HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



379 



arrive in the month of April, and there linger until 

 June, very soon after which they are seen at their 

 breeding quarters, on the shores of Hudson Bay, and 

 along the desolate strand of the Arctic Sea, where 

 they have been met with by the northern navigators, 

 as far as the 75th parallel. They already begin to 

 depart from these remote boreal regions in August, in 

 which month, and even towards the close of July, I 

 have seen young birds for sale in the market of Bos 

 ton. They visit the shores of Great Britain also 

 about the same time, arriving thence probably from 

 the Arctic shores of Siberia. Five or six weeks 

 later, they are observed to visit the borders of the 

 Delaware, and proceed onward to the south as the 

 weather increases in coldness. The most southern 

 summer residence of this species known, if Mr. Flem 

 ing be correct, is the Scottish isle of Zetland. They 

 are also said to inhabit the isles of the Baltic during 

 summer. In a mere depression of the sand or gravel, 

 along the sea coast, it is said to drop its eggs, which 

 are four in number, and according to Mr. Hutchins, 

 are of an olive green, spotted with blackish brown. 



It is naturally of a wild and solitary disposition, 

 coursing along the shore by pairs, or in small families 

 which have been bred together. In the months of 

 May and June, in New Jersey, they almost wholly 

 feed upon the spawn of the king-crab, or horse-foot, 

 (Monoculus polyphemus, LIN.) which affords them 

 and other animals an abundant and almost inex 

 haustible supply. 



We could easily extend this list of the quadrupeds 

 and birds of California much further ; but we have 

 already shown that the country abounds in game as 



