ANDERSON — TIIK lilKDS OF IOWA. 213 



In Winiieba.^^o and Hancock counties the Wilson Plialarope is 

 a common sunnner resident on the larger marshes, particularly on 

 peat beds around their maroins, where the ground is spongy and 

 saturated with water. As these are usually burned over in the 

 fall, the grass is short in the spring, and the nest is simply com- 

 posed of a few straws placed in a little hollow of a peaty hum- 

 mock, scarcely' concealed l)y the straggling green sprigs of grass. 

 The eggs are four in number, distinctly pyriform in shape, much 

 resembling the eggs of the Spotted vSandpiper, and always ar- 

 ranged with the points together. While in the vicinity of the 

 nesting place, all of the Phalaropes in the neighborhood, often 

 more than a dozen, will hover over the intruder's head, rufifling 

 out the feathers of the neck and uttering a peculiarly gentle, 

 crooning note, apparenth' tr5'ing to draw him away. They fre- 

 quently swim on ponds, like small ducks, and often one will be 

 seen whirling giddily round and round in the water as if on a 

 pivot, seemingly engaged in capturing small water bugs. 



The eggs are usually laid about the 20th of May in northern 

 Iowa. I took a set of four eggs June 2, 1S94, in a slough near 

 Leland (Winnebago), which was advanced in incubation; and 

 May 13, 1S93, removed an egg, full}- developed l>ut lacking the 

 pigment spots, from the oviduct of a female shot in Hancock 

 county. June 11, 1S92, caught a downy young specimen, light- 

 colored, with black stripes on hind neck and rump. This species 

 is practically confined to the interior of North America, while the 

 other two Phalaropes are found principally on the coasts. 



Family RKCURVIROSTRID.E. Avocets and Stilts. 



This is a small family characterized by extremely long and slen- 

 der legs and long slender bill; feet either fully or partially webbed. 

 They feed in shallow water, swimming when necessarj'. 



Genus RecurvirOvSTr.\ Linn?eus. 



91. (225). A'tr/frriros/ra a/zicriav/a Gniel. American Avocet. 



The American Avocet or "Blue-stocking" is a species of strik- 

 ing appearance, known at once by its contrasting colors, long re- 

 curved bill, and blue shanks. It is only rarel}' found in Iowa, 

 being more abundant in the West. Thomas Say observed the 

 species at Engineers" Cantonment, February 20, 1820 (Long's 

 Kxp., i, 266-270). 



[Proc. D. A. S., Vol. XL] 30 [Oct. 0, 1906.] 



