Auk 



2 26 Mackay, Notes on Certain Water Birds. \*\xk 



the first birds of the season, which were resting on Gravelly Island 

 flats. On May 18 or 20 one hundred or more had collected on 

 Tuckernuck Island and vicinity. They remained about one 

 week. On April iS, 1894, at the westernmost part of Nantucket 

 Island, seven birds were noted flying towards the west. On 

 April 29 I saw two at the south head of the Hum muck Pond. One 

 of them, a male, which I shot, was pretty evenly black and white 

 on the breast ; the other had apparently no black. On April 29, 

 1S94, at Billingsgate Lighthouse, Welfleet, Cape Cod, Mass., 

 the keeper, Mr. James P. Smith, saw two Black-bellied Plovers. 

 These are all very early dates for spring birds in Massachusetts. 



There were fewer Turnstones (Arcnaria intcrpres) during 

 the spring of 1 S93 than in 1892; they arrived at the same time 

 as the Black-bellied Plovers, just as they did in the spring of 

 1892. They are close friends, and frequent the upland with 

 the Plovers, as they do also by themselves. 



Mr. H. G. Nutter of Boston, Mass., informs me that on April 

 15, 1S94, he saw seven flocks of American Eiders ofl* Welfleet, 

 Cape Cod, Mass. There were five to seven in each flock. On 

 the 20th he also saw three flocks, with three to five birds each. 

 On April iS he saw two flocks of Canada Geese (Branta 

 ca7iadensis) , one had twelve birds, the other rather more; they 

 were flying in a northwest direction. On the 21st he saw one 

 flock containing eight birds, which appeared to he very tired. 

 They settled down in Welfleet harbor to rest, it being late in the 

 afternoon. 



Seven Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) alighted in Pon- 

 kapog Pond, Mass., May S, 1894. I am informed on good 

 authority that more Canada Geese have passed over the eastern 

 part of this State this spring than for many years. This is also 

 the case for Nantucket Island. 



There have been fewer Golden-eyes ( Glaticionetta clangula 

 americana) about Nantucket Island during the past winter than 

 usual. 



Through the courtesy of my friend Mr. J. R. Kendall of 

 Jamaica Plain, Mass., I am able to contribute the following 

 interesting data concerning the recent occurrence of the Red 

 Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) ofl' the coast of Massachusetts. 

 On May 25, 1S94, about ten thousand (as carefully estimated) 



