70 Mr. E. Gibson on the Omitholoyij of [Hjis, 



Micropalama himantopus Sliarpe, Cat. B. xxiv. p. 401 . 



Iris dark brown ; bill black ; feet olive-colour^ claws 

 black. 



Claude Grant collected this species at tlie Yngleses on tlie 

 24th of February, 1909, and adds the following note : " This 

 little Wader has much the same actions as the Curlew 

 Sandpiper (Tringa siibnrquala), for which species I at first 

 mistook it. Like that bird it wades deep into the water — 

 in fact, until the Mater flows over the back of its neck/^ 



The following is my one and only entry of a reliable 

 nature and is taken from my Skin-book, under date 27 De- 

 cember, 1913: "Shot out of a flock of over 100, might 

 easily have been 200, so closely were they massed. Were 

 feeding on marshy ground near head-station ; and as the 

 flock rose at my approach, circled and passed away, the 

 white under surfaces were quite dazzling in the sunlight.^' 



408. Limosa hsemastica Linn. .Hudsonian Godwit. 



Iris dark brown ; bill a faint mauve or lilac-brown at 

 base, tip black : feet very dark grey, or Idack. 



The Hudsonian Godwit occurs Avith us all the year round, 

 the months of January and February practically excepted, 

 when my journal is a blank. In midwinter (2nd July) at 

 the Laguna Palenque I have found it " Very abundant, in 

 numerous flocks, some of apparently over 1000, no less.^^ 

 And in the same locality at the beginning of summer (6 De- 

 cember) in a subsequent year, I note : ''A large flock of from 

 150 to 200." Claude Grant collected young on 1 November 

 (Los Yngleses) and an adult on 20 December (Cape San 

 Antonio). The preceding may tend to confirm Mr. Hudson's 

 theory that it is both an Arctic and Antarctic species, breed- 

 ing towards each of the Polar circles, but meeting to Aviiiter 

 in the temperate zone of the southern hemisphere {vide 

 'Argentine Ornithology,' vol. ii. j). 191). Personally, I do 

 not venture to give an opinion ; but, whilst in some years 

 it has been of general occurrence (with the exception of the 

 two months I have mentioned), many others furnish no 

 entries for my diary whatever; and I am led to wonder at 



