690 Eeport of State Geologist. 



surrounding fair -ones. Such stoical indifference appears too much 

 for the feelings of some of the fair ones to bear. A female coyly 

 glides close to him and bows her head in pretty submissiTeness, but 

 he turns away, pecks at a bit of food, and moves off. She follows, and 

 he quickens his speed, but in vain; he is her choice, and she proudly 

 arches her neck, and in mazy circles, passes and repasses before the 

 harassed bachelor. He turns his breast first to one side and then to 

 the other, as though to escape, but there is his gentle wooer ever 

 pressing her suit before him. Frequently he takes flight to another 

 part of the pool, all to no purpose. If with affected indifference he 

 tries to feed, she swims along side by side, almost touching him, and 

 at intervals rises on wing above him, and, poised a foot or two over his 

 back, makes a half dozen sharp wing strokes, producing a series of 

 sharp, whistling noises, in rapid succession. 



"In the course of time, it is said, that water will wear the hardest 

 rock, and it is certain that time and importunity have their full effect 

 upon the male of this Phalarope, and soon all are comfortably mar- 

 ried, while mater familias no longer needs to use her seductive ways 

 and charming blandishments to draw his notice. About the first of 

 June the dry, rounded side of a little knoll, near some small pond, has 

 four dark, heavily marked eggs laid in a slight hollow, upon whatever 

 lining the spot affords, or more rarely upon a few dry straws and grass 

 blades brought and loosely laid together by the birds. 



"Here the captive male is introduced to new duties, and spends half 

 his time on the eggs, while the female keeps about the pool close by. 

 In due time the young are hatched, and come forth beautiful little 

 balls of buff and brown. 



"By the middle to the 20th of July the young are fledged and on the 

 vnng. Soon after the old and young begin to gather in parties of 

 from five to a hundred or more and seek the edges of large ponds and 

 flats of the muddy parts of the coast and borders of the tide creeks. 

 They are last seen about the last of September or .first of October" 

 (Nat. Hist. Coll. in Alaska^ pp. 99, 100). 



Subgenus STEGANOPUS. Vieillot. 



*86. (224). Phalaropus tricolor (Vieill ). 



Wilson's Ph.alarope. 



Adult Female in Summ.er. — Forehead, crown and middle back, 

 pearl-gray, the former with blackish line on each side; stripe on each 

 side of head, and down the neck, deep black, changing to rich dark 

 chestnut, and continuing along sides of back and on scapulars; neck 



