•being larger and much handsomer, the. back, scapulars,,and wing?
jpoverts. are of a vbry inteo&e shining black, the anterior, part
of the back and scapulars. being skirted with fulvous, and the
wing*coverts edged near the tip witfcpjie tvbite ; the sites and
also the inferior portion of the neck are of a bright rufous: the
two middle tail-feathers are of the same deep black as. thé back*
and the lateral ashy ones are edged with white. It will be
re>nlarked that the chief diflerenêe, between the spemmén figured
and-the.-quite perfect state resides in the ferruginous, colouring of
the sides of the neck, which does not meet on the breast^ as it
does quite broadly in adult b ird s: considerable variation take's
place in this respect, which is entirely owing to the more ors jfts
advanced maturity of the/bird.
The young before the summer moult are well distinguished by
having the forehead, cheeks, throat^sides of the neck and neek
beneath pure white, as well as all tme-under parts, the óeck and
flanks being the only parts tinged with cinereous: a slight yellowish
tinge appears on the sides of the neek: the -top' fflf
only, a band along the nucha, and a. patch around th e s e s are
blackish-gray s3%htly skirted with rufous : t |^ hack and scapulars
blackish, each feather broadly skirted» with bright ferrugin#»?
the- wing-cóverts blackish, -lesser margined with w h ite g re a te r
white at the tip: the inner part of the tarsus is y e llow th e exterior
and the toes . of. a yellowish green.
During summer this bird resorts to lakes and fresh waters,
though preferring at all times brackish water: in 'winter they
betake themselves to the sea, and are even uaet with at great
distances from land, floating among icebergs in the desolate seas
of the north : they swim still better than the other Phalaropes,
and are, met with farther at sea* This species is mostly seen in
pairs, though sometimes in; small flocks, and busily engaged in
dipping their bill into the water after the minute, and almost
invisible animals etf.tbemfseair. The ƒ are also Much on the wing,
somewhat like the Gulls and Terns, and their cry resembles, that
of the GEeater Tcm. |i|
; Although the Hyperborean BhaLar^pe:is a veniy rare visitant in
the? United States, there being?! a.deiw ingtaweea only .óf its? being
Boston Bay Island, it- breeds regularly at
Hudson’s Bays* atri\ in-g 'tbe.Fitsahn.ually. -in the b eginning > of 'June.
In phe middle of this month, t-hep1 lay three o rfsu r ciggs-.oin-a dry
spot among, the grass : tbe.hest is placed -on a .small hillock near
a pond, and contains rfour very small pyriform eggs, resembling
those, .of' a Snipe in shape, but much less, and o f a 1 deep olive
eolfcour, blotched with dusky, so thickly as pearly ;tb Obscure the
ground colour. The: young, fly.in August* and they allflepartiin j
September for less rigor.0W;."Clim!es4^^rf®Peehfa:U!d»,^kAi^ph^iS
also arrives regularly in Apaiband departs in September^ <;3$bis
bird inhabits the Orkney w She tland ^ islands, as well as those
0®,the Norwegian sea, in considerable numbers’ during summer,
i jjW d a É U É l It is very common in.thetnossrshes of Sanda and
Westra, but especially Landa and North Ronaldsha, the two most
northerly of the .Orkney in the.breeditog.^qaso®, bA'.leaves
them in autumn for mil (Mr regions.; ï l t s f avourite abode is. the
shores of lakes situated within the Arctic emote :'Mtis plentiful in
the northern parts ofylweden, Russia, an# Norway, as well as
thé northern couats óf Siberia, and between Asia; and America,
intending its irregular wanderings even to thè Gaspian Se'a. In
Icelandi it is;, observed t® come about the middle' of May, and
remain in flocks at sea ten mites from the shore, xtótiring early in
June to mountain ponds : remarkably faithful to eaeh other, both
sexes are quarrelsome with strangers, and the males are very
pugnacious, fighting together running to and fro. on the sujrfaee
of the water while the females are sitting. The species .passes
regularly along the north coasts of Scotland and the continental