shore of 
Bering Sea. 
MOTACILLA OCULARIS Swirshoe. 
(17.) Tor SIBERIAN WAGTAIL. 
All the later naturalists who have visited Plover Bay, Siberia, have secured specimens of this 
handsome bird, Dall, Bean, and myself in succession finding it there. The two former took it late 
in the season in imperfect plumage, while during the second visit of the Corwin to this bay, the 
last of June, 1881, [ secured a fine adult male in perfect breeding plumage, the handsome plate 
