MIGRATION. 11 



remained through the winter, but since this species scarcely goes 

 north of New England, the individuals wintering on the Bermudas 

 must have visited the islands for the purpose of remaining there 

 through the cold season. Specimens of eleven other species of shore- 

 birds have been taken in the Bermudas. They are less common vis- 

 itors, and most of these individuals were probably on their way across 

 the ocean to the Lesser Antilles. 



This route, however, is not followed by these species in their return 

 in the spring, and there seems to be no evidence as yet that any 

 species of shorebird migrates regularly in the spring across the ocean 

 from the Lesser Antilles to the coast of New England or to eastern 

 Canada. Indeed, shorebirds migrating north in spring through the 

 Lesser Antilles are almost unknown. 



Along the Atlantic coast shorebirds are many times more numerous 

 in fall than in spring, while in the Mississippi Valley there is no such 

 pronounced difference of numbers at the two seasons. This fact, 

 taken in connection with the rarity of all species of shorebirds during 

 the spring migration in the West Indies, where they are abundant fall 

 visitors, seems to indicate that in the case of most of the species of 

 shorebirds that migrate south in fall along the Atlantic coast some 

 individuals pass northward in spring by way of the Mississippi Val- 

 ley. The Eskimo curlew used to follow this route, as still do most 

 of the golden plover. The statement applies also largety to the 

 long-billed dowitcher, stilt, white-rumped, and semipalmated sand- 

 pipers, and the lesser yellow-legs. This elliptical migration route 

 is in the case of most species not less than 6,000 miles in its north and 

 south diameter, nor less than 2,000 miles east and west, while the 

 winter home of the white-rumped sandpiper is 9,000 miles from its 

 breeding grounds. 



The Hawaiian Islands lie in the Pacific Ocean 2,000 miles from the 

 nearest mainland to the eastward and more than 3,000 miles from the 

 Asiatic coast. The nearest point of Alaska is about 2,000 miles north. 

 Five species of shorebirds that summer in Alaska are found in the 

 Hawaiian Islands during the winter season. They are the turnstone, 

 Pacific golden plover, sanderling, bristle-thighed curlew, and wander- 

 ing tattler. There is every reason to believe that these Hawaiian 

 birds come from Alaska and that they make the 2,000-mile trip at a 

 single flight. All of these species occur farther south in Oceania, 

 but there seems to be no evidence that any of them use the Hawaiian 

 Islands as a stopping place on the way to a more southern home. Ap- 

 parently all the birds that fly to the Hawaiian Islands remain there 

 through the winter, while the southern islands of Oceania are popu- 

 lated by individuals that have migrated along the Asiatic coast. 

 It is remarkable that in the case of both the turnstone and the 

 plover the first individuals to arrive on the Hawaiian Islands in 

 the fall are in good condition or even fat, while the curlew and plover 



