General Notes* 
Crymophilus fulicarius in Provincetown Harbor, — May 2 1 to 23. 1892, 1 
spent at Provincetown, Massachusetts, with Mr. Outram Bangs of Boston. 
The number of Phalaropes that we observed was so unusual as to seem 
worthy of record. 
May 21. — A single Crymophilus found on the edge of a large pond near 
the town. The bird appeared to be unhurt, but moved about slowly and 
awkwardly on shore. The weather was rainy and foggy with a steady, strong 
wind from the east. Fishermen who went out to the weirs north of the town 
reported ‘ bank birds’ (Phalaropes) very abundant, large numbers of them 
even alighting on the beach. They said that the birds had been unusually 
abundant a few miles out at sea for some weeks, but these were the first 
seen near shore. 
May 22. — This morning the wind moderated, but a fog set in, bringing 
with it numbers of Phalaropes. At about 8 A. M. word was brought that the 
harbor was full of ‘sea geese’ (a name applied indiscriminately to both 
species of Phalarope). The fog was not very dense and the birds could be 
seen from shore, flying in large flocks close to the water. They moved 
mostly toward the northwest, very few being seen to fly in any other direc- 
tion. It was noticeable that the flocks did not like to cross the long nets 
or ‘leaders’ stretching from the weirs toward shore directly across the usual 
line of flight. Although these nets rose only three or four feet above the 
water, the birds almost invariably turned their flight and followed them for 
some distance before rising to pass over. At a little after nine the fog 
cleared, TheTfirds disappearing with it. We^prbbabijTsaw between five 
hundred and one thousand Phalaropes during the hour that they were in 
the harbor. 
May 23.— Thick fog and driving rain with moderate wind until about 8 
A. M., after which the rain and wind ceased; but the fog continued nearly 
two hours longer until driven away by a fresh west wind which rose rather 
suddenly. Fishermen who landed at 7.30 reported immense numbers 
of ‘ bank birds ’ resting on the water less than half a mile from shore. This 
was something entirely unheard of, and created much interest among the 
men gathered about the wharf waiting for the weather to moderate. The 
‘ white bank birds ’ ( Phalaropus lobatus') sometimes come within less 
than a mile of shore, but the “ brown ones ” ( C. fulicarius) they skid had 
never before been seen in this region except at sea. Taking a dory we 
soon found a flock resting on the water only a few hundred yards from the 
end of the wharf. There were certainly one hundred and fifty individuals 
in this flock — perhaps twice as many. The number could only be guessed at, 
as the birds were very restless and much scattered, while new arrivals con- 
stantly came in to increase the confusion. The flocks moved slowly to 
windward, bunches of a dozen or more birds continually rising from 
behind and flying to the front. For the next two hours Phalaropes were 
constantly in sight, either resting on the water or flying about in every 
direction, mostly in large flocks, but frequently singly. They were very 
unsuspicious, allowing the dory to approach within fifteen or twenty yards 
before taking alarm. Their only note was a single chip like that of 
P. lobatus , and somewhat resembling a note of Calidris arenaria. 
While the fog was most dense some of the flocks settled on the water 
within fifty yards of the ends of the wharves, but as the air cleared they 
drew away from shore, and later could be seen rising through the rapidly 
disappearing fog. After circling about until well oriented, they flew off 
over the town in the most direct line for the open ocean, and when the fog 
finally cleared none were left in the harbor. A few, however, could still 
be seen out in the bay where the fog still lingered. It was impossible to 
get any adequate idea of the number of birds seen during those two 
hours. Two thousand would be a very low estimate, and I doubt whether 
double that number would be much too high. 
Scattered about among the Crymophilus were a few Phalaropus lobatus , 
in about the proportion of one to twenty. The smaller species was very 
conspicuous on account of its snowy white breast. 
This unusual occurrence so near shore of a species almost pelagic in its 
habits in this latitude, is of course to be accounted for by the sudden arrest 
of the northward migration by the easterly storm and fog. The latter was 
probably the more important cause as fog accompanied by a very light 
wind even, appears invariably to have more influence than wind alone on 
the movements of migrating Limicolae. — Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., Cam- 
bridge , Mass. 
Auk 9 , July, 1892. p. 293-99 
