106 FEATHERED GAME 



ferably in the northern marshes, laying three 

 or four eggs, drab colored with brownish spots. 

 If these birds were ''humans" Mrs. Phalarope 

 would probably be ''strong-minded" and march 

 in the front rank of the army of ' ' new women, ' ' 

 "going gadding," and lecturing against "that 

 tyrant, Man ! " As it is, being only a bird, she 

 is content to make Mr. Phalarope do all the 

 duty in hatching the eggs and rearing the 

 youngsters, while the lady of the family wears 

 the good clothes, puts on the style and does the 

 ornamental for the pair. She even does the 

 courting in the spring, thus again reversing the 

 general order of things in bird life. She is 

 larger as well as more gaudy in her dress than 

 is her i^oor, down-trodden mate. This species is 

 distinctively American, as might be guessed 

 from the independence of the lady bird in her 

 domestic affairs. 



In its breeding dress the female AVilson's Pha- 

 laroj^e is marked thus : bill quite long and very 

 slender, tapering nearly to a needle point. The 

 nostril is almost lost in the feathers at the base 

 of the bill. Forehead and crown a beautiful 

 bluish ash, the same color running down to the 

 nape, there whitening and continuing to the 



