120 HYPERBOREAN PHALAROPE.
PHALAROPUS HYPERBOREUS, Lath. lnd. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 774—Ch. Bonaparte, Synops.
of Birds of the United States, p. 342—Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amerpart
ii. p. 406.
HYPERBOREAN PHALAROPE, Ch. Bonaparte, Amer. Ornith. vol. iii—NuttdU, Manual,
vol. ii. p. 239.
Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCXV. Fig. 1.
Bill long, very slender, flexible, nearly cylindrical, but towards the
point tapering. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, excepting
at the end, where it is a little curved, the ridge broad and depressed, the
sides slightly sloping, the edges rounded, and inflected towards the narrow
slightly curved, acute tip. Nasal groove long, linear ; nostrils basal,
linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow,
the sides convex, the tip narrowed.
Head small, with the fore part high and rounded. Eyes small. Neck
rather long and slender. Body slender. Wings long. Feet of moderate
length, slender; tibia bare a considerable way above the joint; tarsus
much compressed, narrowed before, very thin behind, covered anteriorly
with numerous scuteHa; toes slender ; first extremely small, free, with a
slight membrane beneath ; second slightly shorter than fourth, third considerably
longer; toes all scutellate above, margined on both sides with
lobed and pectinated membranes, which are united at the base, so as to
render the foot half webbed; the outer web much longer than the inner.
Claws very small, compressed, arched, that of the middle toe with a recurved
sharp edge.
Plumage soft and blended. Feathers of the back, and especially the
scapulars, elongated. Wings long and pointed; primary quills tapering,
but rounded, the first longest, the second scarcely shorter, the rest rapidly
graduated ; secondary quills rather short and narrow, the inner tapering
and elongated so as nearly to equal the longest primaries when the wing
is closed. Tail rather short, much rounded, of twelve feathers.
Bill black. Iris dark brown. Feet bluish-grey; claws black. The
general colour of the upper parts is greyish-black, the head lighter and
more tinged with grey, the scapulars and some of the feathers of the back
edged with yellowish-red, of which colour also are the sides of the head
and neck ; throat and sides of the upper part of the neck white. Wingcoverts
and quills brownish-black, tinged with grey, the shafts of the
quills, the margins and tips of the secondaries, and a broad bar on the
HYPERBOREAN PHALAROPE. 121
tips of the secondary coverts, white. Tail light grey, the feathers margined
with white, the two middle ones dark brownish-grey, the lateral
upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky. The breast and abdomen
white.
Length to end of tail 6 inches, to end of claws 6£, to end of wing 5f;
extent of wings 13^; wing from flexure 4£; tail 2\; bill along the
• back 4 | , along the edge of lower mandible \ \ ; tarsus \ middle toe {£,
its claw TV
Adult Female. Plate CCXV. Fig. 2.
The Female is similar to the male, but the red markings are not so
deep in tint.
Young fully fledged. Plate CCXV. Fig. 3.
The young bird has the markings similarly disposed, but the upper
parts are in general of a dull dark grey, the red of the neck much fainter,
and that of the scapulars much paler, and inclining to greyish-yellow.