22 Phillips, Problems in Migration. [ja'Ji_ 



TWO PROBLEMS IN THE MIGRATION OF WATER 



FOWL. 



BY JOHN C. PHILLIPS. 



I. Do American Ducks Reach the Marshall Islands? 



I have recently run across an ornithological item of great 

 interest, which as far as I know has not been brought to the atten- 

 tion of American ornithologists. This concerns the capture of 

 three species of American ducks in the Marshall Isles, northeast 

 of New Guinea. These islands lie on the parallel of 10° N. latitude 

 and are over 2200 miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands and 

 obviously far off the. known course of any American migrants. 



In 1899, Reichenow, the well-known German ornithologist, 

 reported (Ornith. Monatsb., p. 41) that Herr Brandeis, Imperial 

 Governor of the Marshalls, had written of a remarkable flight of 

 birds. " Each year at the end of October, coming from the north, 

 enormous wedge-shaped flocks of wild ducks come in continuous 

 flight over Atoll Bikar, LTterick, Ailuk, Jemo, Likieb and Wotje. 

 These flocks cover the sky for three or four days. Tired birds 

 from these flights settle down on the islands and after they have 

 recuperated, set out in small flocks in a southerly direction [italics 

 mine] following the main flock. In May similar flocks appear 

 again, flying north, which on this occasion take their way over 

 Atoll Ailinglablab, and from there between Kwadjelin and Likieb 

 and over Gasparico. The planter de Brum is going to obtain 

 some specimens." 



In the same Journal for 1901, p. 17, Herr Reichenow records the 

 receipt of Marshall Island duck skins sent by Herr Dr. Bartels 

 from Jaluit to the Zoological Museum at Berlin. The species 

 were Anas carolinensis, A. acuta americana and Nyroca valisneria. 



Reichenow adds that he thinks these ducks must come from 

 Alaska, perhaps the valley of the Lower Yukon, and from there 

 they may take their course along the Alaskan Peninsula to the 

 Aleutian Islands and go south over the ocean. He asks where 

 these ducks can winter, and adds that a further flight would take 



