Birds of Massachusetts. 227 
seeds, grasses, worms, snails and insects, together 
with such small fish as they catch upon. the edges 
of the water, to which they add a quanity of gravel 
and coarse sand. They are not seen to dive, ex- 
cept when wounded; then they make their way 
under water to the grass or reeds, and then swim 
for the nearest shore, where, notwithstanding the 
awkward appearance of their legs and feet, they 
walk with firmness, and run, if necessary, with 
great expedition. They probably breed in the State 
occasionally ; Nuttall mentions that a pair took up 
their residence in Fresh pond in April, and in June 
were seen accompanied by their young ; but their 
nests and eggs have not been found in this, nor, I 
believe, in any of the states of the Union. 
The Rep PHALAROPE, PAiietopiis fulicarius, 
visits us on its return from the north in autumn ; but 
they are seldom seen in Massachusetts. Audubon 
mentions that once, when sailing in a packet sixty 
miles from Nantucket, the vessel encountered a bed 
of seaweeds and froth, on which were hundreds 
of red phalaropes, walking with as much ease and 
confidence as if on shore. 
The HxeznsongAN Puarnanorz, Phalaropus hyper- 
boraeus, is, as its name implies, a northern bird, 
seldom seen farther south than New York. Dr. 
Brewer tells me that he has procured them here in 
May, but they are more abundant toward the Bay 
of Fundy. None are seen in the interior; and they 
are found in the greatest numbers on the banks 
