RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 51 



her wings, and counterfeiting lameness, for the purjiose of 

 deluding the intruder ; and after leading the enemy from her 

 young, she takes Aving and flies to a great height, at the same 

 time displaying a peculiar action of the wings ; then descend- 

 ing with great velocity, and making simultaneously a noise 

 with her wings. On her return to her young, she uses a par- 

 ticular cry for the purpose of gathering the young together. 

 As soon as she has collected them, she covers them with her 

 wings like the domestic hen." A small flock of these birds 

 was seen on the west coast of Greenland, in latitude 71°, in 

 June, on Sir Edward Parry's first Arctic voyage ; and Cap- 

 tain James Ross, in the Natural History Appendix to the 

 third voyage, mentions that a small flock of these birds alight- 

 ed under the lee of the ship, during a strong breeze of wind, 

 and were so fearless of danger as to approach within a few 

 yards of her, feeding on small shrimps, which were seen in 

 great numbers. At this time, it is observed, " we were sixty 

 miles from the nearest land. (Disco.) We found them 

 breeding at whale fish islands, but saw no more of them after 

 leaving the coast of Greenland."" Dr. Richardson says this 

 species breeds on all the Arctic coast of America, and it is 

 well-known to the naturalists of the United States ; but Mr. 

 Audubon remarks that few individuals are ever seen to the 

 south of New York. 



M. Temminck, and other authorities on the continent of 

 Europe, mention that this bird is obtained occasionally in 

 Holland and Germany, but is rare in France, Switzerland, 

 Provence, and Italy. 



The food, as may be inferred from what has been already 

 stated, consists of small Crustacea, marine insects, worms, &c. 

 An egg in my own collection measures one inch two lines in 

 length, by ten lines in breadth, the ground colour olive, 

 blotched and streaked over with dark red brown. From the 

 denuded state of the breast of males obtained during the 



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