1S92.] General Notes. -99 



cleared, the birds disappearing with it. We ))rohably saw between five 

 hundred and one thousand Phahiropes during; the hour lliat tb.ey were in 

 the harbor. 



May 23. — Thick fog and driving rain with moderate wind until about S 

 A. M., after which the rain and wind ceased; but the fog continued nearlv 

 tvyo hours longer until driven away by a fresh west wind which rose rather 

 suddenly. Fishermen who landed at 7.30 reported immense numbers 

 of ' bank birds ' resting on the water less than half a mile from shore. This 

 was something entirely unheard of, and created much interest among the 

 men gathered about the wharf waiting for the weather to moderate. The 

 ' white bank birds ' (^Plialarofiis lobatiis) sometimes come within less 

 than a mile of shore, but the " brown ones" (C. fiilicarius) they said had 

 never before been seen in this region except at sea. Taking a dory we 

 soon found a flock resting on the water only a few hundred yards from the 

 end of the wharf. There were certainly one hundred and fifty individuals 

 in this flock — perhaps twice as many. The number could only be guessed at, 

 as the birds were very restless and much scattered, while new arrivals con- 

 stantly came in to increase the confusion. The flocks moved slowly to 

 windward, bunches of a dozen or more birds continually rising from 

 behind and flying to the front. For the next two hours Phalaropes were 

 constantly in sight, either resting on the water or flying about in every 

 direction, mostly in large flocks, but frequently singly. They were very 

 unsuspicious, allowing the dory to approach within fifteen or twenty yards 

 before taking alarm. Their only note was a single chip like that of 

 P. lobattts, and somewhat resembling a note of Calidris arenaria. 

 While the fog was most dense some of the flocks settled on the water 

 within fifty yards of the ends of the wharves, but as the air cleared they 

 drew away from shore, and later could be seen rising through the rapidly 

 disappearing fog. After circling about until well oriented, they flew oft" 

 over the town in the most direct line for the open ocean, and when the fog 

 finally cleared none were left in the harbor. A few, however, could still 

 be seen out in the bay where the fog still lingered. It was impossible to 

 get any adequate idea of the number of birds seen during those two 

 hours. Two thousand would be a very low estimate, and 1 doubt whether 

 double that number would be much too high. 



Scattered about among the Crymophilus were a few P/iularop/is lobattts, 

 in about the proportion of one to twenty. The smaller species was very 

 conspicuous on account of its snowy white breast. 



This unusual occur^ence so near shore of a species almost pelagic in its 

 habits in this latitude, is of course to be accounted for by the sudden arrest 

 of the northward migration by the easterly storm and fog. The latter was 

 probably the more important cause as fog accompanied by a very light 

 wind even, appears invariably to have more influence than wind alone on 

 the movements of migrating Limicolie. — Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., Cain- 

 bridge, Mass. 



Pavoncella pugnax in North Carolina. — I wish to record the capture of a 



