Birds of Indiana. 687 



G. ORDER LIMICOL^. Shore Bieds. 

 XVII. Family PHALAROPODID^. Phalakopes. 



a^ Bill broad, somewhat triangular at tip. CimJOPHiLVS. 42 



a^. Bill jsleiuler, tapering to a point. Phalaropcs. 43 



42. Genus CRYMOPIIILUS Vieillot. 



84. (222). Crymophilus fulicarius (Linn.). 



Red Phalarope. 



Adult in Summer. — Under parts, with sides of neck and upper tail 

 coverts, dark purplish or wine-red, with glaucous bloom; top of head 

 and around bill, sooty; sides of head, white, this color meeting on the 

 nape; rump, white; back, black, all the feathers edged ^\ath tawny or 

 rusty brown; quills, brownish-black, with wiliite shafts, and much 

 white at bases of webs, the coverts dark ash; the ends and interior webs 

 of the greater row, white; some of the secondaries entirely white; bill, 

 yellowish, with dusky tip; feet, yellowish. Adult in Winter. — Head 

 all around and entire under parts, white, with a dusky circumocular 

 area, and nuchal crescent, and a wash of ashy along sides of body; 

 above, nearly uniform ash; wings, ashy-blackish, the white cross-bar 

 very conspicuous; bill, mostly dark. 



Length, 7.50-8.75; wing, 5.35-5.50; culmen, .80-.95; tarsus, .80-.85. 



Range. — Northern parts of Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the 

 Arctic regions and migrating south in winter. In the United States 

 south to the Middle States, Ohio Valley and Cape St. Lucas. Chiefly 

 maritime. 



Nest, a shallow depression in ground, rarely lined. Eggs, 3-4; drab- 

 olive, olive-buff or pale brown, heavily spotted with dark brown; 1.24 

 by .86. 



Rare straggler during migrations. 



Phalaropes are queer little birds. They look like Sandpipers, but 

 their lobate feet, resembling those of Coots and Gallinules, at once 

 distinguish them. They seem to be Sandpipers when along the shore, 

 but upon the water, swim as well as Coots. This species is more 

 often found along the sea coast than in the interior, where it is indeed 

 very rare. 



Mr. R. R. Moffitt informs me he killed one of these Phalaropes in 

 Jasper County April 10, 1885, and Prof. B. W. Evermann says one 

 was procured by Dr. J. T. Scoville, near Terre Haute, October 23, 

 1889. 



