THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



97 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



The Grey Phalarope, Phalavopus fulicarius (Linn.). — The Phalarope 

 family is not a large one ; it consists only of two European species 

 — the Red-necked and the Grey. The former is very rare, 

 while the latter, although by no means common, may be termed an 

 annual visitor in the autumn to this country. Naturalists have been 

 puzzled where exactly to place the Phalaropes — a miniature gull on 

 the water, in flight a sandpiper, while the lobed feet point to its 

 relationship to the coot. No wonder that various authors on orni- 

 thology have differed on this point. Yarrell and Morris in their "British 

 Birds " place the Phalaropes between the Anrtidce (geese) and the Rollida, 

 or Rail family, but by most authors they are now classed amongst the 

 ScolopacidcB (sandpipers and snipes). The first time I saw the Grey 

 Phalarope was in the month of September on the river Axe, where 

 they were swimming about with the short, jerky movement peculiar to 

 the bird. They seldom penetrate far inland, although I heard of two 

 being killed near Yeovil, in Somersetshire, in 1891. Some years after- 

 wards I saw these birds to perfection when passing a small flock at sea. 

 Their resemblance to the gull and terns is then most noticeable, owing 

 to the plumage and the manner in which they cross their wings, as well 

 as the ease with which they ride the roughest sea. D' Urban and 

 Mathew, in their " Birds of Devon," state that " when violent south- 

 westerly gales blow, the migrating flocks on their passage south are 

 driven into the English and British Channels, and are noticed in great 

 numbers along the sea shore." Perhaps this was the cause of the occur- 

 rence of the Grey Phalarope during September and October, 1866, in the 

 southern counties of England and Wales. In a pamphlet issued by J. H. 

 Gurney, jun., on the occurrence of the bird in that year, it appears that 

 they were killed in 21 counties. Most specimens were perhaps taken 

 then in Sussex. Nor were they entirely confined to the South, for 

 three were killed near Allonby, in Cumberland, and one is reported to 

 have been shot near Tadcaster, in Yorkshire, on a manure heap, by a 

 clergyman ; and one in Bedfordshire, and one in Cambridgeshire. The 

 Phalarope seems to be suited for both elements, having a strong flight 

 as well as great swimming powers. The birds that visit us seem to be 

 extremely fearless, and are easily approached (this may, however, be 

 caused by exhaustion). They are in plumage mostly immature or chang- 

 ing from summer to winter. This seems to be an additional reason 

 why the lives of these gentle and beautiful birds should be spared when 

 they make our island a resting place, and should not, as one author so 

 truthfully writes, " meet with the usual hospitality accorded to rare 

 birds, and be shot down and stoned to death while they are vainly 

 seeking shelter on the beach." — John H. Still, Seaton, Devon. 



