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diff --git a/34337-h/34337-h.htm b/34337-h/34337-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd5a976 --- /dev/null +++ b/34337-h/34337-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,3780 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css"> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska, by James W. Bee. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + p {text-align: justify; text-indent: 1.5em;} + hr {width: 95%; color: #000; clear: both;} + .hr30 {width:30%;} + table {margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;} + .pagenum {position: absolute; left: 92%; font-size: 0.75em; text-align: right; color: #b0b0b0;} + .blockquot p {margin-left: 3.5em; text-indent: -2em;} + .vtop {vertical-align: top;} + .center {text-align: center;} + .justify {text-align: justify;} + .text_rt {text-align: right;} + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + .cover {background: #d0d0d0;} + .caption1 {font-weight: bold; font-size:2.00em; text-align: center;} + .caption2 {font-weight: bold; font-size:1.50em; text-align: center;} + .caption3 {font-weight: bold; font-size:1.15em; text-align: center;} + .caption4 {font-weight: bold; font-size:0.75em; text-align: center;} + .trans_notes {background:#d0d0d0; padding: 14px; border:solid black 1px;} + .pub_list td {vertical-align: top;} + + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern +Alaska, by James W. Bee + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska + +Author: James W. Bee + +Release Date: November 16, 2010 [EBook #34337] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRDS FOUND ON THE ARCTIC SLOPE *** + + + + +Produced by Chris Curnow, Tom Cosmas, Joseph Cooper and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + + + +<div class="trans_notes"> +<div class="caption2">Transcriber's Notes</div> + +<p>This file was derived from scanned images. With the exception of some +minor corrections made silently (for example missing commas or periods) and typographical errors +corrected as listed below, the original text is presented. Some text may +have been moved to rejoin paragraphs split in the original by Tables or images.</p> +<p> </p> + +<a name="typos"></a> +<div class="caption2">Typographical Corrections</div> +<br /> +<div class="center"> +<table summary="Typographical Corrections"> +<tr><td>Page 172 Para. 5</td><td> : </td><td>Koalak</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#Kaolak">Kaolak</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 173 Para. 3</td><td> : </td><td>gutteral</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#guttural">guttural</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 182 Para. 2</td><td> : </td><td>logopus</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#lagopus">lagopus</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 184 Para. 4</td><td> : </td><td>was</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#were">were</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 186 Para. 3</td><td> : </td><td>Topagurak</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#Topagaruk">Topagaruk</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 192 Para. 1</td><td> : </td><td>averages</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#averaged">averaged</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 195 Para. 4</td><td> : </td><td>few</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#flew">flew</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 197 Para. 4</td><td> : </td><td>70"34'</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#deg">74°34'</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 197 Para. 5</td><td> : </td><td>(93-87)</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#range">(87-93)</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Page 210 Para. 4</td><td> : </td><td>then</td><td> => </td><td><a href="#than">than</a></td></tr> +</table> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Cover" id="Cover">[Cover]</a></span></p> +<div class="cover"> +<p> </p> +<img src="images/bar_double.png" width="100%" height="15" border="0" alt="double bar"> +<div class="caption2"><div class="smcap">University of Kansas Publications<br /> +Museum of Natural History</div></div> +<hr class="hr30"><br /> +<div class="caption2">Volume 10, No. 5, pp. 163-211, pls. 9-10, 1 fig. in text</div><br /> +<div class="center"><img src="images/bar_single.png" width="28%" height="15" title="bar" alt="bar" /> <span class="caption2">March 12, 1958</span> <img src="images/bar_single.png" width="28%" height="15" title="bar" alt="bar" /></div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<div class="caption1"> +Birds Found on the Arctic Slope +of Northern Alaska<br /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<div class="caption3"> +BY<br /> +<p> </p> +JAMES W. BEE<br /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<div class="caption2"> +<span class="smcap">University of Kansas</span><br /> +<span class="smcap">Lawrence</span><br /> +1958 +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p> +<p> </p> +<img src="images/bar_double.png" width="100%" height="15" border="0" alt="double bar"> +<div class="caption2"><div class="smcap">University of Kansas Publications<br /> +Museum of Natural History</div></div> +<hr class="hr30"><br /> +<div class="caption2">Volume 10, No. 5, pp. 163-211, pls. 9-10, 1 fig. in text</div><br /> +<div class="center"><img src="images/bar_single.png" width="28%" height="15" title="bar" alt="bar" /> <span class="caption2">March 12, 1958</span> <img src="images/bar_single.png" width="28%" height="15" title="bar" alt="bar" /></div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<div class="caption1"> +Birds Found on the Arctic Slope +of Northern Alaska<br /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<div class="caption3"> +BY<br /> +<p> </p> +JAMES W. BEE<br /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<div class="caption2"> +<span class="smcap">University of Kansas</span><br /> +<span class="smcap">Lawrence</span><br /> +1958 +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p> +<div class="center"> +<div class="caption3"> +<span class="smcap">University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History</span><br /> +<br /> +Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch,<br /> +Robert W. Wilson<br /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +Volume 10, No. 5, pp. 163-211, plates 9-10, 1 fig. in text<br /> +<br /> +Published March 12, 1958<br /> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<span class="smcap">University of Kansas</span><br /> +Lawrence, Kansas<br /> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<div class="caption4"> +PRINTED IN<br /> +THE STATE PRINTING PLANT<br /> +TOPEKA, KANSAS<br /> +1958<br /> +<img src="images/union_label.png" width="71" height="26" border="0" alt="Look for the Union Label" title="Look for the Union Label"><br /> +27-1766<br /> +</div> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p> + +<div class="caption2">Birds Found on the Arctic Slope<br /> +of Northern Alaska</div> +<p> </p> + +<div class="caption4"> +BY<br /><br /> +JAMES W. BEE +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a> +<div class="caption2">INTRODUCTION</div> +<p> </p> + +<p>In the summers of 1951 and 1952 some data on birds were gathered +incidental to a study of the mammals of the Arctic Slope of +northern Alaska (see Bee and Hall—Mammals of Northern Alaska ..., +Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Miscl. Publ., 8, March 10, +1956). Other students, currently preparing comprehensive accounts +of the birds of northern Alaska, have urged that the information +obtained in 1951 and 1952 be made available. For that reason, +and because relatively little is on record concerning birds of the +area visited, I have prepared the following account. The aim is to +include only non-published data because the comprehensive accounts +alluded to above, by others, can more appropriately include +data from previously published accounts.</p> + +<p>The area is the treeless tundra delimited by the crest of the +Brooks Range to the south, the international boundary to the east +and the Arctic Ocean to the north and west.</p> + +<p>Three hundred and fifty-one birds of 44 species (Nos. 30371-30866, +and 31301-31355) were collected. Twenty-nine additional +species were seen. All specimens are skeletons, unless otherwise +noted in the text, and are catalogued and housed at the Museum of +Natural History, University of Kansas. Photographs are by the +author.</p> + +<p>The report results from a contract (Nonr-38700) between the +Office of Naval Research and the Museum of Natural History of the +University of Kansas. Field headquarters were at the Arctic Research +Laboratory at Point Barrow, Alaska. Professor John Fields +and Dr. Louis O. Quam of the Office of Naval Research, Professor +Ira L. Wiggins, Scientific Director of the Arctic Research Laboratory, +and Mr. M. R. Lipman of the University of Kansas Regional +Office of the Office of Naval Research are four of the persons to +whom I am deeply indebted. J. Knox Jones, Jr., and Edward G. +Campbell, students at the University of Kansas, participated in the +field work and deserve credit for a large part of the accomplishment +registered in the field.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> +The author is greatly indebted to Professor E. Raymond Hall +for assistance at many stages in the work. I am grateful to Professor +Harrison B. Tordoff for numerous suggestions and for verifying the +identifications of the specimens. The skeletons were identified by +measurement and comparison of feet, bills, and the dried, flat skins +that had been removed and labeled with the field numbers of the +corresponding skeletons. Where subspecific identification was difficult +because of the fashion in which the material was preserved it +should be understood that the subspecific name assigned was based +largely or entirely on geographic probability. This is wholly true +for sight records. Robert G. Bee read the manuscript in its entirety +and offered editorial comments and my wife, Annette, typed the +manuscript and made numerous corrections. The names of several +other individuals who rendered assistance appear at appropriate +places in the following pages.</p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<a name="ITINERARY" id="ITINERARY"></a> +<div class="caption2">ITINERARY</div> +<p> </p> + + +<p>Camps and collecting localities on the Arctic Slope of northern +Alaska in 1951 and 1952 (Bee and Jones, July 3-September 6, 1951; +Bee, September 6-11, 1951; Bee and Campbell, June 14-August 25, +1952; Bee, Campbell, and Hall, August 26-September 12, 1952) +were as shown in <a href="#Fig_1">Fig. 1</a>.</p> + +<p>Camps, and localities in the vicinity of each camp, are arranged +geographically from north to south. The localities listed below +under camps are only those which one or more of us (Bee, Campbell, +Jones and Hall) visited. Travel between camps was by airplane; +heavy black lines show routes followed.</p> +<p> </p> + +<span class="smcap">Point Barrow</span> (1951: July 3-5, 10-12, 18-20, 27-29, Aug. 5-7, 28-30, Sept. +4-11. 1952: June 14-24, Aug. 23-27, Aug. 31-Sept. 12). Longitudes and +latitudes taken from U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey map No. 9445, 2nd +edition, Point Barrow and vicinity, corrected May 21, 1951.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>Point Barrow, 156°27'25", 71°23'11", 3 ft. (June 20, 21, Aug. 25, 1952).</p> + +<p>Point Barrow, 156°30'00", 71°22'10", 0 ft. (Sept. 11, 1952).</p> + +<p>4½ mi. SW Point Barrow, 5 ft. (Sept. 7, 8, 1951), but in the second year +(June 14, 16, 1952) specimens from this same place were inadvertently +labeled at "Birnirk Mounds, 156°36'02", 71°20'40", 8 ft.".</p> + +<p>NW Elson Lagoon, 156°35'45", 71°20'27", 0 ft. (Sept. 2, 1952).</p> + +<p>Point Barrow, 156°40'40", 71°19'30", 8 ft. (Sept. 9, 1952).</p> + +<p>Point Barrow, 156°35'45", 71°19'30", 8 ft. (Sept. 9, 1952).</p> + +<p>Point Barrow, 156°39'40", 71°19'03", 6 ft. (Sept. 3, 4, 7, 8, 1952).</p> + +<p>West side Salt Water Lake [Lagoon], 156°42'00", 71°18'41", 4 ft. (June +18, 19, 1952).</p> + +<p>1⁄10 mi. W Salt Water Lake [Lagoon], 156°42'02", 71°18'26", 10 ft. (June +16-19, 1952).</p> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p> + +<div class="blockquot"> +<p>9⁄10 mi. E and 8⁄10 mi. N Barrow Village, 156°44'15", 71°18'20", 8 ft. (June +22, 23, 1952).</p> + +<p>1 4⁄10 mi. S and 6⁄10 mi. E Barrow Village, 156°45'25", 71°16'20", 20 ft. +(June 20, 1952).</p> + +<p>7½ mi. S and 7 mi. W Point Barrow, 156°49', 71° 17' (September 6, 1952).</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Teshekpuk Lake</span> (1951: July 29-Aug. 4). Shown on a map, titled "Trails +and Caches 1951 Season, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, ... traced and +reproduced from U. S. Geological Survey Maps, March 1945, compiled from +AAF Trimetrogon photography for Aeronautical Chart Service."<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 12 ft.</p> +</div> + +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Topagaruk</span> (1951: July 5-10). Named on map "Trails and Caches 1951 ..." +cited immediately above, but is actually seven miles due south of +name shown on that map. Correct position is 155°55', 70°34', 10 feet; but +specimens are incorrectly labeled 155°48'....<br /> +<p> </p> + +<span class="smcap">Kaolak River</span> (1951: July 12-18). River shown on map cited above under +Teshekpuk Lake.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>[Actual camp on] Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft.</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Kaolak</span> (1951: July 20-27). Longitude and latitude computed from map cited +above under Teshekpuk Lake.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft.</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Gavia Lake</span> (Aug. 19-23, 1952). Longitude and latitude computed from +World Aeronautical Chart (63) Brooks Range, U. S. Coast and Geodetic +Survey, 5th ed., February 2, 1949.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Gavia Lake, N White Hills, 150°00', 69°35', 460 ft.</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Umiat</span> (1951: Aug. 30-Sept. 4. 1952: June 24-July 3, 18-23, Aug. 16-19, 23, +Sept. 12). Longitude and latitude taken from U. S. Geological Survey Topographic Map.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Bearpaw Creek, 1 7⁄10 mi. E and 1 7⁄10 mi. N Umiat, 152°04'50", 69°23'30", +550 ft. (June 28, 1952).</p> + +<p>1 3⁄10 mi. E and 1 3⁄10 mi. N Umiat, 152°05'30", 69°23'12", 350 ft. (June 26, +27, 1952).</p> + +<p>9⁄10 mi. W and 9⁄10 mi. N Umiat, 152°10'58", 69°22'53", 380 ft. (June 29, +30, July 1, 1952).</p> + +<p>1½ mi. W and ¾ mi. N Umiat, 152°08'10", 69°22'18", 370 ft. (Aug. 30, +Sept. 4, 1951).</p> + +<p>Umiat, 152°08', 69°22', 337 ft. (Aug. 19, 1952).</p> + +<p>Umiat, 152°09'30", 69°22'08", 352 ft. (June 24, 26, July 21, 22, 1952).</p> + +<p>As shown on <a href="#Fig_1">fig. 1</a> a reconnaissance flight was made from Umiat to Sadlerochit +River and return (July 22, 1952).</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p> + +<div class="center"> +<a name="Fig_1"></a> +<a href="images/fig_1_lg.png"><img src="images/fig_1.png" width="600" height="291" border=0 title="Fig. 1: Routes of travel and base camps of field party in 1951 and 1952." alt="Fig_1" /></a><br /> +<span style="font-size:0.75em; color:#a0a0a0;">Click on map to view larger size version.</span><br /><br /> +<span class="smcap">Fig. 1.</span> Routes of travel and base camps of field party in 1951 and 1952.<br /> +<table width="76%" class="data" summary="List of Map Locations"> +<tr><td>1. Point Barrow</td><td> </td><td>8. Umiat</td></tr> +<tr><td>2. Teshekpuk Lake</td><td> </td><td>9. Lake Schrader-Lake Peters</td></tr> +<tr><td>3. Topagaruk</td><td> </td><td>10. Wahoo Lake</td></tr> +<tr><td>4. Kaolak River</td><td> </td><td>11. Driftwood</td></tr> +<tr><td>5. Kaolak</td><td> </td><td>12. Porcupine Lake</td></tr> +<tr><td>6. Reconnaissance flight</td><td> </td><td>13. Chandler Lake</td></tr> +<tr><td>7. Gavia Lake</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> +</table> +</div> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> + +<span class="smcap">Lake Schrader-Lake Peters</span> (July 23-Aug. 16, 1952). Longitudes and latitudes +taken from map entitled "Preliminary Copy," U. S. Petroleum Reserve +No. 4, U. S. Geological Survey, March 1948, scale 1-6900.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Spawning Creek, W side Lake Schrader, 145°11'40", 69°25'08", 2908 ft.</p> + +<p>SW Lake Schrader, 145°11'30", 69°24'32", 2925 ft. (July 27, 28, 1952).</p> + +<p>Lake Schrader, 145°09'50", 69°24'28", 2900 ft. (July 23, 24-30, 1952).</p> + +<p>East side Lake Schrader—Lake Peters Channel, 145°09'30", 69°24'15", 2905 ft. +(July 29, 30, 1952).</p> + + +<p>Mouth Chamberlin Canyon, S end Lake Peters, 145°08'34", 69°20'58", 3690 +ft. (Aug. 4, 5, 1952).</p> + +<p>SE end Lake Peters, 145°09'26", 69°20'56", 2950 ft., Romanzof Mountains +(Aug. 1-9, 14, 1952).</p> + +<p>Mount Mary, S end Lake Peters, 145°10'05", 69°20'35", 3012 ft. (The +mountain between Carnivore River on the east, Whistler Creek on the +west, mouth of Whistler Creek on the north, and the crest of the Brooks +Range on the south.) (Aug. 13-16, 1952.)</p> + +<p>Mount Mary, S end Lake Peters, 145°10'02", 69°20'30", 2920 ft. (July 30-Aug. +11, 1952).</p> + +<p>S end Lake Peters, 145°09'50", 69°20'15", 2906 ft. (Aug. 15, 1952).</p> + +<p>Weasel Point, S end Lake Peters, 145°09'30", 69°20'15", 2920 ft. (Aug. +9-11, 1952).</p> + +<p>Carnivore Lakes (Carnivore is the name of the three lakes at elevations of +3260, 3385 and 3400 ft. between 69°18' and 69°17' on Carnivore River, +which flows from James Robert Lake to Lake Peters). (Aug. 8, 1952.)</p> + +<p>James Robert Glacier, 145°09', 69°16', approximately 3700 ft. (Aug. 8, +1952).</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Wahoo Lake</span> (July 3-11, 1952). Longitude and latitude taken from map entitled +"Preliminary Copy," Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, U. S. Geological +Survey (of same series as map used at Porcupine Lake, <a href="#Porcupine_Lake">see below</a>).<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft.</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Driftwood</span> (Aug. 27-31, 1952). Longitude and latitude computed from map +cited above under Teshekpuk Lake.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>2 mi. W Utukok River, 161°15'30", 68°54'50", 1275 ft. (Aug. 30, 1952).</p> + +<p>Driftwood, Utukok River, 161°12'10", 68°53'47", 1200 ft. (Aug. 27-31, +1952).</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<a name="Porcupine_Lake"></a> +<span class="smcap">Porcupine Lake</span> (July 11-18, 1952). Longitude and latitude computed from +map titled "Preliminary Copy," Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, compiled by +U. S. Geological Survey, May, 1949, Alaska, K6, scale 1:4800.<br /> + +<p>Porcupine Lake, 146°29'50", 68°51'57", 3140 ft. (July 12-16, 18, 1952).</p> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Mount Annette, 146°28'51", 68°50'38", approximately 5700 ft. (Mount +Annette is in the Annette Range south of Porcupine Lake between the +Canning River and the Ivashak River.) (July 17, 1952.)</p> +</div> +<p> </p> + + +<span class="smcap">Chandler Lake</span> (Aug. 9-25, 1951). Longitude and latitude taken from World +Aeronautical Chart (63) Brooks Range, U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 5th +ed., February 2, 1949.<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"> + <p>Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft.</p> +</div> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + + +<a name="ACCOUNTS_OF_SPECIES" id="ACCOUNTS_OF_SPECIES"></a> +<div class="caption2">ACCOUNTS OF SPECIES</div> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Gavia adamsii</b></i> (Gray): Yellow-billed loon.—Specimens, 3: Kaolak (Kuk) +River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., No. 30571, ad. female, July 18, 1951; +Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft. (a breeding pair), No. 31301, ad. male +and No. 31302, ad. female, July 9, 1952.</p> + +<p>Upon our arrival at Wahoo Lake (July 3, 1952), two yellow-billed loons +were swimming, side by side, on the east end of the lake. On July 8, the pair +were seen swimming close together 400 feet distant from the nest. It was +located on July 4 and held two fresh eggs. Three days later at 3:00 A.M. one +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> +of the pair called directly in front of our camp, which was approximately 4000 +feet from the nest at the other end of the lake. The call was the first uttered +in the area since our arrival. Except for the two instances noted above, only +a single loon was seen at any one time almost certainly because the other +was sitting on the eggs. At 3:00 P.M. on July 9, by means of a boat, we +visited the nesting area; the male was incubating and the female was absent +from the area. As we approached to within 30 feet of the nest, the male, +conspicuous as it sat upon the nest with neck held low and extended, became +nervous. When we were 25 feet away the bird plunged into the lake. His +feet and wings beat the water, increasing his speed; he flew to our right +approximately 30 feet from the nest and was shot. The nest and eggs were +photographed and we left the area. At 5:30 P.M., the female was swimming +on the lake in the general area of the nest. In an effort to obtain the bird +we pursued her down the middle of the lake, approximately 1000 feet from her +nest and in the direction from which we came. Turning shoreward she dived +and resurfaced approximately 300 feet in the opposite direction from which +she was being pursued. Two additional dives brought her to the vicinity of +the nest. No cry was uttered by either of the birds during our pursuit.</p> + +<p>Although the female had been incubating two nearly fresh eggs, her ovary, +35 mm long and 19 mm in diameter, contained ova of various sizes up to +six mm in diameter. The female measured 850 mm in total length and weighed +4536 grams; the male was 900 mm in total length and weighed 6804 grams.</p> + +<p>The nest, approximately 60 cm in diameter, of sedges, grasses and an assortment +of plant debris, was on a mound of soil 23 cm above, and 40 cm from, +the open water. The cup of the nest measured 37 mm in depth. The site +of the nest (southeast corner of the lake) was near the area supporting the +most lake trout (<i>Cristivomer namaycush</i>). Between open water of the lake +and the shore, 20 feet of sedges and grasses deterred wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>), red +foxes (<i>Vulpes fulva</i>), and caribou (<i>Rangifer arcticus</i>) from molesting the nest; +tracks of these mammals were numerous on contiguous shore areas.</p> + +<p>The early run-off entering the lake created a variable water level (the +overflow decreased 60 per cent in the period July 2 to July 11). The loons +lay their eggs when the lake's level is fairly well stabilized. The cotton-grass +(<i>Eriophorum</i>) at the latter date was developing white flowers and the sedges, +growing in dense stands, were showing springtime green.</p> + +<p>The force with which the excrement of the loon is expelled while standing +on land, accounts for long white lines upwards of one meter in length. These +lines of dried excrement, reaching as far as one and one-tenth meters landward, +were noted at several places along the shore.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk on July 9, 1951, a single yellow-billed loon was observed. +At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951) the yellow-billed loon was occasionally +heard at night and, at times in the day. On July 18, an Eskimo, Atanak, +accompanied by two companions from Wainwright, shot two loons of this +species approximately two miles down the Kaolak River from our camp. They +had planned to prepare the birds for their evening meal. With the exception +of twelve pebbles averaging 3.5 mm in diameter in the one, the stomachs of +the loons were empty. The female was given to us by the Eskimos. It +measured 870 mm in total length, 1600 mm in wing spread, and 5897 grams +in weight. The ovaries contained many ova, the largest eight mm in diameter. +Many of the individual ova were black.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> +At Porcupine Lake a yellow-billed loon was seen every day (July 13-18, +1952) but was not heard until 8:00 P.M. on July 17; its call was the first +since our arrival on July 13. Thereafter its long drawn-out wail or raucous, +hilarious call was uttered at intervals in the evening and well toward midnight.</p> + +<p>A yellow-billed loon was on the south end of Lake Peters on August 4, +1952. At 9:00 A.M. it caught a small fish at the mouth of Carnivore River. +The loon flew north approximately five miles to Lake Schrader where it was +known to have young.</p> + +<p>Of the three species of loons observed on the Arctic Slope, the yellow-billed +loon is the least numerous. Owing to its large size this loon is more often +taken than either of the others. Eskimos consider its dark, fine grained flesh +a delicacy. On the more isolated areas of the Arctic Slope the yellow-billed +loon remains common; elsewhere it needs protection.</p> + +<p>Additional specimens, especially from the contact zone between the areas +of geographical distribution of <i>Gavia immer</i> and <i>Gavia adamsii</i>, are needed in +order to decide on the subspecific <i>versus</i> specific status of these two kinds +of loons.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Gavia arctica pacifica</b></i> (Lawrence): Arctic loon.—Specimens, 2: Barrier +Lake, NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., No. 30570, ad. female, +July 29, 1951; Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 30572, ad. female, +July 7, 1951.</p> + +<p>On July 3, 1952, between Umiat and Ivashak River, pairs of Arctic loons +were on only small and medium sized lakes; on this date they mostly were +free of ice whereas large lakes were ice covered and thus unavailable to this +species of loon. The use of small and medium sized lakes by this loon may +result from the described unavailability of large lakes at nesting time. The +tundra, at this time, when nesting has begun, is free of snow except for cornices +and deposits in deep gullies. Willows and alders at Umiat on July 3 were +without foliage, whereas these plants farther east were in leaf. On July 4, +1951, at two-tenths of a mile south of the Arctic Research Laboratory, a single +bird flew over the tundra and onto the Arctic Ocean beyond. It called regularly +as it passed overhead. At Topagaruk (July 5, 1951) the pairs of Arctic loons +were nesting on the vegetated edges of lakes of medium size. This species of +loon constituted less than one per cent of the avian population of the area. A +nest of this loon on a promontory between two lakes and within 30 centimeters +of deep water was damp, shallow, slightly depressed and held eggs exposed +to view. On July 7, the female was killed as she left the nest. The wind +blowing offshore drifted her toward the center of the lake. Later, as she +reached a point near the opposite side, the male alighted near the dead female +and indulged in its courtship display of raising and lowering its head and neck. +Swimming around the mate several times he continued to solicit attention from +the lifeless form. An hour later we examined the off-shore and found the dead +female among the sedges. By this time the male had abandoned its mate and +was observed feeding in an adjacent lake. Arctic loons on several adjacent +lakes could be heard. The male that had been deprived of its mate, did not +respond.</p> + +<p>The female weighed 1200 grams. The largest ovum was eight mm in +diameter; others were smaller and the smallest were in clusters. On leaving +the nest we placed mosses and grasses over it to protect the single egg from the +parasitic jaegers. We wished to learn whether the male returned and incubated +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> +the egg. On our approach on July 8 he was on the nest but left and swam +approximately 200 feet under water before surfacing. On the afternoon of +the same day the single egg was cold and unattended. The male was swimming +on a nearby lake some 300 yards distant. Two pairs of the Arctic loon +were observed swimming on adjacent lakes. On July 9, the male was again +incubating the egg.</p> + +<p>The Arctic loon calls frequently when flying overhead. The Eskimos were +adept at imitating the loon's call and were successful in having the birds +respond.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951), pairs of the Arctic loon used the +course of the stream as a flight lane.</p> + +<p>On an airflight from east to west between the mouth of the Canning River +Canyon and Umiat (July 18, 1952) I noted an increase in the numbers of this +loon, especially over the lakes near the Colville River.</p> + +<p>Seven pairs and two singles of this species were observed between the +mouth of the Avalik River and a point 23.3 miles from the Arctic Ocean when +I flew directly from <a name="Kaolak"></a><a href="#typos">Kaolak</a> to Point Barrow. In the above 33 miles of coastal +plain, the greatest interval between loons was 9.7 miles, the shortest 1.9 miles, +the average 5.9 miles. The last 23.3 miles before reaching the Arctic Ocean, +produced no records of the loon. On a lake near the Arctic Ocean, 3.8 miles +southwest from Barrow Village, a single pair was observed.</p> + +<p>Upon our arrival at Barrier Lake, northeast of Teshekpuk Lake (July 29, +1951), there were two adult and two young Arctic loons at the south end of +the lake at a point approximately 300 feet from where we camped. During +our stay at the lake, the loons nearly all of the time remained on approximately +1½ acres of water in spite of being disturbed and having their territory +periodically invaded by us. Adjacent to the area of the lake used by this +family of loons were three small lakes connected by wide channels to Barrier +Lake. Other small lakes to the east were connected by smaller channels. The +loons preferred to feed in the lakes having larger connecting channels.</p> + +<p>In the evening of the first day of observation, the female together with her +two young was on land. The male was swimming approximately 200 feet +out on the lake. The female was shot as she was flushed from the bank. The +largest ovum was four mm in diameter. On the morning of the second day +(15 hours after the female was shot) the male was observed tending the +young; one young was by his side and the other had wandered to a point +40 feet away. A parasitic jaeger came and hovered above the straying young +loon and then dived vertically to seize it. The male loon was too far away to +reach its young before the jaeger departed. As the jaeger was leaving the area, +three other parasitic jaegers pursued the first in an attempt to wrest from its +beak the young loon. The contest for possession of the young loon continued +as far as the eye could follow the contestants.</p> + +<p>On August 2, at 3:35 P.M. the surviving members of this loon family—the +male and the one young—rested on the water of the lake, approximately +200 feet from shore. The adult dozed with its head tucked under its wing—head +end oriented into the wind except for occasional complete turns. These +were made without visible change of posture. The young one alternated by +swimming around its parent and resting at which time it tucked its head +under its wing. Toward evening, the male was shot. A survey of the area +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> +the following morning disclosed the absence of the young loon, not to be seen +again during our stay. It was noted that during our sojourn of seven days, +when the male was left with the orphaned young, the parent would fly to +Teshekpuk Lake some 1½ miles to the south to procure food. The young +loon when left alone would dive under water when approached.</p> + +<p>On August 4, a pomarine jaeger pursued the male loon as it was returning +from fishing on Teshekpuk Lake. When the birds first were seen, the jaeger +was approximately 200 feet behind the loon, but in a distance of approximately +300 feet the jaeger overtook the loon which had reached the shore of Barrier +Lake. When the jaeger was ready to strike in order to make the loon drop the +fish it was carrying, the loon dropped over the erosional cliff and splashed into +the water. After 30 seconds of hovering over the submerged loon, which +remained under water for one minute, the jaeger departed to the west. The +loon came to the surface holding the fish tightly crosswise in its beak.</p> + +<p>Numerous calls of the Arctic loon were heard on the Barrier Lake area. +When a person enters the territory of a family of loons, the male makes a +sound similar to a courting tomcat. The female responds with a like sound +and in addition concludes her call with a high pitched note. When mildly +disturbed, low <a name="guttural"></a><a href="#typos">guttural</a> notes are uttered by both sexes, and are continued as a +person penetrates farther into the territory of the loons, especially when young +are present. In addition to the above-mentioned calls, loons have a ravenlike +call, one resembling the cackling of a domestic fowl, and another resembling +the bleating of a lamb.</p> + +<p>The male concerns himself less than does the female with the safety of the +family; nevertheless, attempts were noted in which the male endeavored to +decoy the intruder and allow the female and young to retreat from the area. +The loons react to caribou, if these animals approach too closely to the shore +line adjacent to the territory of the loons.</p> + +<p>On July 30, 1951, pairs of loons were flying over the tundra between +Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake.</p> + +<p>On an airflight from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow (Aug. 4, 1951) I +saw Arctic loons as follows: 63 miles from Point Barrow, one; 25 miles from +Point Barrow, two; 10 miles from Point Barrow, four.</p> + +<p>At Chandler Lake (Aug. 12, 1951), a single Arctic loon was frequently +heard at the southeast end near the mouth of the Chandler River. In the +evening of August 13, the wind changed from the normal southern wind to a +cold wind from the north. Thereafter no Arctic loon was detected at the +mouth of the river until August 22 when a bird there called at three intervals +in the day. Presumably the change in direction of wind caused the fish and +the loon to leave the south end of the lake. Arctic loons in other parts of the +lake were heard every day from August 8 to August 25 inclusive.</p> + +<p>On August 19, 1952, when we flew from Umiat to Gavia Lake, the loons +seemed to be more restless and more easily disturbed than on our earlier flights. +Wariness probably increases as the season advances.</p> + +<p>On August 20, 1952, through August 23, 1952, six pairs of Arctic loons +and 10 old squaw ducks were on Gavia Lake (named after the Arctic loon, +genus <i>Gavia</i>). These were the only large birds on the lake on these dates. +The loons dove as they sensed danger, emitting, before the dive, a single +doglike yelp.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> +On September 2, 1952, at ½ mile northeast of Barrow Village, we passed +an Arctic loon on the beach six feet from the waters of the Arctic Ocean. On +the return trip, two hours later, the loon was again seen in the same area, now +preening its feathers. As we approached it walked to the water and began +to swim through the breakers of the ocean. Snow was falling, telling of the +approach of the migratory season for this species.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Gavia stellata</b></i> (Pontoppidan): Red-throated loon.—Specimens, 4: NE +Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., No. 30576, ad. male and No. +30577, ad. female, July 29, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., +No. 30574, ad. male, July 18, 1951 and No. 30575, ad. female, July 14, 1951.</p> + +<p>At the west side of Salt Water Lagoon (June 17,1952) we observed a single +red-throated loon feeding in the lake. At Point Barrow (June 21, 1952) 15 +birds in one loose flock flew east along the shore of the Arctic Ocean.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 13, 1951) three pairs of red-throated loons nested +among high sedges along the edges of small lakes (some as small as 100 Ũ 40 +feet). Of the three species of loons on the Arctic Slope, this one chooses the +smallest bodies of water for nesting. Each of two nests held two eggs +approximately ½ incubated. One nest and that of an Arctic tern were approximately +30 feet apart on an island in the center of the lake. The loons arrived +and departed from the lake without molestation by the terns, but whenever +we approached the lake a tern would fly 300 feet out on the lake to meet us. +On July 14, the female loon was shot. The largest ovum was 8 mm in +diameter. On July 16, we again visited the above mentioned nest. The male +was incubating and left unnoticed. While we were inspecting the nest the +loon reappeared only six feet away and uttered one guttural note seemingly +of surprise. The loon hurriedly swam away keeping its head turned toward +us and when at a distance of 25 feet, dove again. Fifteen minutes after we +left the nest the bird could still be seen swimming about in the lake. On +July 18 the male was shot. It weighed 2268 grams and its testes were 10 mm +long. The eggs, measuring 73 Ũ 42 and 69 Ũ 43 mm, of this pair of loons held +embryos having natal down. Although the loon usually approached the nest +from the direction of open water, several trails led to the nest among sedges. +One call by these birds resembled that of a wolf and was generally given +between 11:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. Other calls were froglike, humanlike +and birdlike in quality.</p> + +<p>On a small lake between Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake (July 29, 1951) +a male and female attracted our attention by uttering guttural notes and +occasionally a sound resembling the meowing of a cat. This lake was approximately +200 feet long and 40 feet wide and was bordered by exceptionally high +sedges. Several points of sedges projected into the lake from its edge. When +the loons were approached they dove under water with a splash suggesting the +sound made by a beaver as it strikes its tail against the water before submerging. +A loud high-pitched shrieklike call was given just before diving. +They remained under water for about 20 seconds, came to the surface, and +repeated the behavior. These birds were capable of leaving the lake but +remained in close proximity to their young that were hiding in the grasses and +sedges along the side of the lake. Both adult birds were collected. A broken +egg was on one of the points of vegetation that projected into the lake. This +lake was approximately 600 feet from feeding grounds at Teshekpuk Lake +where small fish three-fourths of an inch in length were numerous (30 per +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> +square foot) along the edge of the lake. Other red-throated loons were noted +on July 29 through August 4.</p> + +<p>At Chandler Lake (Aug. 15, 1951), two red-throated loons frequently fed +in a small meandering creek at the south end of the lake.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Olor columbianus</b></i> (Ord): Whistling swan.—On July 16, 1951, a boat with +three Eskimos neared a point of land approximately 1⁄3 mile north of our camp +on the Kaolak (Kuk) River. At 200 feet from the point, two adult whistling +swans and three cygnets left the edge of the river. The female pretended to +have a crippled wing and flapped upstream on the surface of the water for +100 feet and then continued at normal cruising speed. The male left the area +but returned in a few minutes and joined the female as she endeavored to +lure the hunters up the river. The Eskimos inspected the shore where the +swans had been resting and then returned to their boat and continued up the +river in the wake of the female swan which was then 200 yards upstream. As +the boat approached the female, she fluttered out of their way and the boat +passed at approximately 30 feet. The Eskimos did not attempt to shoot at +the male, the female, or the three cygnets. The following day we inspected +the area from which the swans had been flushed. Four molted primary feathers +of the adults were found. Twenty feet from the edge of the river was an old +nest which had been occupied the previous year. This nest was in willows +and grasses one foot high. At our camp (July 12), numerous foot prints +measuring 160 mm in length and 142 mm in width of the swan were noted +on the north side of a sand bar in the river.</p> + +<p>Atanak and his companions from Wainwright told us that other whistling +swans were observed (July 16-17, 1951) from our camp on the Kaolak River +to a point seven miles up the Kaolak River from the junction of the Avalik +and Ketik rivers. In the previous month (June), these same Eskimos had +observed 12 pairs of swans between Wainwright and our camp.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Branta canadensis minima</b></i> Ridgway: Canada goose.—On July 8 and 9, 1951, +four geese fed on a large lake at Topagaruk and when disturbed, flew from +the lake in groups of two or four, never as single individuals. Upon returning +to the lake they reformed in a group of four. Drilling for oil was underway +there but geese, ducks and smaller water birds 300 or more feet away from +the well were relatively unmolested and present in normal numbers. Men +at the well told us that birds were not so plentiful in 1951 as in the previous +year and that it was the latter part of May, this year being earlier than last +year, when waterfowl and shore-birds arrived on the tundra. In late May +50 per cent or more of the ground is covered with snow and the lakes are +frozen. Creeks and rivers are used until lakes open up. This is a time of loud +clamor and nuptial performances when geese and brant call all night. The +noise and much of the activity ceases at nesting time. In the cool weather of +autumn (September 1), lakes freeze and the birds leave the tundra and +congregate along the shores of the Arctic Ocean preparatory to flock formation +and migration. Geese and ducks tarry but the shore-birds leave suddenly. +The fall migrations at Point Barrow begin in the middle of August.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Branta nigricans</b></i> (Lawrence): Black brant.—On June 19, 1951, two black +brant flew east over the tundra at Salt Water Lagoon and continued in that +direction as far as we could follow the birds with binoculars. On August 25, +1952, between Birnirk and Point Barrow, we flushed a flock of 60 brant seven +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> +times; they were loathe to leave the peninsula. On the following day, 58 brant +were seen in the same area.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Anser albifrons frontalis</b></i> Baird: White-fronted goose.—Specimen, 1: 9⁄10 mi. +W and 9⁄10 mi. N Umiat, 152°10'58", 69°22'53", 380 ft., No. 31303, ad. female, +July 1, 1952.</p> + +<p>As late as June 24, 1952, white-fronted geese were in flock formation at +Umiat. Eight days later (July 1), 9⁄10 mile west and 9⁄10 mile north of Umiat, +a nest held six incubated eggs; the embyros showed natal down. The nest was +in a depression of moss (not excavated) on a mound 45 cm above water level +among polygons. The concavity of the nest was 320 mm in diameter and was +lined with an 80 mm thickness of sticks, pieces of moss, stems of grass and +miscellaneous material. The cup, 160 mm wide and 80 mm deep, was lined +with down feathers from the bird. The nest and brooding bird blended with +the vegetation of <i>Vaccinium</i>, <i>Arctagrostis</i>, mosses and lichens. When the +observer was 25 feet distant the female left the nest. She measured 685 mm +in total length and weighed 2268 grams. The largest ovum was three mm in +diameter.</p> + +<p>On August 30 and 31, 1951, 16 white-fronted geese were feeding on the +tundra along Seabee Creek. They called frequently at night.</p> + +<p>When we flew from Point Barrow to Kaolak (July 20, 1951), approximately +100 miles southwest of Point Barrow, 12 white-fronted geese were in one +group, and on a return trip (July 27) along the same route we noted several +small groups.</p> + +<p>Upon our arrival at Barrier Lake, northwest of Teshekpuk Lake on July 29, +1951, 12 white-fronted geese were resting at the south end of the lake. They +had consistently used this shore, as well as the entire east shore line as +evidenced there by fecal deposits. In the seven days that we camped at this +lake the geese remained in the area but never returned to their original resting +grounds. In the mud and silt of a lagoon on the west side of the lake, numerous +tracks of these geese were associated with tracks of caribou, Arctic fox, wolf +and small shore-birds. On August 1, thirty-five white-fronted geese left +the north end of the lake and flew west approximately one mile where they +remained feeding and calling until midnight. On the morning of August 3, +two geese flew south over our camp to Teshekpuk Lake and at 8:45 P.M., +15 flew to the west.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Chen hyperborea hyperborea</b></i> (Pallas): Snow goose.—Atanak, an Eskimo, +told us that snow geese were common along the coast at Wainwright in the +early spring of 1951. On the date of interrogation (July 18, 1951) he reported +that none was in the area.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Anas acuta</b></i> Linnaeus: Pintail.—Specimens, 2: 2 mi. W Utukok River, +161°15'30", 68°54'50", 1275 ft., No. 31304 and 31305, ad. females, Aug. 30, +31, 1952.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 15, 1951), the primary feathers of a female in +breeding plumage were being replaced by new feathers then 25 millimeters +long. She was unable to fly and had secluded herself in the sedges and grasses +along the edge of a lake. On July 18, a male flew over this lake. These were +the only two pintails observed in this area.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951), within one mile of our camp there were +four females with young in groups of 4, 5, and 6. The young birds of the +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> +group of five were 75 mm in length. On June 17, 1952, several pintails were +feeding in the Salt Water Lagoon at Point Barrow.</p> + +<p>The largest of two adult females collected on August 30 and 31, 1952, +two miles west of Driftwood, was 536 mm in total length and weighed 729 +grams.</p> + +<p>On August 25, 1951, three pintails fed in a small creek at the southwest +corner of Chandler Lake. They were the first observed in the area where +we began camping on August 9.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Anas carolinensis</b></i> Gmelin: Green-winged teal.—On September 4, 1951, one +green-winged teal was on a small lake approximately 1¼ miles northwest of +Umiat.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Aythya marila nearctica</b></i> Stejneger: Greater scaup.—On July 8, 1952, approximately +½ mile southwest of the east end of Wahoo Lake, a nest of seven +eggs of this species was located on the edge of a small lake. Three males +swam together in the lake.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Clangula hyemalis</b></i> (Linnaeus): Old squaw.—Specimens, 5; Barrier Lake, +NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., No. 35080, ad. female and +30581, ad. female, July 30, 1951; Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., +No. 30582, ad. female, July 7, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 +ft., No. 50579, ad. female, July 14, 1951 and No. 50578, ad. sex?, July 15, 1951.</p> + +<p>Two old squaws were feeding in Salt Water Lagoon on June 17, 1952. On +June 30, 1952, a nest of seven eggs was 20 feet from the edge of a lake at +Umiat. One of the eggs was infertile and in the others embryos had barely +begun to form. The nest was unattended but the eggs were warm and covered +with down feathers. The next day the male was in the lake adjoining the nest +and the female was on the nest; we collected the eggs on this date. The nest +was in a natural depression in the moss on top of a hummock one foot high. +A dwarf alder gave overhead protection.</p> + +<p>Each night, at approximately 10:00 P.M. (July 3-11, 1952) a male lit in +Wahoo Lake and preened, ruffled and adjusted its feathers. This behavior +indicated to us that he had just been relieved from incubating eggs. Old +squaws were noted also on a small lake approximately ½ mile southeast of +Wahoo Lake on July 8.</p> + +<p>Most of the old squaws (July 4-10, 1951) were in pairs or small groups +at Topagaruk. They constituted less than one per cent of the avian population +and were more commonly seen around the edges of stabilized lakes of medium +size than elsewhere. One adult female shot on July 7, weighed 600 grams and +had ova as large as 17 millimeters in diameter.</p> + +<p>On July 8, 1952, between 1:00 A.M. and 2:00 A.M., the ice started to +move and formed leads near the shore of the Arctic Ocean at Point Barrow. +Ordinarily the ice does not leave until approximately the 20th of the month. +These new leads brought greater numbers of old squaws nearer shore. At +6:00 P.M. that same day eighteen old squaw ducks sat on the ice off-shore +and approximately 100 flew to the east in three separate groups.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951), old squaws were observed every day. +On a four hour field trip (July 15), four adults were seen. On July 18 an old +squaw was flying in company with a male pintail. An Eskimo hunting party +of three men had killed a female (July 18) near our camp and were going +to prepare it for food that evening.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> +At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) we observed one pair with young and two +single adults.</p> + +<p>At Barrier Lake, northeast of Teshekpuk Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1951), +old squaw ducks were in evidence at least once or twice a day. On July 30, +three birds were sitting on an island in a small lake adjoining Barrier Lake. +They were molting and although capable of flight were using the island as a +place of refuge. Two females shot on July 30, weighed 650 grams and had +masses of ova smaller than those in the female shot at Topagaruk 23 days +earlier. The largest ovum in the latter female was 2.3 mm in diameter. On +a flight on August 4, 1951, from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow we saw +two flocks of 18 each when 73 and 34 miles southwest of Point Barrow.</p> + +<p>Between the mouth of the Canning River Canyon and Umiat (July 18, +1952), old squaws were more numerous in lakes adjacent to the Colville River +than in lakes to the east.</p> + +<p>Upon our arrival at Gavia Lake (Aug. 20, 1952) a family of two adults +and two juveniles and another family of one adult and six juveniles were the +only ducks on the lake. One of the juveniles rested on the bank instead of +feeding in the lake with the other ducks, and on August 23 died. On August +21, one duckling in the second family strayed out toward the center of the +lake, whereupon the adult female swam out and herded the young bird back +toward the group nearer the shore line. On August 22, the female and two +ducklings of the first family were shot. The adult was 390 mm in total length +whereas the young were 300 mm in total length and weighed 320 grams. +Neither young birds nor the mother could fly. The breast of each young consisted +of only a few thin layers of muscles whereas the adult's breast was made +up of thick muscles. The second family had frequented the south shore, but +moved to the north side of the lake when fired upon. On August 22, one +duckling was 214 mm long and weighed 119 grams. Although the season was +far advanced and the snows of autumn were already falling, ducklings of the +sizes specified above were still unable to fly and the females were still molting +the essential flight feathers.</p> + +<p>At Driftwood (Aug. 30, 1952) an adult and two juveniles were feeding +in a lake northeast of camp.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Polysticta stelleri</b></i> (Pallas): Steller's eider.—Specimen, 1: Topagaruk, +155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 30325, ad. female, July 10, 1951.</p> + +<p>An incubating female was shot at Topagaruk on July 10, 1951. Her ovary +was 30 mm long, and the largest ovum was 3 mm in diameter. Her nest was +in a depression of a high-centered polygon some 300 feet from any large body +of water, contained five fresh eggs, and was lined with black down feathers +of an adult. On each of three occasions when approached, the female left +the nest when I was six feet away.</p> + +<p>On September 7, 1952, a flock of eight Steller's eiders was swimming in a +large lake approximately one mile southeast of the Arctic Research Laboratory.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Somateria mollissima v. nigra</b></i> Bonaparte: Common eider.—On August 25, +1952, approximately 100 yards southwest of Point Barrow, 30 Pacific eiders +were resting on the beach in company with 90 king eiders. When approached +some swam and others flew out onto the Arctic Ocean where they remained +until we withdrew from the area, after which time the birds returned to their +resting place on the beach.</p> +<p> </p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Plate_9" id="Plate_9">[Pl. 9]</a></span></p> +<div class="center"> +<div class="caption2">PLATE 9</div> + +<a name="Pl9_1_2"></a> +<table summary="image frame"> +<tr><td colspan=3><img src="images/pl_9_fig_1_2.png" width="600" height="265" title="Pl_9 Fig_1_2" alt="Pl_9 Fig_1_2" /><br /><br /></td></tr> +<tr><td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 1.</span> A male yellow-billed loon setting +on eggs in nest at Wahoo Lake on July 9, 1952.<br /></td><td> </td> +<td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 2.</span> Nest and eggs shown in figure +1, July 9, 1952. Incubation had just begun.</td></tr> +<tr><td colspan=2><p> </p></td></tr> +</table> + +<a name="Pl9_3_4"></a> +<table summary="image frame"> +<tr><td colspan=3><img src="images/pl_9_fig_3_4.png" width="600" height="268" title="Pl_9 Fig_3_4" alt="Pl_9 Fig_3_4" /><br /><br /></td></tr> +<tr><td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 3.</span> Arctic loon (upper) and red-throated +loon (lower) from Teshekpuk Lake, August 1, 1951.<br /></td><td> </td> +<td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 4.</span> Nest and eggs of white-fronted +goose at Umiat, July 1, 1952. Incubation three fourths completed.</td></tr> +<tr><td colspan=2><p> </p></td></tr> +</table> + +<a name="Pl9_5_6"></a> +<table summary="image frame"> +<tr><td colspan=3><img src="images/pl_9_fig_5_6.png" width="600" height="263" title="Pl_9 Fig_5_6" alt="Pl_9 Fig_5_6" /><br /><br /></td></tr> +<tr><td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 5.</span> Adult male surf scoters, July +16, 1952, at Porcupine Lake. Scoters are uncommon on the Arctic Slope.<br /></td><td> </td> +<td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 6.</span> Arctic tern shot at Teshekpuk +Lake on August 1, 1951. A common breeding bird in northern Alaska.</td></tr> +<tr><td colspan=2><p> </p></td></tr> +</table> +</div> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Plate_10" id="Plate_10">[Pl. 10]</a></span></p> +<div class="center"> +<div class="caption2">PLATE 10</div> + +<a name="Pl10_1_2"></a> +<table summary="image frame"> +<tr><td colspan=3><img src="images/pl_10_fig_1_2.png" width="600" height="262" title="Pl_10 Fig_1_2" alt="Pl_10 Fig_1_2" /><br /><br /></td></tr> +<tr><td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 1.</span> Shore of Arctic Ocean at Point +Barrow, June 19, 1952. Many birds already were nesting on the tundra.<br /></td><td> </td> +<td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 2.</span> Tundra and oriented lakes 80 +mi. S Point Barrow, August 28, 1952, are breeding places for water birds.<br /></td></tr> +<tr><td colspan=2><p> </p></td></tr> +</table> + +<a name="Pl10_4_3"></a> +<table summary="image frame"> +<tr><td colspan=3 class="center"><img src="images/pl_10_fig_3_4.png" width="600" height="262" title="Pl_10 Fig_3_4" alt="Pl_10 Fig_3_4" /><br /><br /></td></tr> +<tr><td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 3.</span> Luxuriant vegetation used by +breeding birds in intermontane valley at Porcupine Lake, July 18, 1952.<br /><br /></td><td> </td> +<td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 4.</span> Willow-lined creek at Chandler +Lake, August 25, 1951. Willows and alders offer nesting sites for birds.<br /></td></tr> +<tr><td colspan=2><p> </p></td></tr> +</table> + +<a name="Pl10_5_6"></a> +<table summary="image frame"> +<tr><td colspan=3 class="center"><img src="images/pl_10_fig_5_6.png" width="600" height="259" title="Pl_10 Fig_5_6" alt="Pl_10 Fig_5_6" /><br /><br /></td></tr> +<tr><td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 5.</span> NW face of Mt. Chamberlin, +9131 ft.; terrain inhospitable to most breeding birds. August 5, 1952.<br /><br /></td><td> </td> +<td width="300" class="vtop"><span class="smcap">Fig. 6.</span> Destruction of bird communities +by caribou trampling south of Lake Peters. August 8, 1952.</td></tr> +<tr><td colspan=2><p> </p></td></tr> +</table> +</div> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> + +<p><i><b>Somateria spectabilis</b></i> (Linnaeus): King eider.—Specimen 1: Point Barrow, +156°27'25", 71°23'11", 3 ft., No. 31306, ad. male, August 25, 1952.</p> + +<p>Robert McKinley told us that in the last week of April of 1952, eiders +(king?) arrived in the vicinity of the Arctic Research Laboratory in large +numbers and continued to pass to the east for the next three weeks. King +eiders were observed at Point Barrow on July 3, 1951.</p> + +<p>Ninety king eiders and 30 Pacific eiders were resting on the shore of the +Arctic Ocean at Point Barrow on August 25, 1952. The following day 200 +king eiders were in the same area. A male, shot there, measured 560 millimeters +in total length. The muscles were only a third the size of those on a +normal bird. Another eider found dead also was emaciated and may have died +from gun shot wounds inflicted by the guns of the Eskimos. For every bird +killed by Eskimos, several are injured; many of these die along the migration +route. On July 28, king eiders were flying northwest along the shore of Elson +Lagoon, thence across the Point Barrow Peninsula at Birnirk, and thence +southwest along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. This day was foggy and wind +was from the east. On clear days and especially when wind blows from the +northwest, king eiders cross the peninsula a fifth of a mile or so nearer Point +Barrow, which is the most northern extension of the Peninsula. More eiders +moved by on clear days than on cloudy or foggy days. In one hour, ten +flocks, averaging 400 birds each, passed overhead at Birnirk (July 28); three +days earlier flocks of from 50 to 300 passed approximately every 20 minutes. +Eskimos on this date were shooting into these flocks of eider and bagging them +in excess of the winter needs of the hunters. One Eskimo had 40 king eiders +undressed and hanging on a drying rod at his home at Barrow Village (Sept. +2, 1952).</p> + +<p>On July 29, 1951, we flew from Point Barrow to Teshekpuk Lake and +observed (2:00-3:00 P.M.) only two small flocks of king eiders. On August +1, 1951, at Barrier Lake, three large flocks were flying west beyond the north +end of the lake. This was the first day since July 29, on which we had seen +such large flocks so far inland.</p> + +<p>On September 11, 1952, eight king eiders were resting on the shore of +the Arctic Ocean at Point Barrow.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Lampronetta fischeri</b></i> (Brandt): Spectacled eider.—On July 28, 1951, at +Birnirk, several flocks were flying along the Arctic Ocean.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Melanitta perspicillata</b></i> (Linnaeus): Surf scoter.—Specimens, 2: Porcupine +Lake, 146°29'50", 68°51'57", 3140 ft., No. 31307 and 31308, ad. males, +July 15, 1952.</p> + +<p>Two males shot at Porcupine Lake on July 15, 1952, measured as follows: +Total length, 489 mm, 495 mm; length of testis, 9 mm, 11 mm; weight, 1134 +grams, 998 grams. These birds were frequently seen together along the +south side of the lake. At Lake Schrader (July 27, 1952), 15 scoters, in loose +groups of two to six, fed in the southwest corner of the lake.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Buteo lagopus s. johannis</b></i> (Gmelin): Rough-legged hawk.—On July 2, 1952, +a nest of three young approximately six days old was examined ½ mile southeast +of Umiat Mountain. The young were being fed small mammals. Another +nest containing three addled eggs was also examined near Umiat. Many +infertile and addled eggs of several kinds of birds were noted on the Arctic +Slope.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> +<i><b>Aquila chrysaëtos canadensis</b></i> (Linnaeus): Golden eagle.—Marvin Mangus +told us that he had seen young in nests at the following localities: Kurupa +River, 155°11', 68°38', on July 1, 1946; 10 miles south of Driftwood in latter +part of June, 1950; 11 miles NW from the north end of Chandler Lake, 152°56', +68°25' on June 10, 1951; Awuna River, 157°03', 69°12' July 4, 1952. Single +adult birds were seen by us at Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) and at Driftwood +(Aug. 31, 1952).</p> + +<p>Atanak and his companions from Wainwright saw 12 eagles while hunting +(July 16-18, 1951) from the junction of the Avalik and Ketik rivers to a +point seven miles up the Kaolak River, but no eagles were seen between the +junction of the above rivers and Wainwright.</p> + +<p>Golden eagles daily hunted prey along ridges where Arctic ground squirrels +(<i>Spermophilus undulatus</i>) were abundant, for example, at Wahoo Lake +(July 3-12, 1952) and at Porcupine Lake (July 13-18, 1952). This species +of eagle hunted also in areas where marmots (<i>Marmota caligata</i>) were +abundant, as on the slopes adjoining Lake Peters. There (August 6, 1952) +three eagles soaring at 3800 feet elevation south of the mouth of Chamberlin +Canyon elicited from each of four marmots three warning calls. Thereafter +the marmots remained silent until the eagles had left the area. One eagle +that consistently hunted (July 17, 1952) on the lower slope of Mount Annette +along the Canning River was three times harassed by two ravens.</p> + +<p>At the south end of Lake Peters (July 31, 1952), a pair of adult eagles +soared along the slopes of Mount Mary approximately 1000 feet above the lake. +Twenty minutes later these birds flew by camp at the base of the mountain. +On August 2, at 8:00 P.M., two birds, one a large dark adult and one a bird +of the year (?) dropped with partly closed wings from high on the east side +of the lake to an undisturbed meadow on the west side. After circling the +meadow once, the two birds spiralled upward to approximately 4500 feet +elevation in one steep canyon, leveled off and after gaining the head of the +next canyon, plummetted down to the base of the mountain some 1500 feet +below. The high-speed flight continued across the ridge to the mouth of the +next canyon where they circled twice and then soared upward to repeat the +act. The objective probably was to surprise and prey upon small game at the +mouths of each canyon. On August 13, the eagles were still in the area at +the south end of Lake Peters in spite of an abrupt seasonal change; snow and +rain increased and the temperature dropped.</p> + +<p>On August 15, a Dall sheep (<i>Ovis dalli</i>) crossed the canyon from Mount +Mary to the mouth of Chamberlin Canyon. As the sheep reached the east +side of the canyon an eagle flew across the canyon and alighted approximately +150 feet from the sheep. A large group of small birds immediately harassed +the eagle.</p> + +<p>Two eagles fed on a dead caribou on a delta on the east side of Lake +Peters. Eagles were noted every day at Lake Peters from July 31 to August 15 +inclusive.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Falco rusticolus obsoletus</b></i> Gmelin: Gyrfalcon.—At the southwest corner of +Barrier Lake on July 29, 1951, a gyrfalcon sat on a bank 10 feet above the +water level. A dead Arctic tern was on the beach only 90 feet away and +visible to the gyrfalcon. When approached to within 250 feet, the gyrfalcon, +rather than flying north over the lake and lowlands, flew south across the +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> +upland tundra. On August 3, on the edge of the upland tundra approximately +3½ miles farther east a gyrfalcon ate a Sabine's gull—a bird of the year. Its +feathers had been plucked and only the stomach and intestines remained. +The gyrfalcon left the feeding area when approached to within 450 feet and, +as did the other gyrfalcon, flew south over the upland tundra rather than over +the lowlands of inundated sedges. On July 4, one gyrfalcon sat on a promontory +at the south end of Barrier Lake. This bird flew south.</p> + +<p>At Umiat (Sept. 1-5, 1951) a gyrfalcon each day hunted the same areas of +marsh in the river valley where tundra voles (<i>Microtus oeconomus</i>) were +numerous and along the side of the valley where ground squirrels were common. +On several occasions, this bird hovered 30 feet up and inspected us. This +confidence was in contrast to that of the gyrfalcons at Teshekpuk Lake; they +evaded us by leaving the ground several hundred feet away and flying out of +sight.</p> + +<p>Westley Redhead told us that a gyrfalcon was at Umiat as early as the +latter part of May, 1952. We saw them there on September 1 and 2 in the +same year. Gyrfalcons feed on ptarmigan in the river valley and on ground +squirrels and small birds on the uplands by striking their prey on the ground. +These falcons fly like prairie falcons and are of the same nervous disposition.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Falco peregrinus anatum</b></i> Bonaparte: Peregrine falcon.—A nest was found +on June 27, 1952, on the south slope of Mount Umiat approximately 225 feet +above the Colville River, 40 feet from the top of the cliff and 30 feet west of +the top of the mountain. The nest, three feet in depth at the front, two feet +in depth at the rear, and 2½ feet wide was made of sticks of many years +accumulation and was placed on a pinnacled platform 12 feet high. The nest +contained one infertile egg and two others in which embryos were approximately +one third developed. The female remained near us the one hour that +we were in the area. She flew back and forth in front of the nest terminating +each flight in an upswing arc and occasionally rested on top of the ridge to +the west. She dove at us but never came closer than 10 feet before swerving +upward. The male was not present. In a canyon 1⁄5 mile northeast of the +nest two dead ptarmigan were at the edge of a willow cotton-grass swale. +A nest of a peregrine falcon used three years before was 1 7⁄10 miles east and +1 7⁄10 miles north of Umiat. The nest was eight feet up on the face of a +cliff 13 feet in height and easily accessible to either fox or wolf. Along the +Colville River the falcon feeds on small shore-birds and other small birds.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Falco columbarius bendirei</b></i> Swann: Pigeon hawk.—On a benchland between +Chandler Lake and mountains to the west on August 12, 1952, a pigeon +hawk hunted back and forth across a meadow, fearlessly inspecting us from +distances of 20 to 30 feet as it searched the meadow for food. This falcon +systematically searched those areas where longspurs were known by us to be +most frequently found. Twice it flushed Lapland longspurs and darted at +them but without success. Of the four pigeon hawks at Chandler Lake three +were moving south and one was moving north down the canyon. We saw +this species at Chandler Lake also on August 17, 20 and 21, 1951, and at +Driftwood on August 27, 1952.</p> + +<p>Approximately 1⁄10 mile north of James Robert Lake (Aug. 8, 1952) a +pigeon hawk was harassing five ravens that were feeding on a dead caribou. +This falcon flew back and forth above the ravens.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> +<i><b>Falco sparverius sparverius</b></i> Linnaeus: Sparrow hawk.—One seen in the +summer of 1952 at the mouth of the Colville River by Clifford Fiscus.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Lagopus <a name="lagopus"></a><a href="#typos">lagopus</a> alascensis</b></i> Swarth: Willow ptarmigan.—Specimens, 5: +Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 50587, ad. female, July 8, 1951; +Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., No. 30586, ad. female, July 14, +1951 and No. 30585, ad. male, July 15, 1951; Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", +178 ft., No. 30583, ad. male and No. 30584, ad. female, July 23, 1951.</p> + +<p>Wherever ptarmigan were found, there was evidence that they were resident +in the area throughout the year. At Topagaruk, informants said the ptarmigan +were not so numerous in the summer (1949-1950) as in the winter. The +apparent relative abundance of these birds in these two seasons could conceivably +result from the birds being less conspicuous and more seclusive in +the summer because of nesting activities. In summer these birds are protectively +colored; at times a female only a few feet away is hardly distinguishable +from the tundra. We observed only two adults and three juveniles in the +area (July 5-10, 1952) although we saw considerable sign associated with the +winter season. Sand dunes derived from material along the edge of the river +formed a conspicuous feature of the landscape. These dunes, 20 to 30 feet +high, were deeply cut by winds from the west-northwest. Ptarmigan tracks +and sign were on all sides of the dunes, but the lee side was more commonly +used than any other because of the protection from winds and the presence +there of large willows and other plants. At Barrier Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, +1952) we noted numerous droppings of ptarmigan on the uplands between +Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake but we did not see any birds there. The +sign could have been deposited either in the winter or in a previous season.</p> + +<p>There are perhaps local migrations of ptarmigan. Harmon Helmericks, for +instance, told us that in either April or May of 1946 he saw a ptarmigan on the +ice of the Arctic Ocean 10 miles north of Pingok Island. At Gavia Lake +(August 22) we observed a local shift of a group of ptarmigan. One day +there were 19 birds in an area; the following day only seven birds were counted. +On the third day the full complement of 19 birds were again in the area.</p> + +<p>Ptarmigan are generally distributed on the Arctic Slope. On an airflight +(July 3, 1952) from the mouth of the Canning River Canyon to Umiat the +number of ptarmigan increased as we approached the drainage system of the +Colville River. On this date, when these birds are nesting, the willows were +just starting to grow new leaves and other vegetation of the tundra still was undeveloped. +On August 16, along this same route, when young ptarmigan were +nearly as large as adults, willows and alders were in full leaf and dominated +the vegetation along water courses; the tundra was mature in appearance with +considerably more green and yellow color in the landscape. The water in +rivers and especially ponds was clear but brownish.</p> + +<p>In the river valley at Umiat (June 28, 1952) a nest of seven eggs (½ +incubated) was on an elevated mound supporting dwarf willow and birch +averaging 1½ feet high. The nest was merely a concavity in sphagnum moss +depressed by the weight of the bird. The female refused to leave the nest +until bodily removed.</p> + +<p>Dusting pits are actively used in the period of nesting. At Umiat (June 25, +1952), ptarmigan were using seven dusting pits on the shoulder of the +airstrip. On the upland at Kaolak River (July 12, 1951), ptarmigan developed +dusting pits on abandoned diggings made by Arctic ground squirrels. Most +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> +of the mounds were covered with mosses and lichens and other vegetation.</p> + +<p>Individuals and family groups were noted at various localities on the Arctic +Slope. At Kaolak River (July 15, 1951) on a four hour field trip, we saw three +pairs of birds and their families of four to six young. One flock of eight adults +was seen from the air at the mouth of the Canning River Canyon on July 22, +1952. At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) they were common; ten pairs of adults +(males and female) were within a one mile radius of our camp. The families +of young were in groups of 1-3-4-6-8-9-10-11-14. One group consisted of +one male, two females and four young. While on a flight from Kaolak to +Point Barrow (July 27, 1951) we observed several ptarmigan on the tundra. +At Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1951) ptarmigan were in groups or singles as follows: +two adult singles, group of seven young and one adult, group of four young +and one adult and one group of five young and two adults. According to +Harmon Helmericks, ptarmigan were high in population numbers on the +Arctic Slope in 1952.</p> + +<p>Ptarmigan were associated with most of the communities of the Arctic +Slope but were noted more commonly in the following situations than elsewhere: +At Kaolak (July 21-27) and at Kaolak River (July 21, 1951) in damp +swales of grasses and sedges in poorly drained areas where soils were damp +to supersaturated and among the dwarf willows bordering lakes and creeks; +at Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) among willows and alders (4 feet high) +along the edges of ox-bow lakes. On windy, cold days the ptarmigan were +mainly on south exposures among grasses and sedges along lakes and on +windless days were on flat tundra of polygons but near dwarf shrubs. On +June 27, 1⁄5 mile northwest of Mount Umiat, two dead willow ptarmigan were +noted along the edge of a willow and cotton-grass swale. The feathers had +been plucked by a raptor (?) preparatory to his eating the ptarmigan.</p> + +<p>Variations in parental display are indicated by the following observations. +At Kaolak River (July 12) we flushed a family of adults and young. The male +called as he left the ground and then he flew across the lake. The female, +when flushed at a distance of 10 feet from the observer, feigned injury for 12 +seconds before following the male. Seven young, averaging seven inches in +length, left the ground and flew in the opposite direction from that taken by +the male and female, to swales of cotton-grass and willow on the hillside. +Another adult male and female were at the side of a young bird held in a +trap. The female first left the young and fluttered over the vegetation for +40 feet and the male flew out of the area. Four other young were flushed +30 feet from the trap that held the captured ptarmigan. On July 17, while +walking through a wet meadow of grasses and sedges, we flushed a male, +female and four young (150 mm in length). The female crawled through +vegetation for 30 feet and then rose into the air. At this same moment four +young left the ground. The female, while in the air, reversed her course and +joined the young, which had alighted some 300 feet away. On July 23, 1951, +a family of two adults and 10 young were flushed. The male returned and +chattered until the female arrived. The male then retreated 15 feet beyond +the observer and remained close to the female while she tried to distract our +attention from the young by pretending to have an injured wing. In a group +of one male, two females and four young at Kaolak (July 21, 1951) the male +and young left after the females fluttered along the ground for 30 feet.</p> + +<p>Adults and young do not always escape by flying; on July 20, 1951, we +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> +were enroute from the landing lake to Kaolak when an adult male and female +with eight young ran 200 feet down established tracks of a weasel vehicle. It +was necessary to reduce the speed of the vehicle to spare the young. A male +at Kaolak River (July 12, 1951) ran 150 feet under the protection of willows to +an opening where it remained until flushed. It flew 50 feet, then alighted in +another patch of willows.</p> + +<p>At Gavia Lake at 11:30 P.M. a ptarmigan called because one of its young +was caught in a trap at the edge of a lake. The juvenal bird, unharmed, was +released and inadvertently was dropped into the water where it floated but +finally, becoming confused, got its head and bill under water and drowned.</p> + +<p>On July 15, 1951, at 11:00 P.M. at Kaolak River, we heard a ptarmigan +joining an Arctic tern and several sandpipers in protest to a passing red fox.</p> + +<p>For three consecutive days a family (male, female and young) at Topagaruk +was within 50 feet of one place.</p> + +<p>The following measurements of juveniles show increase in size as correlated +with advance of season: Topagaruk (July 6, 1951) two juveniles averaging +110 mm in length weighed 21 grams; Kaolak River (July 17, 1951) young of +one family averaged 178 mm in length and another individual was 162 mm +in length and weighed 38 grams; Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) individuals in +a group of nine <a name="were"></a><a href="#typos">were</a> approximately ¾ the size of parents and other groups +were 1⁄3 to 2⁄3 the size of adults.</p> + +<p>In a brooding female 600 mm long from Topagaruk (July 8, 1951) the +largest ovum was two mm in diameter. Females, averaging 650 mm long +from Kaolak (July 23, 1951) had ovaries smaller than the normal size for +breeding birds; the largest ovum was only ½ mm in diameter. Males of the +same size had testes six mm in length.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Lagopus mutus nelsoni</b></i> Stejneger: Rock ptarmigan.—Specimen, 1: Wahoo +Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft., No. 31309, ad. male, July 11, 1952.</p> + +<p>At Wahoo Lake (July 6, 1952), young of one brood for the first time since +July 3, called continually throughout the day and part of the night. Members +of three other broods, only a few days old, did not call in the same persistent +way.</p> + +<p>Along a deeply eroded western outlet of Wahoo Lake there was an unusual +concentration of fecal droppings, spaced approximately every two or three +feet. This sheltered place offered protection from cold and winds of winter. +Adults were associated with willows along creeks and on adjoining sidehills +where willows gave way to open tundra. One family left the willows and the +female flew back and forth behind the young as she herded them. The largest +adult male seen here was shot on July 11. It was 365 mm in total length, +weighed 460 grams, and had testes 7 mm long.</p> + +<p>At the south end of Lake Peters (August 14, 1952), a female and her +two young, along with other kinds of birds, were attracted to our tent during +snowstorms. On July 18 at Wahoo Lake, a juvenile was 200 mm in total +length and weighed 100 grams whereas on August 9 at Lake Peters a juvenal +male was 261 mm in length and 226 grams in weight.</p> + +<p>Rock ptarmigan were uncommon at Chandler Lake. We observed the +first bird in the area on August 22, 1952, 13 days after our arrival. Droppings +of the birds were only occasionally seen there.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> +<i><b>Grus canadensis canadensis</b></i> (Linnaeus): Sandhill crane.—In 1952, two +sandhill cranes called in the river valley north of Umiat on June 24. On June +26, 27 and 28, a single bird was seen there. It remained in the general area +and called occasionally. Sandhill cranes are only occasionally seen along the +Colville River. A pair of these cranes was seen near Meade River on August +16, 1952, by Marvin Mangus.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Charadrius semipalmatus</b></i> Bonaparte: Semipalmated plover.—A pair of semipalmated +plovers in company with their young along the edge of Seabee Creek +at Umiat were seen on four consecutive days, July 18-21, 1952. A male and +female measured, respectively, total length, 180 and 175 mm; weight, 50 +and 55 grams.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Pluvialis dominica dominica</b></i> (Müller): American golden plover.—Specimens, +10: Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., Nos. 30592-30596 including +2 ad. males and 3 ad. females, July 12, 14, 18, 1951; Kaolak, 160°14'51", +69°56'00", 178 ft., Nos. 30588-30591 including 3 ad. males and 1 ad. female, +July 21-23, 1951; Umiat, 152°09'30", 69°22'08", 352 ft., No. 31312 of an +adult of unknown sex, July 21, 1952.</p> + +<p>On July 29, 1952, we noted a pair of golden plover 3⁄10 mile northwest +of Umiat. At Kaolak River (July 12, 1951) golden plovers could be approached +to within 80 feet and were less wary than black-bellied plovers at +Topagaruk. When one bird was shot the mate remained near the dead bird.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak (July 21-27) four families of plovers were within a radius of +½ mile of camp. Each of these families remained apart from the others whereas +at Kaolak River the physiography of the terrain permitted the pairs to form +social groups of several families of adults and young. At Kaolak males flew to +meet any intruder and attempted to decoy the intruder while the female +remained with the young, but at Kaolak River an observer would approach +to within 80 feet of a nest or young whereupon the female feigned injury +by fluttering her wings and moving on her belly in an effort to decoy the +intruder, the male meanwhile remaining within 40 feet of the observer. At +Kaolak River, birds stayed in the nesting or feeding territory until approached +to within a hundred or so feet. Young birds (July 21) were approximately +¾ the size of adults. The largest bird collected at Umiat (July 21) weighed +155 grams and measured 26 mm in length. Five males, shot on July 12-23 +at Kaolak and Kaolak River, averaged 144(130-150) grams. The testes were +4.4(4.0-5.0) mm long. Four females collected at the same time from this +area, averaged 144(140-150) grams. The ovaries were 7.7(5.0-10.0) mm +long and the largest ovum was 2.0 mm in diameter.</p> + +<p>The call of the adult was two distinct curlewlike notes that differed from +the slurred call of the black-bellied plover. Golden plovers can be decoyed +by imitating their call.</p> + +<p>At Barrier Lake, in a two hour field trip (July 29, 1951) we observed a +flock of eight birds and one single; golden plovers were active there all day +and night.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12, 1951) six pairs and their young were on open +and exposed surfaces.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Squatarola squatarola</b></i> (Linnaeus): Black-bellied plover.—Specimens, 2: +Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 30597, ad. male and No. 30598, ad. +female, July 9, 1951.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> +At Barrier Lake, on July 4, 1951, two adults were feeding together in a +bare lane which had been made and maintained by caribou. At Topagaruk +on July 7, 1951, these plovers made up less than one per cent of the avian +population. They were frequently on polygons having raised centers. Non-nesting +or non-breeding birds were on bare wind-blown knolls adjacent to +the river. On these knolls they fed with semipalmated sandpipers, pectoral +sandpipers, and ruddy turnstones. On July 9, we visited polygons having +raised centers and young called continually but we could not locate them. +The call resembles that of the long-billed curlew but is more plaintive. Ordinarily +these plovers kept beyond the range of our collecting gun but when +one of the pair was killed the other, especially the male, remained near the +dead bird until the collector approached to within 20 feet. Of a pair shot on +this date the male weighed 207 grams and had testes 7 mm long; the female +weighed 232 grams and the largest ovum was 3 mm in diameter. The species +was recorded at Topagaruk from July 4 to 10, 1951, inclusive.</p> + +<p>At the west edge of Smith Bay on July 29, 1951, while flying from Point +Barrow to Teshekpuk Lake, we observed one group of approximately 40 +black-bellied plovers flying along the edge of the lake. At Gavia Lake on +August 21, 1952, two young were just able to fly but preferred to run on the +ground.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Arenaria interpres interpres</b></i> (Linnaeus): Ruddy turnstone.—Specimens, 5: +<a name="Topagaruk"></a><a href="#typos">Topagaruk</a> River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 30599-30603 including 4 ad. males and 1 ad. female, July 6, 8, 9, 1951.</p> + +<p>Four males shot at Topagaruk July 6-9, 1951, weighed 105(96-116) grams. +The testes were 2.8(2.5-3.0) mm long. A female from the above locality, +shot on July 6, weighed 125 grams. These birds constituted less than one per +cent of the avian population at Topagaruk and were more frequently on +polygons with high centers and on high windswept knolls than elsewhere and +were in company with black-bellied plovers, pectoral sandpipers and semipalmated +sandpipers. One bird was observed on July 3, 1951, at ¼ mile +southeast of the Arctic Research Laboratory at Point Barrow.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Capella gallinago delicata</b></i> (Ord): Common snipe.—At Umiat (June 25, +1952) at 11:00 P.M. a female was sitting and calling from the top of a +leafless alder tree some 210 feet from any favorable nesting grounds. A male +was performing a nuptial flight overhead. Three other birds in the air were +heard.</p> + +<p>On July 13, 1952, at Porcupine Lake, we flushed a female from a damp +meadow of grasses and sedges at the west end of the lake. She pretended +to have a crippled wing. Seventy-five feet from this bird an abandoned +nest and fragments of egg shells rested on top of a mound six inches from +water and 10 feet from the west end of the lake. Two dwarf willows on top +of the mound partly concealed the nest. Two days later (July 15), juveniles +were caught in a line of traps set in this marsh. Four tree sparrows, one +savannah sparrow and three species of small mammals also were taken from +this marsh. At this time of year (July 15) all the terrain was free of snow +and ice except that two patches of snow, one 8 Ũ 12 feet and another 6 Ũ 6 feet +remained on the protected south shore of the lake and a few ice slivers +remained in the deep crevasses on some mounds in the marsh. One bird +was seen on August 13, 1952, in wet low polygons between Lake Schrader +and Lake Peters.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> +<i><b>Actitis macularia</b></i> (Linnaeus): Spotted sandpiper.—At the south end of Lake +Peters on August 15, 1952, after snow covered the valley, a juvenal spotted +sandpiper remained along the shore line nearer camp than it had been for four +previous days.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Heteroscelus incanum</b></i> (Gmelin): Wandering tattler.—On each of the days +July 3-11, 1952, a wandering tattler was flushed from dense high willows along +an 8-foot-deep creek channel that carried water from the west end of Wahoo +Lake into the East Fork of the Ivashak River. The bird was at home in +the willows and had considerable dexterity in perching on limbs. Although the +bird favored one section of the creek, an exhaustive search for young, eggs +or nest was fruitless. A loud call was given by this bird when disturbed.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Erolia melanotos</b></i> (Vieillot): Pectoral sandpiper.—Specimens, 52: Barrier +Lake, NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., 33, Nos. 30616-30636, +30638-30648, 30754 including 5 ad. males, 12 juv. males, 1 ad. female +and 15 juv. females, July 30, Aug. 1-3, 1951; Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 7, +Nos. 30649-30655, including 3 ad. males and 4 ad. females, July 6, 8, 9, 1951; +Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 6, Nos. 30610-30615 of ad. females, +July 12, 14, 15, 18, 1951; Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., 6, Nos. +30604-30609 including 1 juv. male and 5 ad. females, July 20-23, 1951.</p> + +<p>The earliest record of young (135 mm in length and 26 grams in weight) +was at Kaolak River on July 14, 1951. On July 9, 1952, at Topagaruk the +oviduct of an adult female, 86 grams in weight, contained an egg in a shell +200 mm in diameter. Her second largest ovum was 10 mm. Breeding males +on this date had testes averaging 11 mm in length. The average length of +testis of 15 juveniles shot on August 3, 1951, at Teshekpuk Lake was 1.9 +(1.5-2.0) mm. The average weight of these juveniles was 60(50-81) grams. +A comparison of male and female juveniles shows no significant differences. +Nevertheless, adult males in both the breeding and post-breeding seasons are +longer bodied and heavier than adult females.</p> + +<p>In the period June 14-25, 1952, in the Point Barrow area, pectoral sandpipers +were puffing their throats and cooing. On June 23, several birds were +defending territories, and one half mile northeast of Barrow Village (June 23, +1952) we noted a male pectoral sandpiper that crouched low when a pomarine +jaeger flew directly overhead. After the jaeger passed, the sandpiper assumed +normal posture and continued feeding.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 7, 1951) these birds represented less than one per +cent of the avian population, were common on polygons having low centers, +and frequently joined black-bellied plovers, ruddy turnstones, and semipalmated +sandpipers to form discrete flocks.</p> + +<p>On a four hour field trip at Kaolak River (July 15, 1951), the pectoral +sandpipers (45 by actual count) were the most common of the sandpipers +and were always calling overhead. The young on this date were not yet +capable of flight and were being fed by adult females. One of the immatures +bathed in water at the edge of the beach. On July 18, females were still +attempting to decoy intruders by pretending to have broken wings. Eight +adults with young were observed at Kaolak (June 21-27, 1951) but the species +was not so aggressive as at Kaolak River, nor so numerous. The fewer birds +may have been correlated with lack of sand dunes, river beaches and open +areas.</p> + +<p>A group of five pectoral sandpipers frequented the shore of Barrier Lake +(July 29, 1951) but the group was not seen the following day. On August +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> +3, there was a sudden increase of pectoral sandpipers in the area; most of them +were in flocks of six to 50. From one point along edge of the uplands, we +shot 20 birds from several different flocks consisting mostly of juveniles. They +seemed curious about our presence. When a bird was shot from the flock, the +entire group circled back and forth over the dead or injured bird, sometimes +only three or four feet above our heads. In the late evening of this same +day, the number of pectoral sandpipers increased and although some were +moving westward, most of them were moving eastward. On the following +day they were still present in great numbers. The day before the arrival +of these migrating birds, two adults (Aug. 2) acted as if they were still +attending young. On July 30, we shot at a lone bird as it flew by and thereupon +it climbed upward until nearly out of sight as they frequently did when +chased by falcons.</p> + +<p>At Lake Schrader (July 23, 1952) pectoral sandpipers were active 24 hours +of the day.</p> + +<p>On August 4, 1952, at the south end of Lake Peters, a group of eight pectoral +sandpipers fed near camp. On August 5, one was shot and on the following +day only seven were seen, suggesting that they were established in the area +and were not migrants. They left on August 12.</p> + +<p>At James Robert Lake (3600 feet elev., August 8, 1952), which is the most +southern body of water in the canyon south of Lake Peters, several pectoral +sandpipers were feeding along the edge of the lake and on the alluvium outwash +below James Robert Glacier.</p> + +<p>At Gavia Lake there was a decided trend in movement of groups of pectoral +sandpipers. On August 22, 1952, groups of 2, 4, 6, 8, 8, 8, 16, 17, 18 flew by +to the east. The day before there were only a few sandpipers and these were +not especially on the move. Comparison between dates of active movements of +sandpipers in 1951 and 1952 indicate that migration was considerably earlier +in 1951 than in 1952.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><i><b>Erolia bairdii</b></i> (Coues): Baird's sandpiper.—Specimens, 5: Topagaruk, +155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 4, Nos. 30657-30660 including 2 ad. males and 2 ad. +females, July 7, 9, 10, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 1, No. +30656, ad. male, July 12, 1951.</p> + +<p>On June 14, 1952, at Birnirk mounds, when snow still covered most of the +ground, Baird's sandpipers were already established on territories. A nest of +four eggs was examined ¼ mile southeast of the Arctic Research Laboratory +on July 4. The female left the nest when the observer approached to within +20 feet and flew directly toward him and then dropped to the ground and +pretended to have a broken wing. We pursued this bird for 50 feet before +she took flight. The male, which flew at a much greater speed than the female, +was nearby and soon joined her in flight. The female repelled her mate by +chasing him, but the male persisted in accompanying her. If one or more +males of this species (on one occasion as many as five) approached the territory +of these nesting birds, the male would leave the female and chase the +trespassers. On one occasion, after we left the nesting area, the female returned +to the nest after approximately four minutes. Her approach to it was +direct and without hesitation. After ½ hour we returned to the nest and the +male was standing one foot away from the brooding female with his head resting +on his wing. The male, followed by the female, left the nest and feigned +injury. Shore-birds and water birds were more numerous on this date on the +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> +tundra and lakes nearer the Arctic Ocean (in the Point Barrow area) than in +the direction of the Brooks Range.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 5-10, 1952) adults of this species were the fourth most +common bird, representing four per cent of the avian population. They were +near lakes among polygons some of which had low centers whereas others +had high centers. One bird had a nest and four eggs approximately 150 feet +from an oil derrick, surrounded on all sides by the tracks of vehicles. This +bird feigned injury at the nest notably more than did Baird's sandpipers that +inhabited undisturbed tundra beyond. Three adult males, shot at Topagaruk +(July 7-10, 1951), averaged 44(42-47) grams in weight and had testes averaging +3.5(3.0-4.5) mm long. Two females, collected in the same period and +at the same place averaged 44 grams in weight. The largest ovum was one +mm in diameter and the largest ovary three mm long.</p> + +<p>Other occurrences were: Kaolak River, July 12-18, 1951 (four juveniles observed +in one four hour field trip July 15); Lake Schrader, July 24-28, 1952; +Point Barrow, July 27, 1951 (most common shore-bird at fresh-water ponds +adjacent to the Arctic Ocean); 2 mi. S Wahoo Lake, on a high divide between +the Ivashak and Sadlerochit rivers, July 8, 1952; Lake Schrader, July 23-31, +1952 (active at all hours); S end Lake Peters, August 1 and 2 but not seen there +later.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Erolia alpina pacifica</i></b> (Coues): Dunlin.—Specimens, 21: Barrier Lake, NE +Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., 1, No. 30661, ad. male, Aug. 1, +1951; Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 20, Nos. 30662-30681, 12 ad. +males and 8 ad. females, July 6-9, 1951.</p> + +<p>Specimens shot at Topagaruk River (July 6-9, 1951) yielded weights of +57(53-64) grams for eleven adult males and 59(55-65) grams for six females. +Testes were 3.5(2.0-5.0) mm long, the largest ova were 1.2 (.5-2.0) mm, and +ovaries were 3.5(3.0-4.0) mm long. An adult female from Teshekpuk Lake +(August 1, 1951) weighed 48 grams. Her largest ovum was one mm in +diameter and the ovary was 3.5 mm long.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk we observed the species every day (July 5-10, 1951) and on +July 7, located a nest and four eggs. Each of the seven times that the brooding +female was approached she left the nest when we were approximately 80 feet +away and she flew approximately 150 feet before alighting at which time she +called. The call resembled that of the western grebe. The wary nature of +this sandpiper was in contrast to that of the other smaller shore-birds; they +left the nest only when almost stepped on. On July 9, the nest still held four +eggs. Adults were the fifth most common bird and made up three per cent +of the avian population. They frequented polygons having low centers adjacent +to stabilized lakes. At Kaolak River (July 17, 1951) a dunlin was +feeding and flying with a group of four semipalmated sandpipers. At Point +Barrow (July 27, 1951) dunlins were congregating in small groups at ponds +and small lakes adjacent to the Arctic Ocean. At Barrier Lake (July 29-Aug. +4, 1951) three dunlins fed in the area but did not show territorial behavior.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Limnodromus scolopaceus</i></b> (Say): Long-billed dowitcher.—Specimens, 5: +Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 2, Nos. 30687, ad. male, July 7, 1951 +and 30688, ad. female, July 8, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", +30 ft., 3, Nos. 30684-30686, 3 ad. males, July 12, 14, 1951.</p> + +<p>Four males shot at Topagaruk and Kaolak River (July 7-14, 1951) averaged +104(100-110) grams in weight and had testes 4.7(4-6) mm long. An +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> +adult female (July 8) from Topagaruk, weighed 130 grams and her ovary was +7.8 mm long. Her largest ovum was 3.5 mm in diameter. A juvenile from +Kaolak River on July 14, 1951, was 150 mm in length and weighed 28 grams; +thirteen days later, at Kaolak, a juvenile was shot that measured 265 mm in +length and weighed 70 grams.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak on July 15, 1951, we saw eight pairs of adults in a four hour field +trip. Their young were approximately ½ grown. One pair of adults and four +young, the size of parents, were seen daily in the same general area at Kaolak +(July 21-27). One bird was observed on August 4, 1951, at Teshekpuk Lake.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Ereunetes pusillus</i></b> (Linnaeus): Semipalmated sandpiper.—Specimens, 28: +Barrier Lake, NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., 4, Nos. 30692-30695 +including 3 juv. males and 1 juv. female, July 30, August 1, 3, 1951; +Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 21, Nos. 30682, 30683, 30696-30714 +including 12 ad. males and 9 ad. females, July 6-9, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", +70°11'15", 30 ft., 3, Nos. 30689-30691 including 2 ad. males and 1 ad. +of unknown sex, July 12, 14, 15, 1951.</p> + +<p>Eleven adult males and nine adult females shot at Topagaruk from July 5-10, +1951, weighed 29(22-30) and 28(25-31) grams, respectively. The greatest +length of skulls of each of the above sexes averaged 39.2 mm. The shortest +juvenile, having a skull measuring 35.9 mm long, was a male shot at Kaolak +River on July 15, 1951. Juveniles shot at Teshekpuk Lake on August 1 and 3, +1951, averaged 25 grams in weight and 28.4 mm in greatest length of skull. +Testes of adults decreased in size from an average of 4 mm on July 6, to an +average of 2 mm on July 14. Testes of juveniles on August 3 averaged 1.3 mm +in length. The ovaries of seven adults from Topagaruk, shot on July 8 and +9, averaged 2.4 mm in length and the average diameter of the largest ovum +was 7⁄10 mm.</p> + +<p>A nest of four eggs, first examined on July 5, 1951, ¼ mile southeast of the +Arctic Research Laboratory, was abandoned on July 11.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 7, 1951) we flushed several adult semipalmated sandpipers +whose behavior suggested that they were nesting. Two days later one +nest held newly hatched young. This species was third in abundance there, +adults constituting 15 per cent of the avian population. They were numerous +on polygons having low centers and on high windswept knolls in association +with black-bellied plovers, ruddy turnstones and pectoral sandpipers. The call +resembled that of the Hammond flycatcher and was accompanied by wing +vibration.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 9, 1951) a female semipalmated sandpiper fluttered +off a nest, uttered a sharp cry, feigned injury by fluttering around the observer, +became seemingly indifferent but refused to return to her nest, uttered sharp +cries, came to within seven feet of the observer who was sitting within three +feet of the nest and alternately chattered, ate several large dipterous insects +from the ground and in approximately five minutes went back on the nest, within +easy reach, although she still was not completely quiet. When the observer +rose to leave she again fluttered off the nest and feigned injury (the bird was +preserved as a specimen). The nest was concealed in a small depression surrounded +on all sides by tufts of vegetation and contained four young, one of +which had hatched no more than three hours before.</p> + +<p>On a four field trip at Kaolak River (July 15, 1951) we counted 14 juveniles +in large stands of willows among sand dunes. These juveniles were making +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> +short flights of from 15 to 40 feet. In contrast to the situation at Topagaruk +(July 5-10), there were fewer semipalmated sandpipers than Baird's sandpipers +at Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951). July 16 was the first date on which family +groups of sandpipers here ventured out on the exposed sand bars along the river +for feeding. One juvenile was carried by wind over the river where it dropped +into the water. When last seen the juvenile was being floated upstream by the +wind. Next day in the same general area where winds had driven water on the +sand, four semipalmated sandpipers were feeding with dunlin. These five +birds kept together both on the ground and in flight.</p> + +<p>At Point Barrow (July 27, 1951) semipalmated sandpipers were forming +small groups and feeding on small lakes and ponds adjacent to the Arctic +Ocean. At the south end of Lake Peters (Aug. 3, 1952) several semipalmated +sandpipers were feeding in dry areas of alluvium trampled by caribou.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Limosa lapponica baueri</i></b> Naumann: Bar-tailed godwit.—At Kaolak River on +July 18, 1951, one godwit was in company with a pair of golden plovers on a +bare slope of an old sand dune along the edge of the river. The godwit when +approached flew 150 feet and alighted and when pursued again flew another +150 feet and then departed for a lake 1⁄5 mile away.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Phalaropus fulicarius</i></b> (Linnaeus): Red phalarope.—Specimens, 11: Topagaruk +River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 11, Nos. 30715-30725 including 10 ad. +males and 1 ad. female, July 6-9, 1951.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 5, 1951), we located a nest and four eggs on the edge +of a small drainage channel on the tundra. The nest was among mosses and +lichens, one foot from open water. The bird left the nest when the observer +was only four feet distant but on a second approach one hour later, left when +the observer was 20 feet away. In each instance the bird pretended to have an +injured wing. On July 7, this nest held four eggs. On July 8, there were four +young, hatched either the previous afternoon or night and the female left the +nest when the observer was 30 feet away. Ten adult males, shot at Topagaruk +(July 5-10, 1951), averaged 50(45-54) grams in weight. These birds had +testes that averaged 6.5(2.5-9.0) mm long. The red phalarope on July 7 was +the fifth most common bird in the area, making up two per cent of the avian +population and was commonly seen on polygons having high centers.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1952) red phalaropes were uncommon. On +July 15, a female was noted but seemed not to have young or to be nesting. +A juvenile from Kaolak (July 22, 1951) was 180 mm in length and weighed +31 grams. On September 6 and 7, we observed hundreds of these birds, +mostly juveniles, feeding in the ocean two to three feet beyond beaches at +Point Barrow. Small lakes and open water in marshes had been frozen over +since September 5, but larger lakes still were open. Except for a few birds +around edges of open bodies of water, the great bulk of red phalaropes was +(Aug. 7, 1951) on the Arctic Ocean. On September 11, there was none at +Point Barrow. Thomas Brower, a resident at Barrow Village, stated that he +had never before seen this species congregate on the Arctic Ocean bordering +the shore.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Lobipes lobatus</i></b> (Linnaeus): Northern phalarope.—Specimens, 5: Topagaruk +River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 2, Nos. 30729, ad. male, July 9, 1951, and +30730, ad. female, July 8, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 3, +Nos. 30726-30728 including 2 ad. males and 1 ad. of unknown sex, July 14, 15, +1951.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> +In the period July 8-15, 1951, four adult males at Topagaruk and Kaolak +River averaged 31(28-33) grams in weight. Their testes <a name="averaged"></a><a href="#typos">averaged</a> 2.3(2-3) +mm long. A female (July 8) weighed 37 grams. Her largest ovum was 2 mm +in diameter. A juvenile from Kaolak River (July 16) was 176 mm long and +weighed 35 grams. Young northern phalaropes at Kaolak River (July 12-18, +1951) were more numerous than at Topagaruk (July 4-10, 1951) and were +almost the size of adults. On July 15, on a four hour field trip, we counted +24 individuals including adults and juveniles. On this date the juveniles were +almost ready for flight. At Kaolak (July 22, 1951) a young bird 212 millimeters +in length was flying and feeding alone. In our seven day stay at Teshekpuk +Lake only one northern phalarope was seen. It was near camp on August 3, +1951. Between Birnirk and Point Barrow (Aug. 25, 1952), approximately 3000 +northern phalaropes had collected on fresh water ponds, salt water lagoons +and on the Arctic Ocean. Many of them were feeding while others were +nesting on matted green mosses bordering ponds. Their habit of spinning in +water was noted. Those feeding on the Arctic Ocean were on the relatively +smooth water immediately beyond the point where the breakers formed. On +September 11, at Point Barrow, we did not see the species.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Stercorarius pomarinus</i></b> (Temminck): Pomarine jaeger.—At Birnirk (June +14, 1952) while snow still covered most of the ground, pomarine jaegers hunted +for lemmings by flying approximately 20 feet above the tundra and occasionally +hovering. On June 15, one had eaten parts of two large lemmings caught in +traps along the edge of a snow-bound lake. On June 17, these birds were +preying on live lemming and swallowing them whole. One flew 50 meters +with a brown lemming in its mouth and after alighting, consumed it. The +backs of several lemmings caught in traps had scars probably made by jaegers +or conceivably by snowy owls. West of Salt Water Lagoon (June 17, 1952), +12 jaegers were counted with the aid of a 6 Ũ 30 power binocular in a 90° arc +to the southward. Three snowy owls also were hunting in this area. In +traveling one and three-eighths miles south by east from Barrow Village on +June 20, 1952, we counted eight single pomarine jaegers in the air and on +the return trip the same day, five pomarine jaegers (one was dead, another +was resting on a lake and 3 were in flight).</p> + +<p>At Point Barrow (June 21, 1952) two pomarine jaegers left the land and +flew north out of sight over the Arctic Ocean. At a point 9⁄10 mile east and 4⁄5 +mile north of Barrow Village (June 23, 1952) we observed a pomarine jaeger +cruising three feet above ground. It dropped to the tundra and picked up a +lemming by its back and after adjusting the lemming swallowed it tail first. +On a lake one mile southwest of the Arctic Research Laboratory a group of six +and two pairs all facing into the wind were resting on ice. In an area of 240 +acres (outlined by the tripod communication line to the west, "Y" line to east, +and row of 50 gallon drums following the ground line to south), we counted +19 pomarine jaegers in groups of from one to four or one per 12 square acres; +one snowy owl was in the area.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951) pomarine jaegers were the second +most common jaeger in the area. In walking for four hours on July 15, two +pairs were noted. Ordinarily, however, these birds are seen singly not in pairs. +At Lake Schrader (July 23-31, 1952) pomarine jaegers were active both day +and night, especially at night. At Barrier Lake (Aug. 2, 1951) two pomarine +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> +jaegers flew close together along the edge of the south end of the lake. As +they left the lake and flew over the extensive marsh to the east they separated +and flew as single individuals. On August 4, a pomarine jaeger was chasing +an Arctic loon that had a fish in its bill. On August 10, 1951, a single pomarine +jaeger was noted at Chandler Lake. As late as September 7, 1952, one half +mile south of the Arctic Research Laboratory, seven pomarine jaegers were +foraging for brown lemmings.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Stercorarius parasiticus</i></b> (Linnaeus): Parasitic jaeger.—Specimens, 3: Topagaruk +River, 155°48', 70°34, 10 ft., 2, Nos. 30732-30733, ad. females, July 6, 8, +1951; Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., 1, No. 30731, ad. male, July 21, +1951.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 5-10, 1951) parasitic jaegers ranged over nearly all +plant and animal associations, but flew more frequently over polygons with +low centers than elsewhere. Data on two adult females, shot on July 6 and 8, +in that order are as follows: weight, 525, 320 grams; largest ovum, 3, 1 mm; +length of ovary——, 5.5 mm. The bird killed on July 6 was in the black color +phase.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951) the parasitic jaeger was the least common +of the three species of jaegers.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) two birds nested near camp while others +passed through the area. These passing birds generally were seen singly or +in pairs; long-tailed jaegers commonly are in groups of four or five. The parasitic +jaegers were not so noisy nor so much given to chasing others of their own +species as were long-tailed jaegers. Several single birds hunted in areas of +sedges and grasses that yielded lemmings. On July 21, a parasitic jaeger was +flying with three glaucous gulls, and demonstrating its usual flight tactics of +gliding, climbing and swooping as it accompanied the gulls. An adult male +shot on July 21, weighed 460 grams.</p> + +<p>On alluvial outwash at the southwest end of Lake Schrader (July 27, 1952) +a male and female parasitic jaeger defended their territory by diving at us. +Periodically both birds alighted approximately 60 feet away and each pretended +to have a crippled wing for approximately a minute. The female acted as if +herding the young but was not. On each of our daily inspections an adult +defended the area. In a period of four days the area defended was shifted +approximately 1⁄5 of a mile south in the marsh area adjacent to the lake. Parasitic +jaegers were noted in the Lake Schrader area from July 23 to July 31 +inclusive.</p> + +<p>At Barrier Lake (July 30, 1951) two parasitic jaegers were harassing a +glaucous gull that responded as if being attacked by a hawk. The plunging +of the jaeger continued while the gull was flying 300 feet horizontally. One +other jaeger chased a glaucous gull for one-fourth of a mile and finally having +caught up with it dove at the gull several times, each time almost making contact. +From our camp on Barrier Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1951) we watched +parasitic jaegers hunt along the south end of the lake, following precisely the +edge of the water. The wind drove debris to the south end of the lake. The +long-tailed jaeger was the more numerous here; it flew along ridges and over +marshes. On July 30, a single jaeger flew over the lake and after hovering +above a young Arctic loon, which had strayed from its parent, dove down and +picked it up. Three other parasitic jaegers arrived and competed for the prey.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> +A single parasitic jaeger was noted at Chandler Lake on August 10 and one +on August 11, 1951. At Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) there were six jaegers in +one group.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Stercorarius longicaudus</i></b> Vieillot: Long-tailed jaeger.—Specimens, 5: Kaolak +River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 1, No. 30738, ad. female, July 12, 1951; +Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., 4, Nos. 30734-30737 including 2 ad. +males and 2 ad. females, July 21, 1951.</p> + +<p>The long-tailed jaeger was the second most abundant of the three jaegers +at Topagaruk (July 5-10, 1951). The greatest number seen on any one day +was three. At Kaolak River (July 12-19, 1951) this species was the most common +jaeger. On a four hour field trip (July 15 and 18) we saw six birds. +When in groups of three or more, they frequently chased each other and called +vigorously. One adult female shot on July 12, weighed 300 grams. The +largest ovum in the female was 1.2 mm in diameter and the ovaries were 5 and 6 +mm long.</p> + +<p>Within 1⁄5 of a mile of our camp at Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) there were +three breeding pairs of jaegers. On a four hour trip beyond this limit we saw +as many as 14 individuals. Most of these were in groups of three and were +commonly seen flying over meadows and along ridges. Single birds hunted +by hovering or swinging upward. Territories vacated by our collecting adult +birds were not immediately filled by other nesting jaegers. One pair of jaegers +nested in a broad grassy meadow. The female was aggressive and demonstrative +and called continually above her young. The male was less demonstrative +but joined the female when she began calling. On July 24, four jaegers flew +over areas where brown lemmings had been trapped in greatest numbers. +Two adult males shot on July 21, weighed 270 and 250 grams. The testes +of these two birds were 5.5 and 8.0 mm long. Two adult females from the +same area, and shot on the same date as the males, were larger than the males. +The females weighed 285 and 298 grams.</p> + +<p>At Barrier Lake (July 29, 1951) we observed three long-tailed jaegers, +all chasing and harassing a glaucous gull. These jaegers hunted mostly along +ridges and over marsh. At midnight these birds were still hunting and flying +about. Other long-tailed jaegers were on the lake from July 29 to August 4 +inclusive.</p> + +<p>At Gavia Lake (Aug. 21-23, 1952) two long-tailed jaegers fed from our +refuse pile only 30 feet from our tent. A single individual was noted at Lake +Peters on July 25, 1952, and one at Driftwood on August 27, 1952.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Larus hyperboreus barrovianus</i></b> Ridgway: Glaucous gull.—Specimen, 1: +Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 30739, ad. male, July 9, 1951.</p> + +<p>Robert McKinley told us that on May 16, 1952, approximately 25 gulls, +probably glaucous gulls, arrived at the Arctic Research Laboratory and remained +until May 25. On July 4, 1951, there, we recorded all gulls passing +over the ice from 8:45 A.M. to 9:45 A.M. At this time the shore line and +first 100 feet of water was free of ice; beyond, seaward, the ice was rough and +dark for ¼ mile, succeeded by white ice for ¼ mile, next the high pressure +ridge, and then open water of the Arctic Ocean. Glaucous gulls, singly, passed +to the southwest and to the northeast at intervals of 6(3-10) minutes at a +distance of 500(300-800) feet from the shore line, except for one bird that +was approximately one mile off-shore.</p> + +<p>On July 10, 1952, off-shore from the Laboratory, where garbage from camp +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> +was deposited on the ice, approximately 130 glaucous gulls were present—some +resting on the ice and some flying. At six P.M., four hours later, 84 +gulls including several immatures remained. Birds in groups were constantly +walking about or flying short distances, but lone individuals stood perfectly +still for long periods. On July 11, only 22 birds remained; they were flying +up and down the shore line. At Topagaruk (July 5-10) glaucous gulls fed +on the refuse pile at camp. The number varied from day to day, from as few +as 10 to as many as 22; a few remained at the feeding grounds at all times.</p> + +<p>The testes of an adult male (30739), shot on July 9, 1951, at Topagaruk +were 15 mm long and 9 mm thick.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-19, 1951) gulls occasionally cruised up or down +the river, but did not remain in the area. When we flew from the mouth of +Canning River Canyon to Umiat (July 16, 1952) the only glaucous gulls noted +were in the vicinity of the Colville River. At the Will Rogers Monument 12 +miles southwest of Barrow Village (July 18, 1951), 275 glaucous gulls were +at the mouth of one of the streams entering the Arctic Ocean, and 50 miles +southwest from Point Barrow along the ocean six gulls flew over the water +where a muddy stream from the land was discharging into the Arctic Ocean. +On July 20, 400 of these gulls were near the Arctic Research Laboratory and +in the large lake southwest of camp. At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) five to +eight birds remained near camp. Along the larger creeks they flew by approximately +every two hours.</p> + +<p>On an air trip along the Arctic Ocean 56.2 miles southwest of Barrow +Village (July 27, 1951) we counted 312 gulls, most or all glaucous gulls, in +small groups as follows: average size of flock, 34(2-70); average distance +between flocks, 5.8(1.9-13.6) miles. A large flock of 188 glaucous gulls, on +this date, was in the environs of Barrow Village and the Arctic Research +Laboratory. On an airflight between Point Barrow and Smith Bay (July 29, +1951) we observed three groups (1-2-7) equally spaced between the two +points. The glaucous gulls were seen in only small numbers at Barrier Lake +(July 29-Aug. 4, 1951) generally as individuals or groups of two or three, +and frequently were harassed by jaegers. On August 3, a glaucous gull on +three occasions inspected but did not touch a freshly killed pectoral sandpiper +floating on the surface of the water. On a flight from Teshekpuk Lake to +Point Barrow (Aug. 4, 1951) we observed groups of gulls as follows: one at +40 miles (miles are from Point Barrow), four at 34 miles, four at 10 miles and +twenty-three at 8 miles. At Driftwood (Aug. 27-31, 1952) groups of from one +to 12 glaucous gulls were seen every day. At Umiat (Aug. 30-Sept. 4, 1951) +several birds were flying up and down the river. In 1952 (July 18) at 10 +miles east of Umiat we observed a single bird. On August 25, 1952, at Point +Barrow, 33 glaucous gulls <a name="flew"></a><a href="#typos">flew</a> along the edge of the Arctic Ocean. Between +Birnirk and Point Barrow (Sept. 11, 1952) a group of 230 glaucous gulls +rested along the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Glaucous gulls were noted also +at the following places in the Point Barrow area (1952): west side Salt Water +Lagoon, June 17; 9⁄10 mile east and 8⁄10 mile north Barrow Village, June 23; +1 mile southwest Barrow Village, September 6; ½ mile south Arctic Research +Laboratory, September 7.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Larus canus brachyrhynchus</i></b> Richardson: Mew gull.—Specimens, 2: SE +Lake Peters, 69°20'56", 145°09'26", 2950 ft., 1 imm. female No. 31314 (Aug. +6, 1952) and one adult female 31313 (Aug. 9, 1952).</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> +At the southwest end of Lake Schrader, from July 23 to 31, 1952, a pair +of mew gulls defended a territory and two young in the marsh bordering the +edge of the lake and flew to meet us whenever we approached. They were +active day and night. On August 3, 4, and 5, the female of this pair fed at +the mouth of the river that flowed into the south end of Lake Peters 4.9 miles +south of the nesting territory. On August 6, both adults and the two juveniles +were at the south end of Lake Peters. The young called frequently and the +adults, when we came near their young, called loudly and dived at us, but +remained higher in the air than they did when protecting their young on the +nesting territory. On August 6, the female (435 mm long and 290 grams in +weight) was shot and prepared as a specimen. The two juveniles and the +male remained in the area and on August 9, one of the juveniles (female) 422 +mm in length and 362 grams in weight, was shot. On August 12 the male and +one juvenile were still in the same area, and active day and night.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Pagophila eburnea</i></b> (Phipps): Ivory gull.—Pete Savolik told us that whenever +the pack ice came near shore at Point Barrow, a few ivory gulls were +generally present.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Rissa tridactyla pollicaris</i></b> Ridgway: Black-legged kittiwake.—Specimen, 1: +7½ mi. S and 7 mi. W Point Barrow, 156°49', 71°17', sea level, 1 (skin) No. +31315 of an adult of unknown sex, September 6, 1952.</p> + +<p>The kittiwakes (Sept. 6, 1952), were in the air along the Arctic Ocean +at Barrow Village and all along the coast at least as far as a point 10 miles +southwest of Barrow Village (only a few were seen northeast of Barrow +Village) and were feeding on material floating in the pre-breaker area of the +ocean and to a lesser extent on debris washed up on the sands of the beach.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Xema sabini sabini</i></b> (Sabine): Sabine's gull.—Specimens, 8: 7½ mi. S and +7 mi. W Point Barrow, 156°49', 71°17', sea level, 1 (skin) No. 31316, ad. male, +Sept. 6, 1952; Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 7, Nos. 30740-30746 including +4 ad. males and 3 ad. females, July 6, 8, 9, 1951.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk the species was seen daily from July 4 through July 10, 1951. +Six adults were nesting on July 5. They constituted less than one per cent +of the avian population inhabiting stabilized lakes of medium size. On July 8, +one nest held young. When we approached the nesting grounds they flew +150 feet to meet us and then returned, hovered, or flew directly over their nests. +One nest was on an island one foot in diameter; other islands inhabited were +as large as one square meter. The vegetation at the nest was bright green +and lawnlike because of trampling and fertilization of the grasses and sedges +by the birds. Correspondingly green, lawnlike areas of grass were noted on +the resting grounds of ducks and geese. The Sabine's gull and Arctic tern +are compatible and nest within 20 feet of each other. The young freely +circulate through each other's territory. The average weight of three adult +males (July 6-8) was 202(190-214) grams. The average length of the testes +of these birds was 10(8-14) mm. Four adult females collected at the same +place and time weighed 177(158-190) grams. The ovaries averaged 8 mm +long and the largest ovum was 2.8(2.0-4.5) mm in diameter.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River on July 17, 1951, one gull flew along the river but did +not seem to be nesting in the area. On July 20, 1951, 105 miles southwest of +Point Barrow, we observed Sabine's gulls, Arctic tern and several pairs of +loons on one lake. On a return trip from Kaolak to Point Barrow by air +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> +(July 27, 1951), we found Sabine's gulls generally distributed across the Coastal +Plains. On an air trip from Point Barrow to Teshekpuk Lake on July 29, +1951, we noted two Sabine's gulls, one 9.7 miles southeast of Point Barrow +and one 5.9 miles northwest of the central western edge of Smith Bay.</p> + +<p>Three miles east of our camp on Barrier Lake (Aug. 3, 1951) a Sabine's +gull had been eaten by a gyrfalcon. The gull was a bird of the year with the +downy feathers extending beyond the ends of seven primary feathers. Three +primary feathers were newly molted and of full length.</p> + +<p>On an air flight (Aug. 4, 1951) from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow +we saw two Sabine's gulls 63 miles southwest of Point Barrow and two at +23 miles southwest of Point Barrow. At Point Barrow (Aug. 26, 1952), 250 +Sabine's gulls were resting or flying in the area. On September 6 at 7½ miles +south and 7 miles west of Point Barrow, Sabine's gulls constituted 60 per cent +of the larger birds that were flying and feeding along the Arctic Ocean. The +Arctic tern constituted 20 per cent, the kittiwake 5 per cent and the glaucous +gulls 15 per cent of the population. An adult male shot here (Sept. 6) weighed +213 grams. Between Birnirk and Point Barrow (Sept. 11, 1952) we counted +17 Sabine's gulls feeding and resting along the shore of Elson Lagoon.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Sterna paradisaea</i></b> Pontoppidan: Arctic tern.—Specimens, 11: 7½ mi. S and +7 mi. W Point Barrow, 156°49'15", 71°16'52", sea level, 2, Nos. 31315 and +31318, ad. male, Sept. 6, 1952; NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", +8 ft., 3, Nos. 30750-30752 including 2 ad. males and 1 ad. female, Aug. 1, +1951; Topagaruk River, 155°48', <a name="deg"></a><a href="#typos">70°34'</a>, 10 ft., 3, Nos. 30753, ad. female, July +7, 1951, and 30754, ad. male, July 9, 1951, and 30637, male, July 9, 1951; +Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 3, Nos. 30747-30749 including 2 +ad. males, July 14, 18, 1951, and 1 ad. female, July 12, 1951.</p> + +<p>Adult males and females prepared for specimens at Topagaruk (July 7, 9, +1951) showed signs of molting, especially in the primary wing feathers. Three +adult males averaged 92 (<a name="range"></a><a href="#typos">87-93</a>) grams in weight (the largest male collected +on the Arctic Slope was from Teshekpuk Lake on August 1, 1951, and weighed +106 grams). The testes of these males averaged 4.2(3-5) mm in length (in +late autumn testes recede to approximately 1.0 mm in length). Two females +from the same place and shot on July 7 and 12, weighed 99 and 100 grams. +The average diameter of the largest ovum was 2.0 mm and the longest ovary +was 6 mm.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951) an adult hunted day and night over +shallow water on a sand bar approximately 500 yards from its nest. Water +from lakes in an abandoned section of the river valley caused a creek to flow +at night into the river. In the day ephemeral pools were formed because more +water evaporated or sank into the sands. As pools were formed, small fish +one inch in length were trapped. Before the pools disappeared, the tern captured +all these fish. One of the terns that had been feeding on these fish flew +out over the upland tundra approximately 500 feet from the river valley. This +tern dove at us twice and then returned to the river valley and its nest some +800 feet away.</p> + +<p>The nest of this bird was on one of three islands in a small lake. The nesting +island was three square yards in area and had been built to a height of +four feet above the level of the mainland by many years use of the island. The +nest was within 30 feet of a nest of a red-throated loon, which was accepted +in the territory of the tern without molestation.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> +Northeast of Teshekpuk Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1951) a pair of terns had +young on a small island in a chain of lakes opening into the south end of Barrier +Lake. The adults hunted small fish along the south end of Barrier Lake +but especially in small lakes surrounding their nest. These birds seemed to +be the only terns nesting on this large lake. As food was plentiful, available +nesting sites may have governed the size of the tern population.</p> + +<p>Six pairs of Arctic terns, constituting less than one per cent of the avian +population in the area, were nesting on small islands of the larger lakes at +Topagaruk in the period July 5-10, 1951. On July 8, one nest held both eggs +and young; other nests held either eggs or young. These birds and the Sabine's +gulls showed no hostility to one another. On July 9, three miles north of +camp 13 terns were among sedges in standing water. They seemed to be +nesting but we could not reach them.</p> + +<p>On June 23, 1952, at a point 9⁄10 mile east and 8⁄10 mile north of Barrow +Village, Arctic terns were in flocks; one of eight flew northeast across the +tundra. At a point 105 miles northwest of Point Barrow on an air trip to +Kaolak (July 20, 1951) we saw Arctic terns, Sabine's gulls, and several pairs of +loons in the same lake. The trip from Point Barrow to Kaolak was characterized +by relatively few large birds. On the return trip (July 27) on a straight +line flight from Kaolak to Point Barrow, only two terns were seen, one 33 miles +northeast of the junction of the Avalik and Kaolak rivers and another 9.7 miles +beyond. On our return trip from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow (Aug. 4, +1951) we saw only a single tern; it was 63 miles southeast of Point Barrow. At +Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) there were three pairs of terns. At 8:00 A.M. +three other pairs appeared and then left. No young were observed. At Point +Barrow (Aug. 26, 1952) 130 terns fished or rested on the lee side of the peninsula. +Arctic terns were the second most common bird flying and feeding along +the shore line of the Arctic Ocean 10½ miles southeast of Point Barrow on +September 6, 1952. Associated species were Sabine's gulls, kittiwakes and +glaucous gulls.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Nyctea scandiaca</i></b> (Linnaeus): Snowy owl.—Harmon Helmericks told us of +seeing a snowy owl catch a brown lemming that was swimming in open water +30 nautical miles north of Thetis Island in April of 1946.</p> + +<p>On a 1000 linear meter transect (1000 Ũ 1) east of Barrier Lake we collected +(Aug. 3, 1951) 19 pellets from the edge of the uplands and from prominent +mounds on the lowlands. One pellet contained a complete radius-ulna of an +Arctic fox and another a foot of a ptarmigan.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak River (July 12, 1951) the only sign of owls was pellets on the +upland tundra. They were covered with green algae and fungus several years +old.</p> + +<p>On an air flight from Point Barrow to Kaolak River (July 11, 1951) we +saw one snowy owl on the Coastal Plain and on the return flight (July 19) +two more; one was approximately 40 miles south of the Will Rogers monument +and the other about one half way between the monument and Point Barrow. +When flying from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow (Aug. 4, 1951) we saw +one snowy owl flying over the tundra.</p> + +<p>Greater abundance was indicated by observations in 1952, a year in which +brown lemming were at a high peak in their cyclic fluctuation: Entrails of a +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> +brown lemming were on top of a mound used by snowy owls as evidenced by +the numerous fresh owl pellets, at the west side of Salt Water Lagoon on June +17; three snowy owls fed in the surrounding area (June 17-27); one owl +seen at Driftwood on August 30-31; eight owls recorded on our two mile +trip south of Barrow Village on September 6; four owls observed one half +mile south of the Arctic Research Laboratory on September 7; three owls +seen at Point Barrow on September 11.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Asio flammeus flammeus</i></b> (Pontoppidan): Short-eared owl.—Specimen, 1: +2 mi. W Utukok River, 161°15'30", 68°54'50", 1275 ft., 1, No. 31319, ad. male, +August 31, 1952.</p> + +<p>A short-eared owl was seen at Chandler Lake on August 16, 1951. Another +flew across the middle of Gavia Lake on August 22, 1952, hunted the south +shore, caught two small rodents and pursued one Lapland longspur that +escaped. From August 27 to 31, 1952, at Driftwood individual short-eared +owls were noted daily. On August 31, a family group of five flew in close +formation and fed in the low wet marsh in the valley adjacent to the river. +An adult male from two miles west of Driftwood (Aug. 31, 1952) was 370 +mm in length and weighed 417 grams.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Chordeiles minor minor</i></b> (Forster): Common nighthawk.—Clifford Fiscus +told us that a nighthawk was seen by an Eskimo in the summer of 1952 at +Wainwright.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Tachycineta thalassina lepida</i></b> Mearns: Violet-green swallow.—At 6:00 P.M. +on August 17, 1951, at Chandler Lake, a northern violet-green swallow came +to our camp, inspected us at a distance of four feet, fluttered over and around +the tent for two minutes, then flew over the water, and continued south.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Corvus corax principalis</i></b> Ridgway: Common raven.—Specimen, 1: Umiat, +152°08', 69°22', 337 ft., No. 31320, juv. female, August 19, 1952.</p> + +<p>William Wyatte of Umiat told us that ravens were the only birds that remained +at Umiat throughout the winter of 1951-52. He observed them flying +when temperatures were so low that moisture from the ravens froze into +floating ice crystals.</p> + +<p>At Wahoo Lake (July 9, 1952) two ravens fed on a dead lake trout (18 +inches in length) at the east end of the lake. The fish seemed to have died +of malnutrition as it had an abnormally slender body and large head. No +other carrion or dead fish was in the area. At 6:00 P.M. on August 8, 1952, +in the main canyon 1⁄10 mile north of James Robert Lake, five ravens fed on +remains of a dead caribou by extracting flesh from between the vertebrae; +carnivorous mammals could not conveniently reach the flesh. A pigeon hawk +harassed the ravens. Ravens were at Porcupine Lake, every day from July 13 +to 18, 1952, mostly flying along the crest of high mountain ridges. One pair +controlled a territory in the Canning River drainage east of Mount Annette +and repelled an eagle on three occasions.</p> + +<p>At the south end of Lake Peters (Aug. 10) a raven hunted low over the +ground. Here, only occasionally were they seen so low in the valley. At +Chandler Lake ravens were noted flying high along the crests of the mountains +on August 11, 12, 13, and 25, 1951.</p> + +<p>One juvenile female that was shot at Umiat on August 19, 1952, was 682 +mm long and 1360 grams in weight. Between August 30 and September 4, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> +1951, ravens were noted at Umiat every day; the largest group was six. Most +of the time they fed at the refuse pile near camp.</p> + +<p>On our first day at Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) a pair of ravens arrived +from the west and calling continually circumnavigated the shore line. They +left in the same direction from whence they came.</p> + +<p>Clifford Fiscus told us that in the summer of 1952, ravens were seen along +the Arctic Coast between Pitt Point and Point Barrow. The largest congregation +was at the mouth of the Colville River. Ravens were noted on August 27 +and 28, 1952, at Driftwood.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Turdus migratorius migratorius</i></b> Linnaeus: Robin.—From the tops of alder +trees at the mouth of Bearpaw Creek on June 27, 1952, three robins sang more +frequently in the evening between 6:00 P.M. and 11:00 P.M. than at any other +period of the 24 hours of continuous daylight.</p> + +<p>At Wahoo Lake on July 3, 1952, a nest held four eggs, on July 6 two eggs +and two young, and on July 10 one egg and three young. On July 12 the +single egg was determined to be infertile. In the canyon south of Wahoo +on July 6 two adults and a single young bird were feeding 50 feet from a +recently abandoned nest that was superimposed upon an old nest of a previous +year. Other robin nests in high willows in the bottom of this canyon were +spaced approximately 1⁄5 of a mile apart. Occasionally robins foraged on the +open tundra beyond willow-lined creeks. As compared with robins in the +temperate regions, those in the Arctic Life-zone were notably less "fearless"; +they came to within three feet of the nest when nestlings were being inspected +by an observer. The robins at Wahoo Lake on July 3-12, 1952, generally sang +at about 10:00 P.M., a time equivalent to twilight in temperate regions to the +south.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Hylocichla minima minima</i></b> (Lafresnaye): Gray-cheeked thrush.—Specimens, +2; Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft., 1, No. 31321, ad. female, +July 11, 1952; Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft., 1, No. 30755, juv. +male, August 23, 1951.</p> + +<p>On June 27, 1952, we frequently heard thrushes singing on the side of the +valley north of Umiat. Large alder, birch and willow gave adequate protection +to these birds.</p> + +<p>At Wahoo Lake (July 3-12, 1952) thrushes were seen every day along +willow-lined creeks. An adult female on July 11, was 191 mm long and +weighed 34 grams. A male from Chandler Lake on August 23, 1951, was 186 +mm long and weighed 34 grams. It was caught in a mouse trap on an alluvial +outwash at the mouth of a canyon in a willow community in which some +willows were as high as nine feet. Fifteen tree sparrows, two white-crowned +sparrows, one northern shrike, two wheatears and a few redpolls were noted +there.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe</i></b> (Linnaeus): Wheatear.—Specimens 2: +Mount Mary, S end Lake Peters 145°10'02", 69°20'30", 2920 ft., 1, No. 31322, +juv. female, August 1, 1952; Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft., 1, No. +30756, ad. male, August 12, 1951.</p> + +<p>On the top of Mount Annette (July 17, 1952), which is the highest peak +in the valley and the center of several drainage systems, the insects had collected +in unusual numbers. There, an adult wheatear was feeding insects to her +young, which were three fourths the size of the parent.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> +From records kept of trap catches at Lake Peters (July 31-Aug. 15, 1952) +the wheatears were always caught in those areas that supported the greatest +number of red-backed voles (<i>Clethrionomys rutilus</i>). On August 10, among +rocks at the base of moraines, the wheatear was the second most common +species. On August 15, after snow had fallen on the mountain and in the +valley and the skies there were cloudy, wheatears moved onto the alluvium +but always within at least 150 feet of moraines to which the birds retreated +when alarmed. An adult female, shot on August 1, on the lower slopes of +Mount Mary at the south end of Lake Peters, was 158 mm long and weighed +26 grams.</p> + +<p>At Chandler Lake (Aug. 9-25, 1951) the wheatear was characteristically +a bird of the rock fields and rockslides and in many places was the only bird +present. It did not inhabit the glaciated canyons leading west from Chandler +Lake, except at their mouths. From August 10-19, wheatears decreased in +numbers. On August 25 the two remaining birds noted were among willows +and rock ridges. Three adult males, shot on August 14, averaged 24(23-26) +grams in weight and their testes averaged 1.2(1.0-1.5) mm long.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Luscinia svecica svecica</i></b> (Linnaeus): Bluethroat.—Specimens, 7: Gavia +Lake, 150°00', 69°35', 460 ft., 2, Nos. 31323 and 31328, males August 22, 23, +1952; 9⁄10 mi. W and 9⁄10 mi. N Umiat, 152°10'58", 69°22'53", 380 ft., 1, No. +31324, ad. female, June 30, 1952; Driftwood, Utukok River, 161°12'10", 68°53'47", +1200 ft., 3 (skins) Nos. 31326 and 32620, ad. females and 31327, ad. +male?, August 29, 1952, and 1, No. 31325, ad. female, August 28, 1952.</p> + +<p>The average length and weight of six adult males and adult females from +Gavia Lake and Driftwood (Aug. 23-29, 1952) are, respectively, as follows: +153(148-165) mm and 19(18-21) grams. One female from Umiat shot on +June 30, 1952, weighed 22 grams. The ovary was 5 mm long and the largest +ovum was 1 mm in diameter.</p> + +<p>At Umiat (June 30, 1952) a bluethroat was captured in one of 200 traps +placed around the edge of a small lake. The trap that held the bird was in +a soil fracture 15 centimeters in depth in an area that supported alder, willow, +birch and ericaceous shrubs. At Driftwood, a bluethroat was caught on August +28, 1952, in a trap set among willows.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Phylloscopus borealis kennicotti</i></b> (Baird): Arctic warbler.—On the north +side of the valley at Umiat on June 27, 1952, willow warblers sang loudly and +continually in accompaniment with white-crowned sparrows, tree sparrows, +gray-cheeked thrushes and bluethroats.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Motacilla flava tschutschensis</i></b> Gmelin: Yellow-wagtail.—Specimens, 2: +Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., 1, No. 30757, ad. female, July 27, +1951; Umiat, 152°09'30", 67°22'08", 352 ft., 1, No. 31329, ad. female, June 26, +1952.</p> + +<p>At Umiat on June 25, 1952, a nest of the wagtail was on the side of a +mound of earth three feet high. The nest, 130 mm in diameter and 14 grams +in weight, was completely protected overhead. The lower half of the cup, +59 mm in diameter and 35 mm in depth, was lined (3 mm in thickness) with +hair of caribou and brown lemming; the upper half was of feathers. Beneath +the lining of the cup was 38 mm of moss. The outer nest, 33 mm in thickness, +was, of coarse stems of grasses and other material. The nest was not so +carefully constructed nor so well insulated as nests of tree sparrows, longspurs +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> +and snow buntings; it lacked the fine yellow grasses and symmetrical lamination +of the materials and had more large chunks of material thus producing an +irregular shape. Both male and female remained in the air directly overhead +for 15 minutes as we examined the nest and then followed us for 100 yards +as we left the area. An adult male shot on June 26, was incubating four eggs. +He was 165 mm in length and weighed 19 grams.</p> + +<p>On July 27, 1951, seven days after our arrival at Kaolak, a male and female +were seen for the first time. They flew back and forth overhead and called +as if defending a territory but probably were not as we had been through this +same area many times without either seeing or hearing these birds; also the +female's ovary was undeveloped.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Anthus spinoletta rubescens</i></b> (Tunstall): Water pipit.—Specimens, 3: +Mount Mary, S end Lake Peters, 145°10'02", 69°20'30", 2920 ft., 1, No. 31330, +juv. female, August 3, 1952; Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft., 2, Nos. +31331, female, July 7, 1952 and 31332, ad. male, July 8, 1952.</p> + +<p>On July 8, 1952, approximately two miles south of Wahoo Lake on a high +divide an adult was feeding a young bird 114 millimeters in total length and +just able feebly to fly. On July 17, 1952, an adult female was feeding young +on top of Mount Annette south of Porcupine Lake. Numerous insects had +converged there—the highest point in the range of mountains. At Porcupine +Lake, we observed water pipits on each of the five days July 13 to 18, 1952.</p> + +<p>At Lake Peters there was a definite increase in numbers and in movement +of water pipits with the approach of winter. This increase was correlated +with a decrease in temperature and an increase in rain and snow. The many +individuals and family groups, which, prior to our arrival, were generally distributed +on the higher slopes and in the canyons of the Brooks Range, left the +lower snow-covered slopes and congregated on the lake shore. On July 19, +1952, at the north end of Lake Peters, for example, we did not see water +pipits in their usual haunts. On July 31 a single individual was noted at the +south end of Lake Peters and on August 3, a single family appeared. On +August 10, the water pipits were the most common bird at the edge of the +lake, five or six usually being seen in a half hour trip. One flock of 14 bathed +in shallow pools along the edge of the lake. These birds in the last few days +had been congregating in small and large groups. On August 13, on a trip along +the west shore line from the south end to the north end of the lake, the only +birds seen were water pipits and these were in great numbers. On the morning +of August 15, there was a dramatic increase in the number of pipits along the +edge of the lake. Twenty of these birds fed 10 feet in front of our tent and +others perched on its top. A juvenile shot on August 3 on Mount Mary was +approximately the size of the adults, being 162 mm in length and 17 grams in +weight.</p> + +<p>At Chandler Lake (Aug. 12, 1951) pipits fed along the sandy edge of +the lake and among short sedges. These birds also fed on scraps of food at +the entrance of our tent door. From August 10 to 25, water pipits were +more commonly found in the east-west canyons whereas other kinds of small +birds were almost wholly confined to the north-south valley and were of only +accidental occurrence in areas inhabited by water pipits.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Lanius excubitor invictus</i></b> Grinnell: Northern shrike.—A bird was noted on +August 23 and 25, 1951, in an extensive stand of willows at Chandler Lake.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> +This bird was one of a few birds that had not yet departed from the area +with the advent of winter.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Acanthis flammea holboellii</i></b> (Brehm): Common redpoll.—Specimens, 12: +Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 1, No. 30767, ad. male, July 9, 1951; +Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 5, Nos. 30762-30766 including 4 +ad. males and 1 ad. male (?), July 12, 14, 16-18, 1951; Kaolak, 160°14'51", +69°56'00", 178 ft., 4, Nos. 30758-30761 including 1 ad. male, 2 ad. females and +1 ad. of unknown sex, July 21, 23, 1951; Umiat, 152°09'30", 69°22'08", 352 +ft., 1, No. 31333, ad. female, June 26, 1952; Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', +2350 ft., 1, No. 31334, ad. male, July 11, 1952.</p> + +<p>At Umiat on June 26, 1952, a nest of five eggs (embryos with natal down) +was located in a patch of willows that covered approximately two square meters. +As these willows had not as yet acquired leaves, the nest was clearly visible. +It was 300 millimeters from the ground and so compactly made as to support its +own weight. The outer structure was of various plant fibers and other stems +of willows. The cup had an inwardly reflected rim, was made of stems of +cotton-grass, and was well insulated with 15 mm of down feathers. The measurements +of this circular nest were: entire nest, 78 mm in diameter and 50 +mm in depth: cup, 42 mm in diameter and 35 mm in depth; weight, 9 grams. +Another nest of three eggs from the same area was in a dwarf willow 350 mm +from the ground. The leaves of the willow were undeveloped. A third nest +of six young approximately three days old, was two feet up in a dwarf willow +having no leaves. The young birds in the nest were three days old. One female +123 mm in length shot on June 26 had ova up to two mm in diameter. +At Umiat (June 28, 1952) a nest of three young and two eggs was found and +on June 30 another nest with one fresh egg.</p> + +<p>At Wahoo Lake (July 3-12, 1952) the redpolls were observed every day +but we considered them relatively uncommon there.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 5-10, 1951) redpolls were among willows growing on +the sides of a creek channel ten feet below the level of the tundra. This creek +had overflowed in early spring covering the willows. One of the birds approached +us to within five feet and after making a close inspection returned to +the willows.</p> + +<p>Upon our arrival at Kaolak River (July 12, 1951) most of the redpolls were +living among willows and only occasionally flew overhead. On July 15, they +were flying in small groups about 100 feet above the ground and were calling +continually. On July 15, on a four hour field trip, we counted 28 birds. The +young birds on this date could fly well.</p> + +<p>At Porcupine Lake these birds were uncommon but a few were seen (July +17, 1952) flying south across divides in the higher mountains.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak (July 20-27, 1951) redpolls were associated with willows along +creeks that had cut channels 20 feet deep. In late July the flowing water was +six feet wide and from a few inches to three or four feet deep. The first erosional +bench supported grasses and sedges and the slopes were covered with +willows from a few inches to seven feet high. These willows afforded nesting +sites for redpolls. In a two-mile stretch along this creek, which drained east +into the Kaolak River (July 21), there were approximately 200 redpolls, 100 +Lapland longspurs, 80 savannah sparrows, six willow ptarmigans, six pintail +ducks and several other smaller unidentified birds. On this same date when I +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> +walked four miles on the open tundra, there were, of the smaller birds, only +six redpolls, 20 Lapland longspurs and 13 savannah sparrows. In one interval +of 1⁄3 of a mile, I did not see a single individual of any of these three species. +In the two miles of creek bottom that I examined, there were several nests that +had been used that spring, several that had been used the year before, and one +that held four eggs containing embryos nine millimeters in length (no feathers +or bone development). Most of the nests were approximately three feet above +ground in willows near the creek. The nest of four eggs was three feet above +the ground, three feet from the edge of the willows bordering the creek, and +10 feet from the creek proper. The nest was 10 cm in diameter and 55 mm in +height. The cup was 5 cm in diameter at the upper rim, six cm in width and +35 mm in depth. The outer base and side were constructed of dry willow +sticks, twigs and grass stems; the main body of the nest was fine grass stems, +rootlets and a few mosses. This lining was a layer 18 mm thick of white +feathers. The weight of this nest was 12 grams. The four eggs measured 19.2 +Ũ 12.9, 18.3 Ũ 12.5, 18.3 Ũ 12.8, 17.7 Ũ 12.9. This nest of four eggs was either +a second nesting or an interrupted or exceptionally late first nesting of redpoll +on the Arctic Slope. Two abandoned nests 200 feet apart were in willows +along the edge of an oxbow lake at Gavia Lake (August 23, 1952).</p> + +<p>On August 10, 1952, at the south end of Lake Peters, there was only a +slight increase in the number of redpolls over the previous week. At Chandler +Lake (Aug. 25, 1951) a few redpolls were among willows, this was the first time +in 15 days that we had noted these birds. One redpoll was taken in a trap at +Umiat on August 30, 1951.</p> + +<p>The testes of six adult males (average 14(13-15) grams in body weight and +that were shot at several localities on the Arctic Slope from July 9 to July 28, +1951) averaged five mm in length.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Spinus pinus pinus</i></b> (Wilson): Pine siskin.—An adult male, which weighed +12 grams, was caught in a trap at Chandler Lake on August 14, 1951. The +testes were two mm long.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Passerculus sandwichensis anthinus</i></b> Bonaparte: Savannah sparrow.—Specimens, +19: Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., 12, Nos. 30770-30781 including +3 ad. males, 3 juv. males, 4 ad. females, 1 juv. female and 1 ad. +female (?), July 21-23, 25, 26, 1951; Gavia Lake, 150°00', 69°35', 460 ft., 1, +No. 31336, juv. male, August 22, 1952; Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft., +1, No. 31337, ad. male, July 5, 1952; Porcupine Lake, 146°29'50", 68°51'57", +3140 ft., 1, No. 31339, ad. female, July 13, 1952; Driftwood, Utukok River, +161°12'10", 68°53'47", 1200 ft., 1 (skin) No. 31338, male and 1, No. 31335, +ad. female, August 29, 1952; Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft., 2, Nos. +30768-30769, 1 ad. male and 1 juv. male, August 10, 15, 1951.</p> + +<p>Savannah sparrows were caught in traps in the following communities: damp +meadow of sedges, Chandler Lake, August 10, 1951; among sedges bordering +a lake, Wahoo Lake, July 5, 1952; damp to wet meadow of sedges, grasses, and +hummocks of cotton-grass, Porcupine Lake, July 14, 1952; along the edge of +a deeply incised stream running through a marsh, Porcupine Lake, July 16, +1952.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak (July 21, 1951) on a windy day the greater number of savannah +sparrows were in protected valleys of willows along the creeks and not on the +open tundra where they are normally found. In a two mile course along one +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> +creek there were 80 birds, whereas on the open tundra there were, in four +miles, only 13 birds.</p> + +<p>Weights of 10 males and 10 females, shot in the period July 14-August 29, +1951, at several localities on the Arctic Slope were: male 20(17-24), female +18(16-20) grams. In an adult male, shot on July 22 at Kaolak, the testes +were two mm long but in other males, shot in the period July 14-August 29, +the testes averaged 1.2 mm. The ovaries of adult females for this same period +also had receded to normal non-breeding size. Juveniles on July 13 at Porcupine +Lake averaged 20 grams in weight; the shortest was 125 mm in total length +and the largest 140 mm. Adults in this same period averaged 144 mm in total +length. Two adult males collected on July 22 and 24, 1951, at Kaolak, were +molting.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Spizella arborea ochracea</i></b> Brewster: Tree sparrow.—Specimens, 10: Gavia +Lake, N White Hills, 150°00', 69°35', 460 ft., 1, No. 31340, juv. male, August +22, 1952; 9⁄10 mi. N and 9⁄10 mi. W Umiat, 152°10'58", 69°22'53", 380 ft., 1, No. +31347, ad. female, July 1, 1952; Umiat, 152°09'30", 69°22'08", 352 ft., 1, No. +31341, ad. male, June 26, 1952; Wahoo Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft., Nos. +31342-31343, ad. males, July 6, 8, 1952; Driftwood, Utukok River, 161°12'10", +68°53'47", 1200 ft., 2 (skins) Nos. 31345, ad. male, August 29, 1952, and +31346, ad. female, August 28, 1952, and 1, No. 31344, ad. male, August 28, +1952; Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft., 2, Nos. 30783, juv. male, 30784, +a juv. of unknown sex, August 19, 1951.</p> + +<p>Four adult males shot in the period July 1-15, at Umiat, Wahoo and +Porcupine lakes averaged 158(155-165) mm in total length and 18(16-18) +grams in weight whereas 12 adult males (Aug. 14-31) from Chandler Lake, +Umiat, Gavia Lake and Driftwood averaged 161(156-165) mm in length and +19(16-21) grams in weight. A male (June 26) from Umiat was 160 mm long, +weighed 15 grams, and had testes 4 mm long. Males from Wahoo Lake (July +6 and 8) had testes 9 and 5 mm long. Males (August 19) from Chandler Lake +were molting on the entire body.</p> + +<p>On June 24, 1952, at Umiat, we examined three nests. One of the three +contained incubated eggs; skeletal elements were present in the embryos. This +nest, 150 mm in diameter and 52 mm in depth, was on the side of a mound +three feet high covered with grass. The cup was 55 mm in diameter. The +lining, 14 mm thick, was ptarmigan feathers averaging one inch long mixed +with successive layers of stems of fine grass. The cup weighed four grams +and rested directly on the ground. The outer part of the nest was coarse +stems of a grass and was 30 mm thick. The edge and upper side, away from +the mound, had a 40-millimeter thickness of mosses and lichens that may have +served primarily as camouflage rather than as insulation. The nest, minus the +lining weighed nine grams. The second nest held four eggs containing +embryos. The top was flush with the surface of the ground on a slightly +elevated bench on a hillside supporting <i>Ledum</i>, <i>Vaccinium</i>, <i>Alnus</i>, mosses and +lichens. The greatest width of the nest was 120 mm; the lining, 11-millimeters +thick, was of ptarmigan feathers succeeded by 13 mm of alternating layers of +new dry grass stems and ptarmigan feathers. The down-slope side of the nest +was protected by 29 mm of sphagnum, old grass stems and other dry plant +material. The third nest of four eggs was among grasses at the base of a +willow. The new leaves on this willow were just visible and the catkins had +attained full growth.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> +The earliest date that juvenal tree sparrows were noted in the field was on +July 10, 1952, at Wahoo Lake. One juvenile shot on this date was 85 mm long +and could not fly. The parent bird was still attending the young bird.</p> + +<p>Tree sparrows on the Arctic Slope usually live among high dwarf willows +at the mouths of canyons. At Porcupine Lake (July 13-18, 1952) however, +they inhabited marshes of sedges, grasses and hummocks of cotton-grass. At +night they roosted in depressions in the ground or between hummocks of +sedges, where, without overhead protections they endured temperatures of as +low as 34 degrees Fahrenheit.</p> + +<p>In one mile of a glaciated canyon southwest of the south end of Chandler +Lake (Aug. 19, 1951) tree sparrows were the commonest species but there +were few birds of any kind there. This canyon extended in an east-west direction +and was bordered by high mountains, the sun being excluded in early +morning and late afternoon. In the valley of Chandler Lake, on the same +day, the tree sparrows were numerous especially among willows on the side of +the valley. On this date there was an abrupt increase in numbers of tree +sparrows; the number of Lapland longspurs and wheatears was less than a +week before. On August 22, we did not see tree sparrows at Chandler Lake +whereas three days earlier there were hundreds in the area. On August 23 +only 15 were noted and these were in willows. On August 25, only a single +bird was noted.</p> + +<p>At Umiat (Aug. 30, 1951) a few tree sparrows were present. In this area +(Sept. 1) the birches were turning a brilliant red, even more brilliant than on +the previous day. The large alders were nearly all yellow. The season was +not so far advanced here, however, as at Chandler Lake on August 25. At +Driftwood tree sparrows were noted from August 27 to 31 inclusive. On +August 28 a flock of 12 was observed.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii</i></b> (Nuttall): White-crowned sparrow.—Specimens, +3: Mount Mary, S Lake Peters, 145°10'02", 68°20'30", 2920 ft., 1, No. +31348, juv. female, August 3, 1952; Driftwood, Utukok, 161°12'10", 68°53'47", +1200 ft., 1 (skin) No. 31349, ad. male, August 29, 1952; Chandler Lake, +152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft., 1, No. 30786, an ad. of unknown sex, August 19, +1951.</p> + +<p>On the north side of the valley at Umiat, the white-crowned sparrows were +calling (June 27, 1952) throughout the day. At Wahoo Lake (July 3-11, 1952) +singing birds were frequently heard on south-facing slopes of the valley. At +Lake Peters (Aug. 3, 1952) one bird was at the base of a moraine some distance +from willows or high vegetation. Only two birds were seen at Chandler +Lake (Aug. 19 and 25, 1952); they were feeding in a dense growth of willows. +The juvenal female shot on August 3, 1952, at Mount Mary was 180 mm long +and weighed 26 grams.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Zonotrichia atricapilla</i></b> (Gmelin): Golden-crowned sparrow.—Specimen, 1: +Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', 2900 ft., No. 30787, ad. male, August 19, 1951.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Passerella iliaca zaboria</i></b> Oberholser: Fox sparrow.—Specimen, 1: Driftwood, +Utukok River, 161°12'10", 68°53'47", 1200 ft., No. 31350 (skin), male, +August 29, 1952.</p> + +<p>At 1⁄10 mile west and 9⁄10 mile east of Umiat (June 30, 1952) a nest the top of +which was flush with the ground in a clearing among willows and alders, both +bare of leaves, had four young approximately five days old. At Driftwood (Aug. +29, 1952) a male was caught in a mouse trap in the same area where a male +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> +was singing on the previous day. At the time the male was trapped a female +sat on low vegetation only a few feet from the trap that held the dead bird.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Calcarius lapponicus alascensis</i></b> Ridgway: Lapland longspur.—Specimens, +75: NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153°05'40", 70°39'40", 8 ft., 22, Nos. 30827-30848 +including 10 ad. males, 9 juv. males, 2 ad. females and 1 juv. female, July 29, +30, August 1, 3, 1951; Topagaruk River, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 13, Nos. 30849-30861 +including 9 ad. males and 4 ad. females, July 6, 8, 10, 1951; Kaolak River, +159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., 18, Nos. 30809-30826 including 2 ad. males, 10 +juv. males, 3 ad. females and 3 juv. females, July 12, 14, 17, 1951; Kaolak, +160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., 13, Nos. 30796-30808 including 4 ad. males, 4 +juv. males, 5 juv. females, July 20-27, 1951; Gavia Lake, 150°00', 69°35', 460 +ft., 1, No. 31351, female, August 22, 1952; Umiat, 152°09'30", 69°22'08", +352 ft., 1, No. 31352, female, June 26, 1952; Chandler Lake, 152°45', 68°12', +2900 ft., 7, Nos. 30789-30795 including 1 ad. male, 1 juv. male, 1 ad. female, +4 juv. females, August 11, 12, 16, 18, 23, 1951.</p> + +<p>The Lapland longspur and snow bunting were two of the early arrivals on +the Arctic Slope of northern Alaska. Robert McKinley told us that this species +of longspur arrived at Barrow Village shortly after April 20, 1952. On our +arrival at Point Barrow on June 14, 1952, longspurs already were established +on territories, and many of the birds had full complements of fresh eggs, +although snow still covered the lakes and all but a few mounds and high +points of the tundra.</p> + +<p>On June 17, 1952, on the west side of Salt Water Lagoon, in an area of +approximately six acres of raised polygons we located eight nests of the Lapland +longspur. The first contained five fresh eggs, and its top was flush with +the bare ground in an old excavation made by brown lemmings between three +bunches of cotton-grass. Fecal pellets of the brown lemming were beneath +the nest. The bulk of the nest was soiled grasses which insulated the bottom +and sides of the nest from the damp soil. This supporting bulk was lined first +with stems of new yellow grass, and then with white down feathers of the +snowy owl. The female repeatedly repelled the male from the immediate vicinity +of the nest. After observing the nest for a few minutes I moved it one +foot. The female returned three times to the original site of the nest, ignoring +the nest nearby. On the fourth trip, six minutes after the original nest was +taken, she returned with feathers in her bill and started to line the original +depression.</p> + +<p>The second nest, superimposed on a nest of the previous year, held six fresh +eggs and was under an overhanging piece of tundra sod. The cup was entirely +beneath the sod but the outer rim of the nest was exposed. The nest faced +northwest and was 100 centimeters above the general level of the tundra. +Measurements, in millimeters, of this nest were: height, 52; width, 120; inside +diameter of cup, 50; depth of cup, 30; width of layer of fine grasses and +feathers of cup, 16. In cross section successive layers of nest material from +outside in were as follows: mosses; old, dry, brownish-gray grasses; new, fine, +loosely arranged, yellow grasses; down feathers of the snowy owl. The first +two layers were on only one side and did not extend under the cup of the nest. +The cup was lined with 12 down feathers of the snowy owl.</p> + +<p>The third nest, containing six fresh eggs, was at the edge of a clump of +cotton-grass and was exposed from directly above. The lining of the cup of +white feathers and dry lichens was against the soil. Two layers of dry +brownish-gray grasses and dry mosses were outward extensions from the cup.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> +The greater part of the third nest was stems of the grass <i>Dupontia fischeri</i>; +newer yellow stems were near the cup and the older stems were toward the +periphery. The measurements (in millimeters) of this nest were: height, 60; +width, 210; width of cup, 50; depth of cup, 40.</p> + +<p>A fourth nest of three fresh eggs held four eggs the following day. A fifth +nest of six fresh eggs was only 10 centimeters from a well-used trail of a brown +lemming and within 1⁄3 of a meter from the underground nest of the lemming. +This longspur nest, among polygons of low hummocks, was bordered by mosses +and grasses nine inches high. The sixth nest held five fresh eggs. Its top +was flush with the ground and the nest was protected by an overhead canopy +of <i>Dupontia fischeri</i>. A seventh nest, containing six fresh eggs, was among +pieces of tundra displaced by a vehicle. Only the outer edge of this nest +was exposed from above. The cup was lined with white feathers and with +the hair of <i>Rangifer</i>. On June 20, an eighth nest of five fresh eggs was +located near the above. The nest was 1⁄3 concealed under overhead protection.</p> + +<p>At a point 1 2⁄5 miles south and 3⁄5 of a mile east of Barrow Village (June 20, +1952) we examined a ninth nest, containing six fresh eggs, among raised +polygons. It was circular and the cup was centrally placed. The entire nest +weighed 14 grams; the inner cup of fine stems of grass and white feathers +weighed two grams. The nest was 118 mm wide; the cup was 56 mm wide +and 38 mm deep. The outer structure of last year's nest, mosses and larger +gray stems of grass, was 30 mm wide. Enroute to this locality from Barrow +Village we saw only two longspurs (2:00 P.M.) and only three on the return +trip.</p> + +<p>At a place 9⁄10 mile east and 8⁄10 mile north of Barrow Village (June 23, +1952) a tenth nest, containing five fresh eggs, was noted in a lemming runway +that had been enlarged from a soil fracture. The top of the nest was flush +with the surface of the ground and there was no overhead protection. This +nest had the least nesting material of any nest of this species examined to date; +there was no nesting material of any kind on the sides adjoining the walls of +the fracture. At Umiat (June 26, 1952) an eleventh nest, containing six eggs, +was so placed that its top was flush with the surface of a raised polygon, and +closely resembled those at Point Barrow except that the cup was lined with +brown and white feathers of the willow ptarmigan. Additional data are as +follows: weight of entire nest, 20 grams; weight of inner cup, 7 grams; +diameter of cup, 65 mm; depth of cup, 30 mm; width of entire nest, 100 mm. +As was usual with other nests of this species, the outer edge of one side was +covered with moss.</p> + +<p>In the period July 13-August 15, from several localities on the Arctic Slope, +Lapland longspurs were caught in traps (20 feet apart) set in linear lines +among sedges. The average distance between traps catching longspurs was +1400 feet. Other Lapland longspurs observed in the same period at these +same localities averaged one per 400 feet of walking on my part. The greatest +number of longspurs trapped was at Kaolak on July 24, 1951; 100 traps yielded +6 longspurs. The greatest number observed—one per 100 feet—was at Topagaruk +on July 5, 1951. Although the longspur on the Arctic Slope is the +most common bird, it is absent from some areas there. On each of two trips +(July 29-30) across one mile of upland plateau between Barrier Lake and +Teshekpuk Lake, we did not see longspurs. This plateau is a travel lane +maintained by caribou.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> +Juveniles were first trapped on July 5, 1951, at Topagaruk; others were observed +on this date but they could not fly. The first juvenile noted in flight +was on July 9, also at Topagaruk. The increase of juveniles there caused the +longspur to be the most common bird in the field (50 per cent in abundance). +On July 15 at Kaolak River, most of the longspurs noted were juveniles, but +they were able to fly well. The adult males and females, which were molting +at this time, were more secretive in their movements than longspurs at Topagaruk +on July 5. Adult males were molting as early as July 2 at Kaolak. On +July 25 at Kaolak longspurs were mainly in groups of five or six; others were in +groups of 18 or more. As late as August 21 (Gavia Lake) longspurs were still +in family groups or occurred as singles.</p> + +<p>At Chandler Lake, the decrease in numbers of Lapland longspurs was +synchronized with autumnal changes in weather. On August 15, 1951, the +longspurs were numerous; 40 or 50 individuals were seen in the course of an +hour's walk. On August 19 there was a noticeable decrease in numbers of +individuals and by August 22, only three were seen. In this period of decreasing +numbers, they were more numerous and active in the morning than in +the evening or in inclement weather. The behavior pattern of leaving the +ground with an audible commotion and flapping of wings on the vegetation also +was characteristic of this period of decreasing numbers of the longspur population. +At ½ mile south of the Arctic Research Laboratory (Sept. 7, 1952) only +a single longspur was noted.</p> + +<p>The short-eared owl and especially the pigeon hawk consistently preyed on +longspurs.</p> + +<p>Only one longspur (an adult female No. 30854) in 75 specimens examined +had the bone of the skull damaged by parasites.</p> + +<p>Adult males are larger than adult females (July). In the breeding season +adult females average 3 grams lighter than males. In the latter part of summer, +however, females "catch up" in weight with the males. As early as the +middle of July, juveniles are nearly as large as adults in cranial measurements. +The increase in weight in juveniles was from 21.5(18-25) in ten juvenal males +shot in the period July 12-16, at Kaolak River to 25.2(22-27) grams in nine +juvenal males shot in the period July 29-August 2 at Teshekpuk Lake.</p> + +<p>The testes of adults gradually decrease in size from July to August; their +average length was 7.7(4.0-12.0) mm in nine adult males shot in the period +July 6-10 at Topagaruk but only 2.2(1.5-3.0) in six adult males shot in the +period July 12-26, at Kaolak and Kaolak River. By August 1, at Teshekpuk +Lake the testes of nine adult males averaged 1.4(1.0-1.5) in total length, +which is only slightly larger than the average size of the testes 1.2(1.0-2.0) +of nine juveniles shot in the period July 29-Aug. 2, at Teshekpuk Lake.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Calcarius pictus</i></b> (Swainson): Smith's longspur.—Specimens, 2: Wahoo +Lake, 146°58', 69°08', 2350 ft., No. 31353, ad. male, July 9 and No. 31354, ad. +female, July 7, 1952.</p> + +<p>On July 7, 1952, at Wahoo Lake, a single longspur was trapped in one of +200 traps set for small mammals. On July 9, a line of 120 traps set in a community +of cotton-grass, other sedges, grasses and dwarf willow also yielded one +longspur—an adult male 172 mm long that weighed 28 grams. Smith's longspurs +were uncommon at Wahoo Lake from July 3 to July 11, and when seen +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> +were associated with open tundra supporting cotton-grass, generally on flat +areas adjacent to the lake. Singing from the air was heard on several occasions. +On the alluvial outwash, between Lake Peters and Lake Schrader, two +Smith's longspurs were recorded on July 24, 1952, and flocks of 11-16-18-20 +were seen there in the damp meadows on August 13, 1952. Those seen on the +latter date had moved into the area since July 23, when we first arrived.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p><b><i>Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis</i></b> (Linnaeus): Snow bunting.—Specimens, 6: +Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., 5, Nos. 30862-30866 including 4 ad. males +and 1 ad. female, July 6, 7, 9, 10, 1951; Mount Mary, S end Lake Peters, +145°10'02", 69°20'30", 2920 ft., 1, No. 31355, August 1, 1952.</p> + +<p>Robert McKinley reported to us that snow buntings were at Barrow Village +at least as early as April 20, 1952, when snow covered most of the ground. +On June 14, 1952, at Birnirk mounds when snow still covered most of the +ground, snow buntings were already established on territories.</p> + +<p>At Point Barrow (June 21, 1952), the most northerly extension of land on +the Arctic Slope of northern Alaska, five pairs of snow bunting were nesting +in abandoned subterranean Eskimo houses. The houses were in different stages +of deterioration from one almost usable by man to one that was no more than +a flattened mound. Sides of some houses were exposed by the sea cliff that +was advancing inland. Logs and skulls of baleen whales had been set on +end for walls, and mandibles and ribs of whales had been used as rafters. +This framework had been covered with tundra sod. Most of the nests were +between the roof support and the upper ends of the whale skulls. Each nest +contained five fresh eggs and was completely protected from rain, sun and +wind. One nest weighed 24 grams and measured (in millimeters) 155 wide, +68 high, 38 in depth of cup, 70 in width of cup, and was in the brain cavity +of the cranium. Another nest on top of a skull in the interior room, weighed +24 grams. This nest was built upon material of a nest of the previous year. +The old material weighed four grams and the new inner mass weighed 20 +grams. The new nest consisted of successive layers of new yellow grass stems +and feathers. The lining of the cup had feathers in the 20 mm-thick layer of +fine hairlike plant fibers. The feathers were from birds larger than the bunting. +The nest was well insulated in comparison with those of the Lapland longspur, +but like most of those had the cup offset toward the inner side of the nest, +and more nest material of large size outward toward the entrance, <a name="than"></a><a href="#typos">than</a> elsewhere. +In the same area, especially in grass on and around low mounds, there +were approximately 50 brown lemmings (18 lemming nests examined), many +of which used the mounds inhabited by the bunting. On August 26, in the +same area at Point Barrow, we noted 28 birds feeding and resting but on +September 11 found none there.</p> + +<p>A nest of five young (July 4, 1951) at a place 1⁄5 mile south of the Arctic +Research Laboratory was under an overhanging ledge of an unused burrow of +a brown lemming. The burrow had been excavated by lemmings on a mound +of earth thrown up by a bulldozer. An adult female snow bunting was carrying +insects to the nest and fecal pellets away from it. Another nest of five young +(July 4) was in a fifty gallon oil drum. An adult female gained entrance to +the nest through a small hole on the side of the container, the only hole +present. Other nests on this date were examined that contained both eggs +and young, or eggs, or young. Most of these nests were in holes in the ground +or under the protection of overhanging ledges of earth. On July 4, snow +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> +buntings were in their black and white plumage, but on July 27, were in +brown-white plumage.</p> + +<p>At Topagaruk (July 5, 1951) a nest containing young birds fully feathered +was noted five feet above the ground in a horizontal pipe six inches in diameter. +One dead bird, two to three days old, was in the water and mud at the base +of the stack of pipes. Other young birds from other family groups had short +tails and were capable of feeble flight. Adults were seen only in the immediate +vicinity of the camp.</p> + +<p>The average weight of four adult males shot in the period July 6-10, 1951, +was 36 grams. The average length of their testes was 9.2(7.0-11.0) mm.</p> + +<p>At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) we did not see the snow bunting. The camp, +however, was built the previous winter and was inhabited (July 10) for the +first time in summer. The birds were at Topagaruk, our collecting station next +nearest to the eastward in the same general type of environment and we assumed +that eventually the birds would become established at Kaolak.</p> + +<p>A juvenal female shot on August 1, 1952, at Mount Mary was 183 mm long +and weighed 34 grams.</p> + +<p> +<i>Transmitted November 14, 1957.</i><br /> +</p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> + +<div class="caption2">UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS<br /> +MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY</div> + +<p>Institutional libraries interested in publications exchange may obtain this +series by addressing the Exchange Librarian, University of Kansas Library, +Lawrence, Kansas. Copies for individuals, persons working in a particular +field of study, may be obtained by addressing instead the Museum of Natural +History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. There is no provision for +sale of this series by the University Library, which meets institutional requests, +or by the Museum of Natural History, which meets the requests of individuals. +Nevertheless, when individuals request copies from the Museum, 25 cents should +be included, for each separate number that is 100 pages or more in length, for +the purpose of defraying the costs of wrapping and mailing.</p> + +<p>* An asterisk designates those numbers of which the Museum's supply (not the Library's +supply) is exhausted. Numbers published to date, in this series, are as follows:</p> + +<table summary="UKMNH_Pubs"> +<tr><td class="text_rt"> Vol. 1.</td><td> </td><td>Nos. 1-26 and index. Pp. 1-638, 1946-1950.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">*Vol. 2.</td><td colspan=2 class="justify">(Complete) Mammals of Washington. By Walter W. Dalquest. Pp. 1-444, 140 +figures in text. April 9, 1948.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">Vol. 3.</td><td class="text_rt vtop">*1.</td><td class="justify">The avifauna of Micronesia, its origin, evolution, and distribution. By Rollin +H. Baker. Pp. 1-359, 16 figures in text. June 12, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">*2.</td><td class="justify">A quantitative study of the nocturnal migration of birds. By George H. +Lowery, Jr. Pp. 361-472, 47 figures in text. June 29, 1951.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">3.</td><td class="justify">Phylogeny of the waxwings and allied birds. By M. Dale Arvey. Pp. 473-530, +49 figures in text, 13 tables. October 10, 1951.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">4.</td><td class="justify">Birds from the state of Veracruz, Mexico. By George H. Lowery, Jr., and +Walter W. Dalquest. Pp. 531-649, 7 figures in text, 2 tables. October 10, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td colspan=2 class="justify">Index. Pp. 651-681.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">*Vol. 4.</td><td colspan=2 class="justify">(Complete) American weasels. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 1-466, 41 plates, 31 +figures in text. December 27, 1951.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">Vol. 5.</td><td class="text_rt vtop">1.</td><td class="justify">Preliminary survey of a Paleocene faunule from the Angels Peak area, New +Mexico. By Robert W. Wilson. Pp. 1-11, 1 figure in text. February 24, +1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">2.</td><td class="justify">Two new moles (Genus Scalopus) from Mexico and Texas. By Rollin H. +Baker. Pp. 17-24. February 28, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">3.</td><td class="justify">Two new pocket gophers from Wyoming and Colorado. By E. Raymond +Hall and H. Gordon Montague. Pp. 25-32. February 28, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">4.</td><td class="justify">Mammals obtained by Dr. Curt von Wedel from the barrier beach of +Tamaulipas, Mexico. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 33-47, 1 figure in text. +October 1, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">5.</td><td class="justify">Comments on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of some North +American rabbits. By E. Raymond Hall and Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 49-58. +October 1, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">6.</td><td class="justify">Two new subspecies of Thomomys bottae from New Mexico and Colorado. +By Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 59-71, 1 figure in text. October 1, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">7.</td><td class="justify">A new subspecies of Microtus montanus from Montana and comments on +Microtus canicaudus Miller. By E. Raymond Hall and Keith R. Kelson. Pp. +73-79. October 1, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">8.</td><td class="justify">A new pocket gopher (Genus Thomomys) from eastern Colorado. By E. +Raymond Hall. Pp. 81-85. October 1, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">9.</td><td class="justify">Mammals taken along the Alaskan Highway. By Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 87-117, +1 figure in text. November 28, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">*10.</td><td class="justify">A synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. +119-202, 68 figures in text. December 15, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">11.</td><td class="justify">A new pocket mouse (Genus Perognathus) from Kansas. By E. Lendell +Cockrum. Pp. 203-206. December 15, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">12.</td><td class="justify">Mammals from Tamaulipas, Mexico. By Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 207-218. +December 15, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">13.</td><td class="justify">A new pocket gopher (Genus Thomomys) from Wyoming and Colorado. +By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 219-222. December 15, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">14.</td><td class="justify">A new name for the Mexican red bat. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 223-226. +December 15, 1951.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">15.</td><td class="justify">Taxonomic notes on Mexican bats of the Genus Rhogeëssa. By E. Raymond +Hall. Pp. 227-232. April 10, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">16.</td><td class="justify">Comments on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of some North American +woodrats (Genus Neotoma). By Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 233-242. April 10, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">17.</td><td class="justify">The subspecies of the Mexican red-bellied squirrel, Sciurus aureogaster. By +Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 243-250, 1 figure in text. April 10, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">18.</td><td class="justify">Geographic range of Peromyscus melanophrys, with description of new subspecies. +By Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 251-258, 1 figure in text. May 10, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">19.</td><td class="justify">A new chipmunk (Genus Eutamias) from the Black Hills. By John A. +White. Pp. 259-262. April 10, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">20.</td><td class="justify">A new piņon mouse (Peromyscus truei) from Durango, Mexico. By Robert +B. Finley, Jr. Pp. 263-267. May 23, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">21.</td><td class="justify">An annotated checklist of Nebraskan bats. By Olin L. Webb and J. Knox +Jones, Jr. Pp. 269-279. May 31, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">22.</td><td class="justify">Geographic variation in red-backed mice (Genus Clethrionomys) of the southern +Rocky Mountain region. By E. Lendell Cockrum and Kenneth L. Fitch. +Pp. 281-292, 1 figure in text. November 15, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">23.</td><td class="justify">Comments on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of North American +microtines. By E. Raymond Hall and E. Lendell Cockrum. Pp. 293-312. +November 17, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">24.</td><td class="justify">The subspecific status of two Central American sloths. By E. Raymond Hall +and Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 313-337. November 21, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">25.</td><td class="justify">Comments on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of some North American +marsupials, insectivores, and carnivores. By E. Raymond Hall and Keith +R. Kelson. Pp. 319-341. December 5, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">26.</td><td class="justify">Comments on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of some North American +rodents. By E. Raymond Hall and Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 343-371. +December 15, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">27.</td><td class="justify">A synopsis of the North American microtine rodents. By E. Raymond Hall +and E. Lendell Cockrum. Pp. 373-498, 149 figures in text. January 15, +1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">28.</td><td class="justify">The pocket gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Coahuila, Mexico. By Rollin H. +Baker. Pp. 499-514, 1 figure in text. June 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">29.</td><td class="justify">Geographic distribution of the pocket mouse, Perognathus fasciatus. By +J. Knox Jones, Jr. Pp. 515-526, 7 figures in text. August 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">30.</td><td class="justify">A new subspecies of wood rat (Neotoma mexicana) from Colorado. By +Robert B. Finley, Jr. Pp. 527-534, 2 figures in text. August 15, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">31.</td><td class="justify">Four new pocket gophers of the genus Cratogeomys from Jalisco, Mexico. +By Robert J. Russell. Pp. 535-542. October 15, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">32.</td><td class="justify">Genera and subgenera of chipmunks. By John A. White. Pp. 543-561, 12 +figures in text. December 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">33.</td><td class="justify">Taxonomy of the chipmunks, Eutamias quadrivittatus and Eutamias umbrinus. +By John A. White. Pp. 563-582, 6 figures in text. December 1, +1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">34.</td><td class="justify">Geographic distribution and taxonomy of the chipmunks of Wyoming. By +John A. White. Pp. 584-610, 3 figures in text. December 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">35.</td><td class="justify">The baculum of the chipmunks of western North America. By John A. +White. Pp. 611-631, 19 figures in text. December 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">36.</td><td class="justify">Pleistocene Soricidae from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. By +James S. Findley. Pp. 633-639. December 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">37.</td><td class="justify">Seventeen species of bats recorded from Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal +Zone. By E. Raymond Hall and William B. Jackson. Pp. 641-646. December 1, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td colspan=2 class="justify">Index. Pp. 647-676.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">*Vol. 6.</td><td colspan=2 class="justify">(Complete) Mammals of Utah, <i>taxonomy and distribution</i>. By Stephen D. +Durrant. Pp. 1-549, 91 figures in text, 30 tables. August 10, 1952.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">Vol. 7.</td><td class="text_rt vtop">*1.</td><td class="justify">Mammals of Kansas. By E. Lendell Cockrum. Pp. 1-303, 73 figures in +text, 37 tables. August 25, 1952.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">2.</td><td class="justify">Ecology of the opossum on a natural area in northeastern Kansas. By Henry +S. Fitch and Lewis L. Sandidge. Pp. 305-338, 5 figures in text. August 24, 1953.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">3.</td><td class="justify">The silky pocket mice (Perognathus flavus) of Mexico. By Rollin H. Baker. +Pp. 339-347, 1 figure in text. February 15, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">4.</td><td class="justify">North American jumping mice (Genus Zapus). By Philip H. Krutzsch. Pp. +349-472, 47 figures in text, 4 tables. April 21, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">5.</td><td class="justify">Mammals from Southeastern Alaska. By Rollin H. Baker and James S. +Findley. Pp. 473-477. April 21, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">6.</td><td class="justify">Distribution of Some Nebraskan Mammals. By J. Knox Jones, Jr. Pp. 479-487. +April 21, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">7.</td><td class="justify">Subspeciation in the montane meadow mouse, Microtus montanus, in Wyoming +and Colorado. By Sydney Anderson. Pp. 489-506, 2 figures in text. July 23, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">8.</td><td class="justify">A new subspecies of bat (Myotis velifer) from southeastern California and +Arizona. By Terry A. Vaughn. Pp. 507-512. July 23, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">9.</td><td class="justify">Mammals of the San Gabriel mountains of California. By Terry A. Vaughn. +Pp. 513-582, 1 figure in text, 12 tables. November 15, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">10.</td><td class="justify">A new bat (Genus Pipistrellus) from northeastern Mexico. By Rollin H. +Baker. Pp. 583-586. November 15, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">11.</td><td class="justify">A new subspecies of pocket mouse from Kansas. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. +587-590. November 15, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></td><td class="text_rt vtop">12.</td><td class="justify">Geographic variation in the pocket gopher, Cratogeomys castanops, in Coahuila, +Mexico. By Robert J. Russell and Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 591-608. March +15, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">13.</td><td class="justify">A new cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) from northeastern Mexico. By Rollin +H. Baker. Pp. 609-612. April 8, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">14.</td><td class="justify">Taxonomy and distribution of some American shrews. By James S. Findley. +Pp. 613-618. June 10, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">15.</td><td class="justify">The pigmy woodrat, Neotoma goldmani, its distribution and systematic position. +By Dennis G. Rainey and Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 619-624, 2 figs. in +text. June 10, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td colspan=2 class="justify">Index. Pp. 625-651.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt vtop">Vol. 8.</td><td class="text_rt vtop">1.</td><td class="justify">Life history and ecology of the five-lined skink, Eumeces fasciatus. By Henry +S. Fitch. Pp. 1-156, 26 figs. in text. September 1, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">2.</td><td class="justify">Myology and serology of the Avian Family Fringillidae, a taxonomic study. +By William B. Stallcup. Pp. 157-211, 23 figures in text, 4 tables. November 15, 1954.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">3.</td><td class="justify">An ecological study of the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris). By Henry +S. Fitch. Pp. 213-274, 10 figures in text. February 10, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">4.</td><td class="justify">A field study of the Kansas ant-eating frog, Gastrophryne olivacea. By Henry +S. Fitch. Pp. 275-306, 9 figures in text. February 10, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">5.</td><td class="justify">Check-list of the birds of Kansas. By Harrison B. Tordoff. Pp. 307-359, 1 +figure in text. March 10, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">6.</td><td class="justify">A population study of the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) in northeastern +Kansas. By Edwin P. Martin. Pp. 361-416, 19 figures in text. April 2, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">7.</td><td class="justify">Temperature responses in free-living amphibians and reptiles of northeastern +Kansas. By Henry S. Fitch. Pp. 417-476, 10 figures in text, 6 tables. June 1, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">8.</td><td class="justify">Food of the crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, in south-central Kansas. By +Dwight Platt. Pp. 477-498, 4 tables. June 8, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">9.</td><td class="justify">Ecological observations on the woodrat, Neotoma floridana. By Henry S. +Fitch and Dennis G. Rainey. Pp. 499-533, 3 figures in text. June 12, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">10.</td><td class="justify">Eastern woodrat, Neotoma floridana: Life history and ecology. By Dennis G. +Rainey. Pp. 535-646, 12 plates, 13 figures in text August 15, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td colspan=2 class="justify">Index. Pp. 647-675.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt">Vol. 9.</td><td class="text_rt vtop">1.</td><td class="justify">Speciation of the wandering shrew. By James S. Findley. Pp. 1-68, 18 +figures in text. December 10, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">2.</td><td class="justify">Additional records and extension of ranges of mammals from Utah. By +Stephen D. Durrant, M. Raymond Lee, and Richard M. Hansen. Pp. 69-80. +December 10, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">3.</td><td class="justify">A new long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis) from northeastern Mexico. By Rollin +H. Baker and Howard J. Stains. Pp. 81-84. December 10, 1955.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">4.</td><td class="justify">Subspeciation in the meadow mouse, Microtus pennsylvanicus, in Wyoming. +By Sydney Anderson. Pp. 85-104, 2 figures in text. May 10, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">5.</td><td class="justify">The condylarth genus Ellipsodon. By Robert W. Wilson. Pp. 105-116, 6 +figures in text. May 19, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">6.</td><td class="justify">Additional remains of the multituberculate genus Eucosmodon. By Robert +W. Wilson. Pp. 117-123, 10 figures in text. May 19, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">7.</td><td class="justify">Mammals of Coahulia, Mexico. By Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 125-335, 75 figures +in text. June 15, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">8.</td><td class="justify">Comments on the taxonomic status of Apodemus peninsulae, with description +of a new subspecies from North China. By J. Knox Jones, Jr. Pp. 337-346, +1 figure in text, 1 table. August 15, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">9.</td><td class="justify">Extensions of known ranges of Mexican bats. By Sydney Anderson. Pp. +347-351. August 15, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">10.</td><td class="justify">A new bat (Genus Leptonycteris) from Coahulia. By Howard J. Stains. +Pp. 353-356. January 21, 1957.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">11.</td><td class="justify">A new species of pocket gopher (Genus Pappogeomys) from Jalisco, Mexico. +By Robert J. Russell. Pp. 357-361. January 21, 1957.<br /> +More numbers will appear in volume 9.</td></tr> + + +<tr><td class="text_rt">Vol. 10.</td><td class="text_rt">1.</td><td class="justify">Studies of birds killed in nocturnal migration. By Harrison B. Tordoff and +Robert M. Mengel. Pp. 1-44, 6 figures in text, 2 tables. September 12, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">2.</td><td class="justify">Comparative breeding behavior of Ammospiza caudacuta and A. maritima. +By Glen E. Woolfenden. Pp. 45-75, 6 plates, 1 figure. December 20, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">3.</td><td class="justify">The forest habitat of the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation. +By Henry S. Fitch and Ronald R. McGregor. Pp. 77-127, 2 plates, 7 figures +in text, 4 tables. December 31, 1956.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">4.</td><td class="justify">Aspects of reproduction and development in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). +By Henry S. Fitch. Pp. 129-161, 8 figures in text, 4 tables. December +19, 1957.</td></tr> + +<tr><td> </td><td class="text_rt vtop">5.</td><td class="justify">Birds found on the Arctic slope of northern Alaska. By James W. Bee. +Pp. 163-211, plates 9-10, 1 figure in text. March 12, 1958.<br /> +More numbers will appear in volume 10.</td></tr> +</table> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + + + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of +Northern Alaska, by James W. Bee + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRDS FOUND ON THE ARCTIC SLOPE *** + +***** This file should be named 34337-h.htm or 34337-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/4/3/3/34337/ + +Produced by Chris Curnow, Tom Cosmas, Joseph Cooper and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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