BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND NOT FIGURED BY BULLER. 
flocks were very numerous the 1st of June, 1879, at the Yukon mouth, where 
I had an excellent opportunity to observe them. In the morning the birds 
which were paired could be found scattered here and there, by twos, over the 
slightly flooded grassy flats. At times these pairs would rise and fly a short 
distance, the female, easily known by her bright colours and larger size, in 
advance, and uttering now and then a low, musical “ clink, clink,” sounding 
very much like the noise made by lightly tapping together two small bars of 
steel. When disturbed, these notes were repeated oftener and became harder 
and louder. . . At one moment they would glide straight along the ground, then 
change to a wayward flight, back and forth, twisting aibout with such rapidity 
that it was difficult to follow them with the eye. Suddenly their course would 
change, and the compact flock, as if animated by a single impulse, would rise 
high over-head, and, after a series of graceful and swift evolutions, come sweeping 
down with a loud, rushing sound to resume their playful course near the ground. 
During all their motions the entire flock moves in such unison that the alternate 
flashing of the underside of their wings and the dark colour of the back, like 
the play of light and shade, makes a beautiful spectacle. When wearied of 
their sport, the flock disbands and the birds again resume their feeding.’ 
“ Courtship. The well-known reversal of sexual characters in the Phalaropes 
makes their courtship particularly interesting, as the large, handsome females 
press their ardent suits against the timid and dull-coloured little males. 
A. L. V. Manniclie (1910) has given us the best account of it, as follows: 
‘ June 19, 1907, early in the morning, I had the pleasure of watching for hours 
the actions of a loving couple of Phalaropes on the beach of a pool surrounded 
by large sedge tufts, covered with long, withered grass. This act I found 
very funny, peculiar, and charming. When the male had been eagerly searching 
for food for some twenty minutes, often standing on his head in the water, 
like a duck, to fish or pick up something from the bottom, he would lie down 
on a tuft, stretching out his one leg and his one wing as if he would fully enjoy 
the rest after his exertions. The female for some moments was lying quietly 
and mutely in the middle of the pool; suddenly she began with increasing 
rapidity to whirl around on the surface of the water, always in the same little 
circle, the diameter of which was some ten centimetres. As the male seemed 
to pay no attention to her alluring movements, she flew rapidly up to him 
producing as she left the water a peculiar whirling soimd with her wings and 
uttering short, angry cries—pushed him with her bill, and then she returned 
to the water and took up her swimming dance. Now the male came out to 
her, and the two birds whirled around for some moments, equally eager and 
■with increasing rapidity. Uttering a short call, the female again flew to a 
tuft surrounded by water and waited some seconds in vain for the male ; again 
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