214 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



County records: Dickinson — "Lake Park, fall of 1890" (Salis- 

 bury). Johnson — "mounted a female for ITniversity museum, 

 shot on Iowa River near Butler's Landing, north of Iowa City, 

 April 22, 1902" (Anderson). Lee — "accidental; one record, Keo- 

 kuk district" (Praeger); "rare visitant" (Currier). Pottawatta- 

 mie-Mills — "common migrant" (Trostler). Sioux — "June 2, 

 1900, I collected a set of four eggs of the American Avocet but 

 was unable to blow them as they were too far advanced. I saw 

 two or three pairs of the birds; locality, prairie, about three miles 

 east of Hawarden" (Berry). Woodbury — "rare transient" (Rich). 



Geiuis HiMANTOPrs Brisson. 



91. (226). Hiniauiopus mexicaims \Vi.\\\\.). Black-necked Stilt. 



This is a species of tropical America, onlj- rarely venturing up 

 the Mississippi Valley as far north as Iowa. It is listed by Allen 

 (White's Geol. of Iowa, ii, 1870, 426). "Has only been observed 

 in Nebraska in the vicinity of Omaha, from where L. Skow and 

 I. S. Trostler record it, the latter giving the following dates: May 

 18, 1893; May 6, 1894; April 10, 1895, ^"<^ October 3 and 9, 1894" 

 (Rev. Bds. Neb., 37). 



County records: Mills- Pottawattamie — "scarce migrant" 

 (Trostler). Sioux — "shot one female at Hawarden in 1890" 

 (Berry) . Webster — ' 'several were killed here in summer of 1 898' ' 

 — Fort Dodge (Somes). Wayne — (Brown). Woodbury — "rare 

 transient — Sioux City" (Rich). 



Family SCOLOPACID.F:. Snipes, Sandpipers. 



This is a large family, including about forty-five North Amer- 

 ican species. The}- are usually gregarious during migrations and 

 are found in large flocks, generally along the shores of bays, lakes, 

 ponds or rivers, where they pick up their food from the mud and 

 ooze. The)' are rarely found far from water and, with the Plov- 

 ers, are known collectively as Shore Birds or Bay Birds. 



Subfamily SCOLOPACIN.5^. Snipe. 

 Genus Philoiiela Gray. 



93. (228). Philohcla minor (Gmel.). American Woodcock. 



The American Woodcock, although quite well known, appears 

 to be nowhere a common bird in the state. In the .spring its pref- 



