1891.] BIRDS OF THE PHCENIX ISLANDS. 299 



Four species of Charadriidse wei'e seen on the island. 



NUMENIUS TAHITIENSIS (Gmel.). 



This curious species of Curlew, which is rare in collections, was 

 abundant at Canton Island, and probably the birds I had previously 

 seen at Sydney and Phoenix Islands belonged to this species. 



The character which distinguishes this bird from all others is the 

 peculiar development of the tibial plumes. Their shafts are pro- 

 duced into long shining bristles, which, projecting far beyond the 

 general investment of feathers, produce a curious appearance. 



The Curlews were very tame. They went about in parties of six 

 or eight on the open shingly places and sandy shores of the lagoon, 

 or flew round one's head uttering their notes like the words " turree- 

 turreer 



The species was first obtained at Tahiti on Captain Cook's second 

 visit and described by Gmelin^ ; since this it has been obtained at 

 Vincennes Island in the Paumotus, and at Samoa, the Marquesas, 

 Fanning, Gilbert, Phoenix^, and Sandwich Islands. Its breeding- 

 haunts appear to be in the far north of the American continent. It 

 has twice been obtained in Alaska^ in the month of May, where the 

 birds were going about in pairs and were evidently in their nesting- 

 haunts. 



Charadrius fulvus, Gmel. 



There were small squads of this widely-distributed bird both here 

 and at Phoenix Island. Several of the males had assumed the fine 

 black front of breeding plumage. I failed, however, to find the 

 eggs or any indication of pairing. 



The two forms of this species — Old World and New "World — are 

 only distinguished by slight differences of size. The measurements 

 of my Phoenix Island specimens are intermediate, so they cannot be 

 referred to one form or the other. 



The only localities in which this bird is certainly known to breed 

 are the tundras of Eastern Siberia on the one hand, and on the other 

 the extreme north of the American continent, beyond the region of 

 forest-growth. Thence they wander down to China, India, the 

 Malay Islands, Australia, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean from 

 the western part of their range and to South America from the 

 eastern ^. It is remarkable that so many birds should remain in their 

 southern haunts in the height of the breeding-season. The wedding- 

 plumage of the males shows that the birds were not immature. 



Strepsilas interpres (Linn.). 



These were also abundant, in flocks of 6 to 20 or so, working 

 along the outer reef platform, or settling close together on the 

 stretches of sand exposed at low tide on the shore of the lagoon. 

 There was no indication of nesting. The bird, as is well known, is 

 cosmopolitan in its range. 



1 Syst. T^at. i. p. 656 (1788). 



^ Obtained by Graffe at M'Kean Island, Finsch and Hartlaub, I. c. p. 177. 

 •■' Eidgway, Am. Nat. 1874, p. 435. Nelson, Oruise of the ' Corwin,' p. 90, 

 * Seebohm's ' Charadi'iidae.' 



