32 SMITHSONIAN MISCETXANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 66 



HIRUNDO ERYTHROGASTRA 



Barn Swallow 



In the vicinity of St. Michael I'arn Swallows are rather .common, 

 and were suitable nesting- places more numerous I have little doubt 

 they would increase. Several birds were building- in an empty house 

 near St. Michael while I was there, and a finished nest, without eggs, 

 was found June lO. It was built in a deserted and more or less de- 

 lapidated Eskimo sod house. 



IRIDOPROCNE BICOLOR 



Tree Swallow 



Common about St. .Michael. A pair built a nest and raised a brood 

 in the space between the inner and outer walls of the wireless station 

 at the Yukon Delta. A hole had been cut in the wall for the exhaust 

 pipe of the engine and the nest was directly below this pipe. While 

 the engine was running this pipe became very hot and at such times 

 the nest must have been very inicomfortable. 



WILSONIA PUSILLA PILEOLATA 



Pileolatcd W'arhlcr 



A number of birds were seen and one securetl at Golovin Bay, 

 July 13- 



MOTACILLA OCULARIS 



Swinhoe's \\ agtail 



Although this bird has been considered merely a straggler to 

 Alaska, there are reasons for believing that the species is slowly 

 extending its range and becoming- established on our coast. During 

 the northern cruise a number of individuals were seen between 

 Kotzebue Sound and Cape Lisburne. 



At Chamisso Island, on August i, a pair of birds w-ere carrying 

 food into a crevice in the rocks at an inaccessible point on the cliff. 

 One or two were also seen at other points, and at Cape Lisburne I 

 succeeded in shooting a bird which, unfortunately, fell on the farther 

 side of a creek where it could not be found. 



My failure to secure specimens was due to the excessively restless 

 habits of the birds. When on the ground they were largely concealed 

 by intervening clumps of moss and the general character of the tundra, 

 while they were liable to take wing at a moment's notice and usually 

 flew long distances. Their flight was so erratic that it was exceed- 



