7 7Z4.JS- C-ociZfr 
Bostcm Soc. Nat. History, 
Symphemia semipalmata. Eastern Willet. — A specimen from the 
Massachusetts coast was received from the Everett collection. 
Auk 25. A.pp-l©08,p, 
Old Records for Mass,& Rhode Id. 
August 19, 1888. Saw two Willet ( Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) . I 
have seen several others, but have not the dates. 
-kuk 23 , Jan. -1811, p* //fl 
Willets in Migration.— During the last days of May, 1907, while on 
my way from Havre to New York on the S. S. ‘ La Loraine,’ I saw at sea a 
remarkable congregation of Willets ( Catoptrophorus semipalmatus). 
It was in the middle of the morning of a gray, but not foggy, day, when 
we were off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, that I noticed a consider- 
able gathering of birds resting on the water in the immediate path of the 
ship. As we approached them I thought they looked like shore birds, and 
as the vessel drew quite close to them those immediately near it rose on 
wing and flew off to right and left, and again alighted on the water among 
their fellows. In the way in which they left the path of the vessel they 
reminded me of similar flights of waterfowl seen in Alaska. 
When the birds took wing, they were at once recognized as Willets, and 
there must have been somewhere near a thousand of them, not all packed 
together in a dense clump on the water, but more or less scattered out, in 
gioups of forty, fifty or a hundred, yet ail fairly near one another, and 
suggesting a single flock. They seemed to leave the water reluctantly and 
gave me the impression that they were weary. 
The long flights demonstrated for many shore birds had always puzzled 
me, for it. seemed hardly possible that such flights could be made without 
rest or food. Here, however, was an apparent explanation of the matter. 
Ihe bu- ds might stop to rest anywhere in the course of their long journey, 
and, no doubt, in many places food in abundance might be found floating 
on the water. 
Though I had never seen or even heard of anything like this sight I have 
taken it for granted that ornithologists had often observed and reported 
on this matter. I think I once mentioned it incidentally in ‘ Forest and 
btream’ in connection with some notes on shore birds. Mr. E W Nelson 
to whom I mentioned the matter recently, advised me that the matter was 
new to him and suggested that this note be sent to ‘The Auk.’— Geo 
Bird Grinnell, New York City. 
