GRALLATORES. LO BIPEDIME.
T H E RED-NECKED P H A L A R O P ^ •
J ’halaropus hyperboreus, Red FhalavppK F sW ^rfffZ o o l.'yditn i^ rl {
tf falicaria, „ „ Mont, App.toiSlipp^Ornith.’itie'b-
*> fy-scus, Red-necked j,~
Lobipes ' ' hyperboreus, pp^Voot-jvot, ""^Tlem. BrittAp. p. 100-.'
)f— ■ "hyperborectf ,, Lobc-^f&dt, Sei.by, B r i t .0 rnith. vol. iiV pTrl^p6i
,, hyperboreus, . „ ,, J-eny-ns, Brit; Verts „p..,2 14.,
Phalaropus ' „ Redrnecked.Phalarope, GouxiyBlrdfe of Europe, pU p
J} () Rhalarope hyperbord, Temm. lMan.d’Ornitif^vol‘.Yiv^709'.
T he R ed-necked P halarope is at ^efe" distinguished
from the Grey Phalarope last described, by its smaller size,
yet with a longer andr more.slender beak, and “it presents also
much less seasonal variation in its plumage. /Edwards has
also, in this instance, engraved two representations of the bird,
plates 46 and 14%^ from examples, both of which were
brought from Hudson’s Bay;
In its habits the Red-hecked Phalarope very- closely agrees
with the Grey Phalarope, but is comparatively much more
rare in England, and more common on the northern islands
of Scotland. Pennant refers to a specimen shot on the banks
of a fresh-water pool on the Isle of Stronsay, one of the Orkneys,
in May 1769. Mr. Simmonds, in a paper published in
the eighth volume of .the Transactions of the Linnean Society,
refers to *six females and two males, found in 1803 about
fresh-water lakes in Sanda and North Ronaldsha, the two
most,^northern of:the Orkney .islands. Mr. Bullock, in a
letter 'to.-;Chlonel Montagu,- says, “ I found this Phalarope
common in the marshes of Sanda and Westra in the breeding
season, but which it leaves in the autumn. This bird is so
extremely tame that 1 killed nine without moving out of the
same spot, being not the least alarmed at the report of a gun.
I t lays four’, eggs, of .the shape of that of a Snipe, but much
less; of an olive colour, blotched with dusky. I t swims with
the greatest ease, and when on the water looks like a beautiful
miniature of a Duck, carrying its head close to the back, in
the mannenbf a Teal.” Mr. Salmon, who visited Orkney in
the summer of 1831, says of the Red-necked Phalarope, “ this
beautiful little bird appeared to be very tame* although we
dkotdwo pairs, those that were swimming about did not take
the least notice tof the report of the gun ; and they seemed to
be much attached to each other, for when:, one of them flew to
a short distance, the othOr directly followed; and while I
held a female that was wounded in my hand, its mate came
-and fluttered before my free. We were much gratified in
watching the motions n f these elegant little creatures, as they
kept swimming about, and were for ever dipping their bills
into the water; and so iritent were they upon their occupation,
that they did not take the least notice of us, although
•within a few yards of them. The female has not that brilliant
bay icolour upon the sides of the neck and breast, so
conspicuous in the male* After some little difficulty, we were
fortunate in finding their nests, which were placed in small
VOL. III. E