GREY PHALAROPE. 267 



they are in an intermediate state, or in the plumage 

 of the young. In Ireland, Mr. Thompson states it 

 to be " a rare but occasional autumnal visitant/' 

 In Europe it also occurs sparingly, chiefly towards 

 the north ; but its true and proper range seems to 

 be near the Arctic Circle, or in very northern lati- 

 tudes, Iceland and Greenland, &c. It is mentioned 

 by nearly all the Arctic voyagers as frequenting 

 many of the groups of islands visited by them, where 

 they were often found breeding. Siberia and the 

 north of Asia are also given to it by Pennant. 



So far as they have been observed on our coasts, 

 their manners have somewhat resembled those of 

 the sandpipers, exhibiting a little less activity, and 

 being occasionally seen swimming about the pools 

 on the shore. Marine life of various kinds supplies 

 them with nourishment. In the northern latitudes 

 they are frequently met with far out at sea, in one 

 instance out of sight of land ; and it is for the cap- 

 ture of the immense profusion of minute animals 

 which crowd the Arctic waters, that we believe the 

 more developed structure of the bill is provided.* 



In the plumage of the breeding season, a specimen 

 before us from Arctic America, has the sides and 

 fore part of the neck, and entire under parts, of a 

 deep and uniform brownish-orange, of an opaque 

 appearance from the dense and compact nature of 



* Mr. Audubon found them gregarious (during winter), on 

 the Ohio, swimming along the margin, and picking up seeds 

 of grasses ; also at sea, far from land, assembling in hundreds, 

 on banks of sea-weed. They proved excellent eating. 



