ANAKTUVUK PASS 63 



Black-bellied plover were earliest recorded on June 3, 1948, May 

 14, 1949, May 30, 1950, May 29, 1952, May 23, 1953 and June 1, 1954. 

 They are called Todlivah by the Nunamiut and being conspicuous 

 by habit and appearance their presence is well known. A few are 

 seen each sj^ring but they do not remain in summer, and they are not 

 seen in the fall. 



A light-colored female specimen was one of four birds reported 

 by John Krog to be similarly light in plumage, and it is evidently 

 a year-old bird. It contained eggs 12, 6, 4, and 2 mm. in length and 

 was very fat. As the largest Qgg was about 14 of f^H length, the 

 bird was ready to lay soon. The Nunamiut know their nesting places 

 along the arctic coast. 



In 1952, black-bellied plover were seen more commonly than in 

 other years. Eskimos on the arctic coast have told me that the num- 

 bers of these plover seen varied greatly from year to year. They 

 qualified their comments by remarking that their own chances to 

 observe birds varied with the requirements of their families, the 

 nature of their hunting, and the localization of their interests. They 

 believed, nevertheless, that the numbers of black-bellied plover 

 varied. 



Where I have seen these plover, which is not on their nesting 

 grounds, they have been shy and mute compared with golden plover. 

 When watched through binoculars, their alert and confident posture 

 is most impressive, and for their statuesque poise I admire them beyond 

 even golden plover. 



Arenaria interpres interpres (Linnaeus) 



1 male May 30, 1949 weight 105 g. 



3 females May 24, 31 weight 90, 97 g. 



The earliest records for turnstones are June 1, 1948, May 18, 1949, 

 May 30, 1951 and May 27, 1954. Two shot June 1, 1948, were examined 

 but could not be saved. The female collected May 30, 1951, contained 

 three eggs about 4 mm. in length. Well known as Talivikeah in 

 Nunamiut, they usually pass hastily through Anaktuvuk Valley in 

 spring, but none are known to nest there and they have not been seen 

 later in summer. 



I have followed Herbert Friedmann's identification of these speci- 

 mens. Bailey (1948) named Alaskan specimens of turnstones 

 interpres but remarked upon the difficulty of distinguishing them 

 from A. i. Tnorinella. The nesting areas assigned to interpres and 

 morinella overlap east of Alaska and it would seem as if either the 

 identifications or the taxonomic separation of the two as races is open 

 to question. 



