8G NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



paid no attention whatever to us. They had probably mistaken the 

 boat for a whale. 



They are without doubt the most graceful of all birds on the water, so 

 light and buoyant that they do not seem to touch the water. While 

 swimming, they are continually nodding the head and turning from one 

 side to the other. They have greater powers of flight than either liyper- 

 boreus or wilsoni, and fly much more swiftly. In Cumberland, as well as 

 on the Greenland coast, they nest with hyperboreus. 



Governor Fencker tells me they are not found as far north as hyper- 

 boreus; probably few breed above 75 N. lat. Are common on the out- 

 lying islands between Nuguineute and Hudson's Straits. About the 

 entrance of Exeter Sound, on the east coast of Penny Peninsula, are 

 some islands which the Eskimo call "Shatgak nuna" Phalaropes 

 land so they are probably very common there. 



When they begin nesting they live more on shore, and probably get 

 their food along the beaches at low tide. There is great variation in 

 plumage, even among the apparently adult birds, in spring. I think it 

 quite probable that they do not attain their full plumage the first year. 



34. Tringa minutilla, Vieill. 



Noticed in Niantilic, September, 1877, and in Disko Fjord, Greenland, 

 August, 1878. 



35 Tringa fuscicollis, Vieill. 



Breeds in Kingwah and Kiugnite Fjords, and probably in other suit- 

 able localities on both shores of Cumberland Sound. Considerable num- 

 bers were observed along the beach near Nuboyant, on the west shore, 

 in July ; they were in all probability breeding. We were cruising close 

 to shore, but I could not land. 



36. Tringa maritima, Briinu. 



"Sigercak," Cumberland Eskimo. "Sarbarsook," Greenlauders. 

 The purple sandpiper is the first wader to arrive in spring and the 

 last to leave in autumn. The 4th of June is the earliest date I met them 

 at Annanactookj this was during a heavy snow-storm, and the earliest 

 date possible that they could have found any of the rocks bare at low tide. 

 The flock lit on the top of one of the small islands in the harbor, and 

 sheltered themselves from the storm by creeping behind and underneath 

 ledges of rocks; they then huddled together like a flock of quails in 

 winter. I have often noticed the same habit with them in late autumn, 

 while they were waiting for low tide. They remained in the vicinity of 

 Annanactook till November, as late as they could find any exposed 



