366 



PHALAROPE. 



— Penn. Br. Zool. p. 126. t. E. 1. fig. 3.— Ib. 2. No. 218. t. 76 — Arct. Zool. 2. 



No, 412 Lewiris Br. Birds, 5. t. 194 Wale. Syn. 2. t. 156 Pult. Cat. 



Dorset, p. 15. — Phalaropus Lobatus, Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 776. sp. 2 Phala- 



rope a Festons Denteles, Buff. Ois. 8. p. 226. — Le Phalarope Gris, Cuv. Reg. 

 Anim. 1. p. 492. — Grey Coot-footed Tringa, Edw. t. 308 — Tringa Fulicaria, 

 Brunn. Orn. Boreal, p. 51. No. 172 — Phalaropus Rufus, Bechst. iVaturg. Deut 



4. p. 381 Tringa Hyperborea, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 676. — Le Phalarope Rouge, 



Buff. Ois. 8. p. 225 Phalarope Roussatre, Briss. Orn. 6. p. 20. No. 4.— Le 



Phalarope Rouge, Cuv. Reg. Anim. 1. p. 492. — Red Coot-footed Tringa, Edw. 



Glean, t. 142 Red Phalarope, Lath. Syn. 5. p. 271 Phalaropus Glacialis, 



Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 776. sp. 3 Tringa Glacialis, Lath. Syn. 5. p. 273.— 



Phalarope, a cou Jaune, So7in. edit, de Buff. 23. p. 298 — Phalarope Platyr- 

 hinchus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 712. 



In size this species is rather larger than the dunlin, weighing- from 

 about an ounce to an ounce and three-quarters ; length seven inches and 

 a half ; breadth about sixteen inches ; the bill is black, flatted near 

 the point, about an inch long ; irides dark ; the hind part of the head 

 and neck dusky brown, dashed with ash-colour ; the upper part of the 

 body, scapulars, and wing coverts, cinereous grey ; the feathers on the 

 last darkest and edged with white ; the forehead, crown of the head, 

 chin, and whole under parts, pure white, except at the bend of the 

 wing on the sides of the breast, which is ash-colour ; a dusky spot on 

 the cheek ; quills black ; tail dusky, edged with ash-colour ; legs com- 

 pressed, like the divers, of a light-colour ; toes scolloped ; membranes 

 serrated on the margins. This description was taken from a specimen 

 killed at Alderton, in Wiltshire, the sex being unknown. 



This species seems to be subject to much variety of sex and age, 

 which has led some naturalists to divide it into several distinct 

 species. A variety of the grey Phalarope, shot in October, clearly 

 demonstrates the changing plumage, from the P. glacialis of Latham 

 to the P. lobatus, having a sufficient quantity of the cinereous fea- 

 thers on the back and scapulars, to shew that it was the Phalarope. 



In another specimen, more advanced towards maturity, the crown of 

 the head was more mixed with white, and the back had less of the 

 rufous margined feathers, and more of cinereous grey ; but there re- 

 mained of the former three lines down the back, besides a few such 

 feathers scattered on other parts ; the neck before had also less of the 

 clay-colour ; the legs flesh-colour, tinged with yellow on the inside, the 

 outside dusky, the webs partly dusky, partly yellow. To these varieties 

 Temminck has added the Red Phalarope, Tringa fulicaria, which 

 Mr. Bullock informed Colonel Montagu he found to be common in 

 the marshes of Sunda and Westra, in the breeding season, where it 

 was so tame, that he killed nine without moving from the spot, it being 

 not in the least alarmed at the report of a gun. It seems a scarce and 

 solitary bird with us ; we once had an opportunity of seeing one swim- 

 ming in a small pool of water left, by the tide, on the Sussex coast. 



