372 Dixon, Migration of the Yellow-billed Loon. \_Oct. 



of Cooke (loc. cit.), but they do support his theory regarding the 

 probable spring migration route of the species. Although only 

 negative information can be contributed as to the fall route trav- 

 ersed, I think that if we had but enough of such negative informa- 

 tion we might be able to solve the problem. In other words we 

 may find out where the species migrates by learning that it does 

 not follow certain other routes. 



The first Yellow-billed Loon collected by us in 1914 was a female 

 taken on June 3 at Humphrey Point, Arctic Alaska. This is 

 roughly two-thirds of the way from Point Barrow to the mouth of 

 the Mackenzie River, and near the Alaska-Canada boundary line. 

 Other loons had been seen a few days before this, some of which I 

 believe were Yellow-bills. From this date on until July 16, when 

 we went aboard the ship, Yellow-bills were common. That is, 

 from three to twent}^ were seen in one day (twenty-four hours) 

 flying along the lagoons or open leads a few rods offshore. A few 

 cut across the tundra, but our hunters out on the sandspits waiting 

 for flights of brant and ducks, who observed and kept a record of 

 the dift'erent species that passed, said that most of these loons 

 followed the lagoons. After June 20 several were seen, paired, 

 in large ponds a few miles inland, but they did not breed there, 

 although they hung around up to the time that we left (July 16). 

 Pacific Loons nested in the same ponds where the Yellow-bills 

 were found, so that an inexperienced person, even with the best 

 intentions, could easily confuse the two. 



I heard of various sets of Yellow-billed Loon eggs that had been 

 taken in this locality and near Point Hope, but when I came to 

 run the reports down, I found that the eggs were usually collected 

 by Eskimos, or that the collector had seen Yellow-billed Loons 

 flying about the nesting ponds. The methods employed by the 

 captains of whaling and other vessels, as well as some collectors, 

 to secure rare Arctic eggs, has too often been to give a native some 

 trinket to bring the eggs in. While natives are fairly accurate and 

 observing, they are more interested in securing the reward than 

 they are in obtaining dependable scientific facts. Hence I am 

 reluctant to accept such evidence at full value. Then, too, many, 

 probably nearly all, of the nesting records of the Yellow -billed 

 Loon are from territor\' where the Common Loon has been known 



