The Zoologist — February, 1871. 2471 



Rednecked Phalarope. — December 12th. I came quite suddenly 

 this morning on a beautiful little phalarope swimming in a drain 

 near the Hiuuber. I saw at once by its small size (about as large 

 as a dunlin) and plumage, that it was not the gray species. The 

 little bird rode as buoyantly as a gull upon the water, with head 

 thrown backward like a duck. It was the first occasion that I have 

 seen a phalarope in these marshes : I observed all its movements 

 intently. It was shy but not wild, diving^ on ray approach for 

 twenty yards up the drain, when it came out on the mud at the 

 side of the drain, running over the ' warp ' like a sandpiper. On 

 my walking up it again entered the water, diving further up the 

 drain, but this time under the opposite bank ; the dive was again 

 repeated, when I lost sight of it round a sharp bend in the stream. 

 For the next ten minutes I stood at this corner vainly looking both 

 up and down stream for its reappearance, and had nearly given it 

 up when I caught sight of the little creature directly opposite, and 

 within a few feet ; so near that had I reached forward I might have 

 touched it with the gun-muzzle. No wonder that I had overlooked 

 it, for it had now exactly the appearance of a small lump of earth 

 fallen from the bank : the whole of its body was sunk below the 

 water, excepting the upper part of the back and the head from just 

 below the eyes, which were level with the surface ; the bill and 

 fore part of the forehead also immersed, the water covering the 

 hind part of the neck between the back and head. The deception 

 was perfect, and, had I not been specially looking, might have 

 passed the place scores of times without noting anything unusual: 

 as it was I had stood within a few feet for several minutes, and had 

 passed my eyes over and over again across the place without 

 finding it. Once, and once only, it raised its head and almost 



* Macgillivray in his ' History of British Birds,' vol. iv. page 290, 

 remarks, speaking of the phalaropes, "they have not the faculty of diving." 

 I was not aware of this fact before this notice was written, which makes me 

 now doubly regret not having procured it, and settled the question beyond 

 dispute. That this bird was, however, the rednecked phalarope I am 

 certain. The observations I made on the plumage of the upper surface 

 when I stood within a few feet of it exactly agree with the description of the 

 rednecked phalarope in winter plumage, and all the under parts as it ran on 

 the mud appeared white. The pecuhar form of the bill and the general 

 appearance of the bird when swimming were also to me couvincing evidences 

 of its identity. 



