142 



NORTHERN PHALAROPE 

 223. Lobipes lobatus. 7.5 in. 



Bill short and slender. Female in summer with 

 reddish-brown breast; gray upper parts mixed with 

 white and buff; throat and belly, white. Male, similar 

 but duller colored. In winter, the upper parts are gray 

 mixed with white, and the underparts are pure white. 

 This is a maritime species that nests in the far north, 

 and appears on our coast only for a short time during 

 migrations. Like the last, they are expert swimmers 

 and pass most of their time, w'hen not breeding, upon 

 the surface of the water, where they can outride the 

 most severe storms in safety. They feed upon minute 

 insects that they secure from beds of floating kelp. 



Notes. A sharp, rapidly repeated, metallic " tweet." 



Nest. A grass-lined hollow in the ground; eggs 

 greenish-buff, spotted with black (1.30x.90). 



Range. Breeds from Labrador, Hudson Bay and 

 Alaska northward. Winters south of the United "States, 

 migrating along both coasts, and to some extent in the 

 interior. 



