20 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA [No. i. 



only, for late in June I observed a pair of cranes which I knew to have a set of 

 eggs in the near neighborhood already laid, accomplishing a series of hops, skips 

 and profound bows, though these were mainly participated in by one of the birds, 

 the male I presume. Possibly such belated demonstration is analagous to the 

 singing of smaller birds even long after the courting season. Dr. Coffin found a 

 set of two eggs of the Little Erown Crane in the Kowak delta on the 14th of June. 

 They lay about six inches apart on the level ground of the tundra near a willow 

 bush. For a diameter of two feet the ground was sprinkled with finely broken 

 twigs; otherwise there was nothing to mark the spot as a nest. The eggs were 

 far advanced in incubation, and are ovate, measuring 3.42x2.33, 3.31x2.32. A 

 second set, obtained on the 15th, was similarly located and also considerably incu- 

 bated; the eggs are very much elongated, nearly cylindrical ovate, and measure 

 3.56x2.11, 3.35x2.00. The eggs of these two sets are quite similarly colored. 

 The general effect is rather pale. The ground color is olive-buff, over which are 

 evenly distributed spots and longitudinall3^-extending dashes of clay-color, Van- 

 d^^ke brown, vinaceous and lavender. These spottings are rather more numerous 

 at the large end of the eggs, but not so pronouncedly so as to form a wreath. 

 The longitudinal tendency of the markings easily reminds one of the pattern of 

 coloration on the eggs of MyiarcJms. The native name of the crane is Ta-tir'e-ak- 



Crymophilus fiilicarius (Linn.). 

 Red Phalarope. 



I did not see the Red Phalarope on the upper Kowak River, and but a few 

 were noted in the delta from the middle to the last of June. At Cape Blossom in 

 July I saw not more than six individuals of this species, although the Northern 

 Phalaropes were numerous. NearCape Lowenstern, however, and also at a point 

 on the Alaskan coast about twenty miles northeast of Cape Prince of Wales, I 

 found the Red Phalaropes quite numerous, while curiously enough, I noted only 

 two individuals of the other species. At the latter point, on the 27th and 28th of 

 June, '98, Red Phalaropes were to be found in pairs and small companies every- 

 where along the mudd)^ edges of brackish lagoons which extended from the coast 

 back into the tundras and connected with many lakes. These birds are extremely 

 graceful in their movements, and a pair preening themselves, or swimming about 

 each other on the surface of the clear water, is a pretty sight. The females are 

 brightest colored, apparently do most of the courting, and correspondingly it was 

 always the male that was flushed from the nest — a strange reversal of the usual 

 case among birds. I found three nests in this locality, all being discovered by 

 seeing the bird close at hand flying up from the grass. The birds are not demon- 

 strative at the disturbance of the nests, but leave the vicinity with one or two 

 metallic " peeps," not to return until the intruder has gone. The nests were all 

 on higher ground and at a distance of 100 yards or more from the lagoons where 

 the birds usually congregated for feeding and social purposes. The three nests 

 agreed in situation, being rather deep depressions sunk into the tops of mossy 

 hummocks. There was a thin lining of dry grasses, and in one case the drooping 

 blades from an adjoining clump of grass partially concealed the nest from view 

 from above. Two of the nests contained four eggs and the other, three. All were 

 but very slightly incubated, indicating that in this region nesting is much later 



