1922] TYRRELL, COLLECTING ON THE NEW ENGLAND COAST 47 



ticed a female Wilson Phalarope circling over a point near the center 

 of the field. At first the actions of the bird did not arouse our curiosity, 

 but her failure to leave the locality, and the peculiar manner in which 

 she acted, caused us to suspect that she had a nest somewhere nearby. 

 We sat down and remained quiet at a point about one hundred yards 

 from the center of her activities, and so.on she nervously settled in the 

 tall grass. Immediately we ran to the spot, and up she flew. To our 

 great joy, there at our feet huddled a tiny ball of bright cinnamon down. 

 There was not the slightest movement, and its protective coloration 

 made it almost invisible, but once discovered, and captured, it became 

 a nervous and active atom. A repetition of the process of watching the 

 old bird finally revealed to us the hiding place of two other young, 

 which were captured. It was with great difficulty that I could keep 

 them in my waist pocket. They would squirm out of every little crack 

 of light they saw. 



This incident proved that the Wilson Phalarope nests there, and 

 in the coming year I hope to be able to discover the nest of a Phalarope, 

 in order to complete this very interesting group. 



By these careful studies with camera, notebook and gun, the Mu- 

 seum will gradually build up its collection of school loan groups, bring- 

 ing eventually, it is hoped, into every school in the city of Milwaukee 

 this service which will place before every child some clear idea of the 

 life history and nesting habits of at least some of our more com- 

 mon species. 



This is especially important when we reflect that the average person 

 seems to be imable to observe with understanding more than a very 

 small percentage of what he comes into contact with. Combine with 

 this the fact that the average city dweller rarely gets out where he 

 could possibly observe any of these birds and their nesting habits, and 

 we have an opportunity through these school loan groups to bring to 

 the city child an entirely new world of study, thought and pleasure 

 which would otherwise be completely lost to him. 



COLLECTING ON THE NEW ENGLAND COAST 



By E. R. Tyrrell^ 



When the berth proves to be upper "9" and you are not very athletic, 

 you are a trifle inclined to glance about for a "jinx." However, I put 

 on my best "Chessy-cat" smile, pocketed both my tickets and my dis- 



^Modeler in Lower Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum. 



