THE PHALAROPES 267 



of life, more especially as they seldom illustrate any but such points 

 as are already well known. 



tf 



The notes of the phalaropes have been variously given; the 

 apparent discrepancies are probably due to the difficulty of rendering 

 even the simplest bird-notes in words. Thus, of the rednecked- 

 phalarope Mr. Aplin says the ordinary notes on the water are a short 

 " quut " or " quit" and " chirra-chirra-chirra," and on a pair rising, a rapid 

 " ket-ket-ket-ket" and when they settle again a short " kyow" or two, 

 which last he thought might be the spring pairing note. 1 The note 

 most frequently heard by Mr. H. S. Gladstone was expressed by him 

 as " plip-plip" varied by a coarse " chiss-ick" the latter being the 

 female's warning cry to the male. 2 Howard Saunders gives a low 

 " pleep-pleep " and " wit-wit-wit" 3 while the Rev. H. H. Slater states 

 that the only note he heard them utter was "wit-wit-wit"* Audubon, 

 quoted by Macgillivray, describes their notes as resembling the 

 syllables " tweet-tweet-tweet " very sharp and clear. 5 



Of the grey-phalarope it has been stated that " they keep up a 

 continual twittering, as of conversation, among themselves," and are 

 at all times, when in flocks, " a noisy bird." 6 Howard Saunders says 

 their note is a sharp " tweet," and the female sometimes utters a low 

 " clink-clink." 7 The latter is probably the note referred to by Dresser 

 as finch-like. 



During the nesting season, when the phalaropes spend much time 

 on inland waters, their food consists largely of aquatic insects and 

 their larvaB, which are taken on and near the surface of the water, 

 and from the herbage, as the birds swim about. Herr Manniche 

 observed a male grey-phalarope fishing on the bottom by standing 



1 Zoologist, 1806, p. 458. 



! British Birds (magazine), vol. i. p. 176. 



3 Manual of British Birds, p. 568. 



4 British Birds, their Nests and Eggs, vol. v. p. 103. 



5 Macgillivray's British Birds, voL iv. p. 296. 



6 Report of the International Polar Expedition to Point Barroic (Washington, 1885). 



7 Manual of British Birds, p. 566. 



VOL. III. 2 M 



