d96 Wetmore, Birds of Lake Burford, N. Mex. [ji:'y 



the first one or two eggs of a set were laid on a mere platform and the 

 completed nest built up later, depending perhaps upon the need of the 

 female for a place to deposit her eggs. A complete set of seven eggs with 

 incubation begun was seen on June 7 and after this sets were common. 

 The males seemed to take no part in nest building, but stood about in the 

 rushes a few feet away. This guard continued as the eggs were laid and 

 incubation began. When the females were on the nest it was amusing, 

 as I approached slowly in the boat, to see the males stalk truculently 

 down and slide into the water, eyeing me closely all the while. Fre- 

 quently at this season they rose on the surface of the water, treading 

 heavily for a few strokes, making a loud turmoil in the water and driving 

 themselves backward for a foot or more with the force of the effort, ap- 

 parently a threatening act intended to frighten away an intruder. 



Many of the nests were mere floating platforms anchored among the 

 tule stems in two or three feet of water so that I was able to pass a boat 

 paddle beneath them without meeting with any obstruction. Some 

 were built in exposed situations where they were visible on all sides, so 

 that the birds evidently have no fear of enemies approaching from the 

 water. Incubating females frequently sat closely, allowing me to pass 

 within a short distance, but took care to turn their heads so as to conceal 

 the prominent white bill. One nest examined in an isolated clump of 

 tules was composed entirely of green stems but this was unusual, as it 

 was customary to utilize dried stalks only, even when it was necessary 

 to carry them from a distance of several yards. 



One bird was seen eating algae and slime that had collected on dead 

 tule stems floating in the water. It fed eagerly on this material, seizing 

 and stripping one piece after another. 



25. Steganopus tricolor Vieillot. Wilson's Phalarope. — This spe- 

 cies was present here in migration. On May 24 about twenty, most of 

 them males, were feeding on the open water in two small flocks. On 

 May 27 a dozen were found on a mud bar in the upper end of Hayden's 

 Lake. On June 8 two males and a female were found on one of the islands 

 in the lower lake and it seemed as though they might be ready to breed 

 here as the locality was a favorable one. They disappeared at once how- 

 ever, and, though a pair was seen in another locality on June 14, this 

 Phalarope did not nest here this season. 



26. Himantopus mexicanus (Midler). Black-necked Stilt. Four 

 were found in an open area on the north shore on May 30. They passed 

 on at once. 



27. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus (Brewster). West- 

 ern Willet.— One was seen on May 27. 



28. Actitis macularia (Linnaeus). Spotted Sandpiper. The Spotted 

 Sandpiper was found during the spring migration but none nested at 

 Lake Burford, though they bred only ten or twelve miles away, along the 

 Brazos River. Two were observed on May 24, while on the following day 



