NORTHERN PHALAROPE. 127 



Hats. — Northern portions of northern hemisphere, breeding in Arctic lati- 

 tudes ; south in winter to the tropics. 



Nest, a hollow in the ground, lined with dry grass. 



Eggs, three or four, similar to those of the Red Phalarope, but smaller. 



Like the preceding, this is a bird of the sea coast, but, singly or in 

 pairs, it is sometimes seen inland during the season of migration. 

 The two in my collection were found in the fall on one of the inlets 

 of Hamilton Bay. 



In the List of the " Birds of Western Ontario," mention is made 

 of three having been taken in Middlesex, and one found dead at 

 Mitchell's Bay in 1882. 



AVhile this was passing through the press, K. C. Mcllwraith shot 

 a young male of the species, as it rose from one of the inlets which 

 run from the bay up to the Beach road near Hamilton. 



Although a bird of the sea coast, the Northern Phalarope is found 

 more frequently in the interior than the Red Phalarope. It has been 

 observed at Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London, and also at Dunn- 

 ville, where Dr. Macallum says it may be counted on with tolerable 

 certainty every season during October. 



In Manitoba, most of the observers are mute regarding it, though 

 Mr. Nash says : " Common autumn visitor to Portage la Prairie, and 

 very abundant at the prairie sloughs near Winnipeg, where I saw 

 immense flocks of them in August and September, 1886." 



Of Alaska, Mr. Nelson says that the first arrivals reach St. 

 Michael's in full plumage about the middle of May, and by the first 

 of June they are in full force, and ready to begin the business of the 

 season. The young are hatched during June, and by the 20th of 

 July are fledged and on the wing. Soon they begin to gather in 

 parties of from five, to one hundred or more, keeping by the large 

 ponds and inlets till about the end of September, from which date 

 they are seen no more for the season. 



" They breed on all the islands of Behring Sea, the north coast of 

 Siberia, and we saw them common about Herald and Wrangel islands 

 in July and August, 1881. It is plentiful throughout the interior of 

 Northern Alaska, as well as on the salt marshes of the coast." 



