GREY PHALAROrE. 133 



was struck down by a labouring man with a spade. The 

 Grey Phalarope has also been killed in Ireland and in 

 Scotland. In Denmark, Sweden, and Norway it is ob- 

 served in spring and autumn, when on its passage to and 

 from its breeding stations in higher northern latitudes. 

 It visits Iceland and Greenland. On Sir Edward Parry's 

 first and second Arctic voyages, it was observed to be 

 abundant during the summer months on the North 

 Georgian Islands, and found breeding at Iglookik and 

 Melville Island on the third voyage. This species is well 

 known to the ornithologists of the United States, where it 

 performs periodical migrations north and south, similar to 

 those observed in Europe ; the Grey Phalarope is also 

 included in the volume devoted to the Zoology of Captain 

 Beechy^s voyage to the Pacific in the Blossom, but the 

 locality in which the bird was obtained is not named. 



According to Pennant, this species is found in the 

 eastern parts of the north of Europe ; is abundant in 

 Siberia, and about the large lakes of Asia to the Caspian 

 Sea. It is occasionally found in Holland and Germany ; 

 but is considered a rare bird in France, Switzerland, 

 and Italy. Mr. Blyth has obtained it in the vicinity of 

 Calcutta. 



The females of this species appear to assume more 

 perfect colours, in the breeding- season, and to retain them 

 longer than the males. A female in fine summer plumage 

 has the beak yellow, the point dark brown ; around the 

 base of the beak, and on the top of the head, dark brown- 

 ish black ; irides dark brown ; around the eye a patch of 

 white ; a narrow stripe down the back of the neck ; all 

 the back and rump nearly black, with pale yellow 

 margins ; lesser wing-coverts lead-grey, edged with white ; 

 greater wing-coverts and secondaries lead-grey, with broad 



