WILSON’S PHALAROPE. 
2 II 
I have seen the birds only as they have loitered awhile in the 
Bay of Fundy ; but they gave me no grounds for thinking them the 
wild and shy things Audubon tells about. I thought them excep- 
tionally heedless of my presence, — confiding, m fact, — for I fre- 
quently ran into a flock that barely made way for my boat. Mr. 
William Jefferies makes a similar report of the flocks he saw oS 
Swampscott in August, 1890. 
The females of this species are rather more decorous than are 
some of their cousins, though they do not believe in living alone if 
a bit of management will secure a partner, but they are help- 
mates, — they share in the wearisome task of incubation and in 
caring for the youngsters ; and their consideration and their con- 
stancy, which is unimpeachable, is rewarded by a chivalrous 
devotion. 
WILSON’S PHALAROPE. 
SEA GOOSE. 
Phalaropus tricolor. 
Char. Summer: above, dark ashy gray, paler on the crown and 
rump ; throat, cheeks, and line over the eyes white ; sides of the neck 
rich cliestnut; wings brownish gray; outer feathers (primaries) dusky, 
beneath, white, the breast tinged with pale chestnut; bill long, slender, 
and acute, and of black color. Length gfi inches. 
In winter the plumage is ashy gray and lacks the rufous tints. 
The female is larger and more highly colored and much more beautiful 
than the male. 
Nest. In a marsh or wet meadow adjacent to a lake or pond, — a slight 
depression scattered in the soil amid a tuft of grass, and sparsely lined 
with grass. 
Ej;gs. 3-4 ; grayish buff or dark buff, thickly spotted with brown of 
several shades; 1.30 X o.go. 
This elegant Phalarope, first noticed by Wilson in a museum 
at Albany, was afterwards dedicated to his name and memory 
when he was no longer conscious of the honor. Hurried to the 
tomb from amidst his unfinished and ill-requited labors, his 
favorite Orpheus and Wood Thrush pour out their melody in 
vain. The Blue Bird, which hastens to inform us of the return 
of spring and of the approach of flowers, delights no longer 
the favorite of their song. Like his own beautiful and strange 
