Wayne: Birds of South Carolina. 43 



On March 17, 1898, my father and I, with Mr. L. A. Fuertes, saw from a 

 steamer enormous flocks of Phalaropes, apparently Red, about fifty miles off the 

 coast of northern South Carolina. 



The Red Phalarope is a circumpolar species during the breeding 

 season. 



90. Lobipes lobatus (Linn.). Northern Phalarope. 



The Northern Phalarope undoubtedly occurs abundantly off 

 the coast during the migrations, but I have yet to see this species 

 alive, and my only evidence of its occurrence is a specimen brought 

 into my house by a cat, on the morning of June 3, 1903. 1 Before 

 I could secure it, she had eaten all except a wing, which is the 

 only evidence I have. The specimen was evidently an adult 

 female in high plumage, and the date is very late for this species 

 to be found in this latitude. 



The Northern Phalarope breeds only in the Arctic regions. 

 This species and the preceding are pelagic in their habits except 

 during the breeding season. 



FAMILY RECUR VIROSTRID^E: AVOCETS AND STILTS. 



91. Recurvirostra americana Gmel. Avocet. 



In Audubon's Birds of America, 2 he says: 



My friend John Bachman considers them [this species] as rare in South 

 Carolina, where, however, he has occasionally seen some on the gravelly shores 

 of the sea islands. 



During the past twenty-five years I have failed to detect the 

 presence of this species in South Carolina. 



The Avocet breeds from Texas to Great Slave Lake, and is 

 rare at all times on the Atlantic coast. 



92. Himantopus mexicanus (Mull.). Black-necked Stilt. 



Audubon says that this species "is rather scarce along the 

 shores of the Carolinas." 3 



About the middle of May, 1881, I was in quest of eggs of the 

 Least Tern (Sterna antillarum), Black Skimmer (Rynchops nigra), 

 Willet (Symphemia semipalmata) , Wilson's Plover (Ochthodromus 

 wilsonia), and Oyster Catcher (Hoematopus palliatus), which in 

 those days bred abundantly on Sulli van's Island, and I observed 

 at least two pairs' of stilts in a freshwater pond, with a growth 

 of reeds, tussocks of grass, and small myrtle bushes, on the ex- 



i See Auk, XXII, 1905, 397. 2 VI, 27. > Birds of America, VI, 32. 



