56 Bird- Life iit Labrador. 



blind flurry for a short distance, only to return to nearly or 

 quite the same spot again, makes me certain that I have seen 

 flocks of them upon more than one occasion. 



RED PHALAROPE 



Phalaropus fulicarius (L.) BP. 



I SAW several Mocks and single birds, which were undoubt- 

 edly of this species, just off the coast at sea, between Belie 

 Isle and Chateau Bay. As Dr. Elliott Coues procured speci- 

 mens from off Belle Isle I am the more certain that those I 

 saw were of this species. They were verv graceful little fel- 

 lows and not at all wild, except in keeping in the sea off land, 

 ail the time that we saw them at least. 



WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER 

 BONAPARTE'S SANDPIPER 



Actodromati bonapartii. (Scm,.) COUES. 



EVERYWHERE I went in Labrador I heard of the " Sand 

 birds." What the sand birds were was a great mystery until 

 I shot some of them and procured the above species. To say 

 that they were abundant would be spenking very mildly ; 

 they were everywhere, both up and down the coast. It is the 

 sandpiper of Labrador, and equally common on the rocky and 

 sandy beaches and muddy flats at low water, though it rather 

 favors the latter location. Its history has been well worked 

 up in my larger work, so I will repeat it here : Of the white- 

 rumped sandpiper I saw several immense flocks on the flats 

 near the house ; the birds were quite tame. Some had the 

 chestnut edgings of the wings very broad and deep, while sev- 

 eral of them had either the head or neck, and one had both, 

 quite ashy; the greater part of them had very little chestnut, 

 that color being replaced by ash ; the chestnut edgings seemed 

 to be on birds that were passing from the last stage of young 

 of the vear to adult birds, but I mav be mistaken. Both 



