38 BULLETIN OF THE NVTTALL 



Allen, having only his rifle with him at the time, was unable to secure the 

 female, but as she sat closely and was distinctly seen by him, there seems 

 little reason to doubt the correctness of the identification, especially as in 

 position of nest, color and size of eggs, etc., we find nothing incompatible 

 with the corresponding breeding characteristics of the other and better- 

 known species of this genus. 



Mr. Allen has since informed me, by letter, that a nest satisfactorily 

 determined as belonging to this species, and which agrees closely with the 

 one just described, was discovered by Captain Charles Bendire in Ore- 

 gon (?). 



A CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIOGRAPHY OF WILSON'S 

 PHALAROPE. 



BY E. W. NELSON. 



Although this species [Steganopus vnlsoni, Coues) is more or 

 less common in portions of the country frequently visited by 

 Ornithologists, it is remarkable that its life-history should be so 

 little known. The account of nearly every author who has men- 

 tioned the species contains more or less error, and none give any- 

 thing like a complete history of it. To remedy this to some 

 extent is the object of the present paper, since I have had abundant 

 opportunity for observing the bird in the field. 



But first I wish to make a few quotations from and remarks upon 

 the principal accounts of the species. Ord, in his edition of " Wilson's 

 Ornithology (Vol. Ill, p. 205), states as follows : " Our figure of this 

 species \_Phalar02ms lohatus, Ord] beai's all the marks of haste ; it is 

 inaccurately drawn, and imperfectly colored ; notwithstanding, by 

 a diligent study of it, I have been enabled to ascertain that it is the 

 Coot-footed Tringa [Phalarope] of Edwards, pis. 46 and 143, to which 

 bird Linnaeus gave the specific denomination of lohatus." Thus far 

 Ord is undoubtedly correct, as is evident by a comparison of the 

 plates in question. As Dr. Coues has already stated (Birds of the 

 Northwest, p. 467), Tringa lohata, Linn, is Lohipes hi/perboreus, (L.) 

 Cuv., and I perfectly agree with Ord in referring Wilson's plate to 

 the same species ; but farther on Ord describes an undoubted speci- 

 men of Steganopus wilsoni, taken near Philadelphia, as being identi- 

 cal with Wilson's plate of lohatus, which is certainly a bad case of 

 mal-identification. From references I have been enabled to make, I 



