WILSONS PHALAROPE. 211 



I have seen the birds only as they have loitered awhile in the 

 Bay of Fundy ; but they gave me no grounds for thinking them the 

 wild and shy things Audubon tells about. I thought them excep- 

 tionally heedless of my presence, — confiding, in fact, — for I fre- 

 quently ran into a flock that barely made way for my boat. Mr. 

 William Jefferies makes a similar report of the flocks he saw off 

 Swampscott in August, 1890. 



The females of this species are rather more decorous than are 

 some of their cousins, though they do not believe in living alone if 

 a bit of management will secure a partner ; but they are help- 

 mates, — they share in the wearisome task of incubation and in 

 caring for the youngsters ; and their consideration and their con- 

 stancy, which is unimpeachable, is rewarded by a chivalrous 

 devotion. 



WILSON'S PHALAROPE. 



sea goose. 



Phalaropus tricolor. 



Char. Summer : above, dark ashy gray, paler on the crown and 

 rump ; throat, cheeks, and line over the eyes white ; sides of the neck 

 rich chestnut; wings brownish gray, outer feathers (primaries) dusky; 

 beneath, white, the breast tinged with pale chestnut; bill long, slender, 

 and acute, and of black color. Length 9>i inches. 



In winter the plumage is ashy gray and lacks the rufous tints. 



The female is larger and more highly colored and much more beautiful 

 than the male. 



N'est. In a marsh or wet meadow adjacent to a lake or pond, — a slight 

 depression scattered in the soil amid a tuft of grass, and sparsely lined 

 with grass. 



Eggs. 3-4 ; grayish buff or dark buff, thickly spotted with brown of 

 several shades ; 1.30 X 0.90. 



This elegant Phalarope, first noticed by Wilson in a museum 

 at Albany, was afterwards dedicated to his name and memory 

 when he was no longer conscious of the honor. Hurried to the 

 tomb from amidst his unfinished and ill-requited labors, his 

 favorite Orpheus and Wood Thrush pour out their melody in 

 vain. The Blue Bird, which hastens to inform us of the return 

 of spring and of the approach of flowers, delights no longer 

 the favorite of their song. Like his own beautiful and strange 



