RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 103 



In its habits the Red-necked Phalarope very closely 

 agrees with the Grey Phalarope, but is comparatively much 

 more rare in England, and more common on the northern 

 islands of Scotland. Pennant refers to a specimen shot 

 on the banks of a fresh- water pool on the Isle of Stronsay, 

 one of the Orkneys, in May, 1760. Mr. Simmonds, in a 

 paper published in the eighth volume of the Transactions 

 of the Linnean Society, refers to six females and two 

 males, found in 1803 about fresh-water lakes in Sanda 

 and North Ronaldsha, the two most northern of the Ork- 

 ney islands. Mr. Bullock, in a letter to Colonel Mon- 

 tagu, says, " I found this Phalarope common in the marshes 

 of Sanda and Westra in the breeding-season, but which it 

 leaves in the autumn. This bird is so extremely tame 

 that I killed nine without moving out of the same spot, 

 being not the least alarmed at the report of a gun. It 

 lays four eggs, of the shape of that of a Snipe, but much 

 less, of an olive colour, blotched with dusky. It swims 

 with the greatest ease, and, when on the water, looks like 

 a beautiful miniature of a Duck, carrying its head close to 

 the back, in the manner of a Teal." Mr. Salmon, who 

 visited Orkney in the summer of 1831, says of the Red- 

 necked Phalarope : "This beautiful little bird appeared 

 to be very tame ; although we shot two pairs, those that 

 were swimming about did not take the least notice of the 

 report of the gun ; and they seemed to be much attached 

 to each other, for when one of them flew to a short dis- 

 tance, the other directly followed; and while I held a 

 female that was wounded in my hand, its mate came and 

 fluttered before my face. We were much gratified in 

 watching the motions of these elegant little creatures, as 

 they kept swimming about, and were for ever dipping 

 their bills into the water ; and so intent were they upon 

 their occupation, that they did not take the least notice of 



