Notes on the Birds of Southampton Island, Baffin Island and Melville Peninsula

Home , Bernier Bay, Boas River, Boothia Peninsula, Bowman Bay (Nunavut), Bray Island, Brodeur Peninsula

504 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[Auk Oct.

17ORBUSH,EDWARD Hov• 1929. Birds of Massachusettsand Other New England States, 3: 29-32. (Mass. State Dept. of Agriculture.) •RISCOM, LUDLOW 1938. The Birds of Lake Umbagog Region of Maine (compiled from diaries and journalsof William Brewster). Bull. Mus. Comp. Zo51.,66: 534-536. MERRIAM, C. HART 1878. Breeding of the Pine Linnet in Northern New York. Forest and Stream, I0: 463. 1%TEWENGLAND MUSEUM OF !XTATURALHISTORY 1941. Bulletin of New England Bird Life, Jam-June. ROBERTS,THolVlAS S. 1936. Birds of Minnesota, 2: 364-367. (Univ. of Minn. Press.) SUTTON, GI•ORGE m. 1928. Birds of Pymatuning Swamp and Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Ann. Cam. Mus., 18:19-239 (½f.p. 174). Sv,•N•r, MYRON H. 1929. The Pine Siskin in Nebraska. Wils. Bull., 41: 77-92. TODD, W. E. CLYDE 1940. The Birds of Western Pennsylvania: 614-617. (Univ. of Pitts. Press., Pittsburgh, Penna.) WALKINSHAW, LAWRENCEH. 1939. Life History Studies of the Eastern Goldfinch. Jack Pine Warbler, 17: 19-20. WaXGHT, HORACE W. 191I. The Birds of the JeffersonRegion, in the White Mountains of New Hamp- shire. Manchester Inst. Arts &Sci., 5 (I): 64. Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND, BAFFIN ISLAND AND MELVILLE PENINSULA

BY REYNOLD BRAY (WITHCOMMENTS BY T. H. MANNING) REYNOLDBRAY was drownedon September14, 1938, when on his fourth visit to Arctic regions. His obituary was written for 'The Auk' by McAtee (Auk, 57: 139-140, 1940). The presentsummary of the resultsof Bray's ornithologicalwork while a member of the British Canadian Arctic Expedition betweenMay, 1936, and Sep- tember, 1937,was originally intended for his own use in further work he had plannedfor the sameregions rather than for publication;but sincenone of it has previouslybeen published,it is here presented in full and unchangedexcept for minor editorial corrections. Vol.60] BRAY,Birds o[ SouthamptonIsland, etc. 505

The Expedition left Churchill by whaleboaton June 3, and trav- ellednorth alongthe westcoast of HudsonBay to SouthamptonIsland. On June 23, Bray wasleft near the SnowGoose colony at the Bay of God'sMercy. He waspicked up againon August28 on the way to RepulseBay. We arrived there on October 12, after coastingup the westside of SouthamptonIsland and visitingYork Bay and Frozen Strait. On December21, Bray, accompaniedby G. W. Rowley,left for Iglulik by dog team. During that winter he travelledto Piling on the west,and Arctic Bay on the north coastof BaffinIsland. He spent the following spring and summer in the region of Fury and Hecla Strait, first at Agu Bay and later at Iglulik and the nearby mainland of Melville Peninsula. In his summary,Bray frequently refers to earlier works dealing with SouthamptonIsland, Melville Peninsula and west Baffin Island. Where known, I have inserted the citations for these references. I have also added some remarks on distribution to bring the paper up to date for the area chiefly discussed.When not otherwisestated, these are from my notesmade during the four years (1936-1940)spent in this region, chiefly at Frozen Strait, SeahorsePoint, and Taverner Bay. All suchadditional notes are in squarebrackets. T. H. MANNING

COMMONLOON, Gavia immer immer (Briinnich).--Inthe springof' 1936,a large loon was taken near the Hudson'sBay Company'spost at RepulseBay. I was told that the nativeshad been very surprised, and had said that they had never heard of sucha bird. Parts of the skin were kept for a time, but there was nothing left of it when we reachedthe post in the fall, so that I have no data to suggestwhich of the two large loonswas represented. The presentspecies is quite common on the north shore of Hudson Strait, and in the Nettilling Lake area in westernBaffin Island [Soper,1928: 76], but on the west side of Hudson Bay it barely stragglesnorth to Churchill. The Yellow-billedLoon, G. adamsi,was recorded by J. c. Ross[cf. Sutton, 1932: 13] from Boothia Peninsula, but there are no other records north or eastof BakerLake. [A singlespecimen was taken at Munk Islandby G. W. Rowleyin 1939 (Taverner1941). BetweenHantzsch River and Straits Bay Common Loons were fairly numerous,but none were definitely identified north of the latter place, although I thought I heard one at Piling. Neither Sutton (1932: 13) nor I observedany on SouthamptonIsland, but the Eskimosare quite familiar with it, and say it definitely occursthere occasionally.Mr. Bowes, the Canadian Government radio operator at Nottingham 506 BRA,Birds o! SouthamptonIsland, etc. [Oct.Auk

Island in 1938, told me there were three speciesof loons on that island.-T. H. M.] REt>-TI•ROAT•t>LOON, Gavia stellata (Pontoppidan).--I never grew accustomed to the abundance of these loons. On the low limestone marshlandeast of Crozier River, on Abadyar, Nerdlonaktoq,and Iglulik Islands,and in the lessrugged parts of the granite country northwest of QuillJam Creek, Red-throated Loons breed on almost every lake. Only watersso small that a bird in the middle would be almostwithin shotgunrange are commonlyunoccupied. They comenorth fairly early,a pair reachingIglulik Islandon June 3. I firstsaw newly hatched young at the mouthof CrozierRiver on July 24. On August7, a native broughtme a youngloon not more than 48 hoursold. I consideredthis an exceptionallylate date. Of eleven nestswithin a few milesof the headof Quilliam Creek,only onewas on the mainland; the otherswere built on small grassyislands close to the main shore of the shallow lakes. They were constructedfrom decomposingvegetable stems, and were invariably so infestedby flies and mosquitoesthat the eggsseemed to lie in a gray massof insects. They were the most revolting homesI have ever seen. In 1936I found this speciesabundant on the islandsin the mouth of BoasRiver, not only amongstthe geese,but on the small muddy islandsat the edge of the open bay where their companionswere American Brant and Herring Gulls. As in 1937, the first young hatchedon July 24. On August10 I collectedtwo youngbirds which were still entirely coveredwith down, althoughthey had grown to nearly three-quartersthe length of their parents. Owing to the ab- senceof standingwater, there were no loonsbreeding on the tundra west of the river as far as the limestone-ridgearea, where there were at least two pairs. I last saw loons in 1936 on September18 at Cape Munn. Kak-kak-kak-kak-kak,the hoarse laugh of the Red-throatedLoon is one of the most notable of the tundra sounds,and generallyserves to distinguishthis speciesfrom the next; the othercalls, uttered more often from the water, I never learned to separate,but I have never heard a startledRed-throated Loon squealon diving, as the Pacific Loons almostalways do. PACIFICLOON, Gavia arctica pacifica (Lawrence).--Thisis a more locally distributedspecies than the last, and has not yet been recorded north of LancasterSound. It is the commonbreeding loon at Churchill,but is very rare on the southshore of HudsonStrait. Soper[1928: 77] foundit fairly commonin southernBaffin Island, Vol.•o] BE*Y,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. 507 •94• .•

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TEXT-FIGURE1.--Map of region visited by Reynold Bray in 1936-1937. 508 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[Auk Oct. and Sutton states that it is as numerous as stellata in the south-east part of SouthamptonIsland. [Sutton (1932: 14) saysthat "The PacificLoon is an abundantand widelydistributed summer resident all along the south and south-westshores of Southampton. . ." Speakingof the Red-throatedLoon (1932: 18) he says:"Scarcely so commonas the PacificLoon in the regionof Coral Inlet and Prairie Point. At CapeLow, however,it wasthe commoner..."--T. H. M.]. In 1936it wasmuch less common than the smallerspecies at the Bay of God's Mercy; I found two nestsonly, both of them on islandsin the mouth of BoasRiver. Eggsin the first nest I found, hatched-- one on July 22, the other on July 24. In the regionof Fury and Hecla Strait the proportionof arcticato stellata appearedto be a little higher than at the Bay of God'sMercy. Of four breedingpairs, one nestedbetween the granite ridgesabout eight miles south of Fury and Hecla narrows,two on the low limestonetundra east of Crozier River, and one pair used to fish off the southeastpoint of Iglulik Island through the last half of August. Parry saw a pair on NerdlonaktoqIsland [I cannot find this refer- ence, but Parry (1824: 435) mentionsboth 'Black and Red-throated Divers' at Arlagnuk.--T. H. M.] and the nativestold me the species nestson Iglulik Island. One of the nests near Crozier River con- tained one egg on July 22, two daysbefore the hatchingof the Red- throatedLoons on the next pond; there were two when I next visited the nest a week later. The voice of this loon is particularly varied and weird; one common cry reminded me of the laughing Arctic fox. If surprised,it often gives a very expressivesqueal, like an animal in the greatest possiblepain, the instant before it dives. [In general,I think arctica is lesscommon than stellata on South- amptonIsland and the north shoreof FrozenStrait. In West Baffin Island, betweenTaverner Bay and Piling, it appearedto be the commoner. Both speciesare very uncommonon the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak.--T. H. M.] HOLSOELL'SGRES•, Colymbusgrisegena holboelli (Reinhardt).-- Manning preserveda single specimenwhich had been obtained by nativesfrom South Bay, SouthamptonIsland, in 1934. This seems to be the only record of the specieson or north of Hudson Strait. ATLaNTiCFULM•,R, Fulmarus glacialis glacialis (Linnaeus).--Prob- ably occursrarely in the northern part of Foxe Basin. [Hantzsch (Hesse1915: 145) saw one on October2, 1910, on the shoreof Foxe Basin,presumably near the mouthof the KoukdjuakRiver.--T. H.M.] Vol.•o]•948 ,• BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsl,,na, etc. 509

Someof the nativessay they have seenbirds betweenIglulik arid BaffinIsland, mostly in spring;such individuals may have come through Fury and Hecla Strait. Fulmars are abundant in Admiralty Inlet, and I have a specimenof the light phasefrom Arctic Bay. Rowley saw immensenumbers feeding on the carcaseof a narwhalwhich had been killed by killer whalesin the northern part of the Inlet near Strathcona Sound. I saw none on the watersaround SouthamptonIsland in 1936. [Sutton (1932:24-25) sawone at SouthBay, April 26, 1930.--T.H.M.] WmS•rL•NGSwa•, Cygnuscolumbianus (Ord).--Very uncommon in the northern part of Foxe Basin. I heard of only one which had beenshot a few yearsago on Iglulik Island. Richardson(1825: 240) mentionsa specimencollected at Iglulik Island on June 19, 1823,by Parry'sexpedition. Amongstthe nativesfrom RepulseBay to Cock- burn Land, SouthamptonIsland is renownedfor its swansand geese. Baird and Rowley found swansnumerous on Coats Island in the fall of 1936. A pair of swansnested about six miles west of the mouth of Boas River not far from the edge of the gooseterritory, and two more pairson islandsin the rather deeplakes amongst the limestoneridges. One of theseislands, not more than fifty yardslong, was also occu- pied by a small colony of Arctic Terns. On September16, on the west coast of Southampton about half way between Cape Kendall and Cape Munn, I found a pair of swanswith three flightlessyoung. Both the old birdsrose while still a long way out of range,and though they circled for a time, when I began to chasethe young they soon flew off and did not return. I never saw Snow Geesfi or Brant be- have thus indifferently. I believe swansoccur occasionallyin northern Baffin Island, possiblybreeding near Pond Inlet and on Bylot Island [cf. Soper,1928: 95] but I have no wholly satisfactoryevidence. [We saw no swansalong the shoresof Foxe Basin or Foxe Channel, but the Eskimossay they sometimesoccur in northwestFoxe Penin- sula. An Eskimosaw two flying over RepulseBay Postin the spring of 1937. We sawnone while at FrozenStrait, but Parry (1824: 240) recordsa nest on Winter Island.--T. H. M.] HuTcmNs's GoosE, Branta canadensishutchinsi (Richardson), (Iglulik name, 'Kangoq'). AMEmCANBWN% Branta bernicla hrota (Miiller), (Iglulik name, 'Nerdleq'). LEssEuSNow GoosE,Chen h. hyperborea (Pallas), (Iglulik name, 'Kangoq'). 510 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. tOct.[Auk

BI•t• GoosE,then caerulescens(Linnaeus), (Iglulik name, 'Kan- goviq').--Geeseare very uncommonon the eastcoast of Melville Pen- insula,at leastfrom Repulse Bay as far asFury and HeclaStrait, and along the north shoreof Foxe Basin. The Iglulik nativesdo not knowof any breedingcolonies in this area,although they say that 'nerdleq'(which seems to denoteany darkgoose) visit Nerdlanaktoq in ratherlarge numbers in spring[cf. Parry,1824: 435). Capt.G. F. Lyon found Snow Geeseand Brant numerousat the mouth of Crozier River in July; [accordingto Parry (1824:461), Lyon saw 17 geese and one nestwas found.--T. H.M.] alsoon Nerdlanaktoq.Between June 12 and August6, at the mouthof the sameriver, I sawgeese onlyonce, on June 18,when two Brantalighted on a poolnear camp; they left the sameday, and I neversaw them again. On August5, whenthe nativespicked me up at my summercamp, they told me that Pjugatuk,the besthunter from Iglulik, had seengreat numbers of 'nerdleq'on NerdlanaktoqIsland in June. Nevertheless,there were none when I reachedthe islandmyself on August 12, although it looked a very favorablegoose country. This suggeststhat geese have becomeless plentiful in the districtduring the past hundred years. As far asI know,there is nowonly onelarge breeding ground of SnowGeese within the presentterritory of the Iglulik natives;on Satorrssuaq[Baird Peninsula]and the neighboringSadleq Island [Bray Island] in Piling region. And, judging from old ruined stone corrals,the peoplesay that here, too, the birds must formerlyhave been more widely distributed. Rowley found Snow Geesebreeding in small numbers at the head of Strathcona Sound, in the northeastern part of Admiralty Inlet; I have two specimenswhich appearto be ordinary hyperborea. This is the most northeasterlypoint from which the race has been reported; examplesfrom Dundas Harbor on Devon Island, from EclipseSound, and from Bylot Island, represent atlantica. [Cf. Taverner 1935: 116.] The situationof the big goose colonyat the mouth of BoasRiver, Bay of God's Mercy, Southampton Island, seemsto resemblerather closelythat describedby Soper on BowmanBay, but the proportionof Blue to Snow Geeseis roughly reversed,Snow Geese being at least fifteen timesas numerousas Blue Geese. I recordedonly two nestsof pure Blue Geese,six of Blue Geese paired with SnowGeese, two of Hutchins'sGeese, eleven of Brant, and more than a hundred Snow Geese. I verified that four of the mixed pairsconsisted of male Blue Geesemated with femaleSnow Geese. Egg layingwas over when I reachedthe breedingground at the endof June, so that I have no data on incubation. Dates of hatching were re- VoL•945 •o] ]•RAY,•i•'d• 0! So"t•'•tO'••'•, •. 511 markablyuniform, as follows:Bluc and Snow Gccsc,July 16-18; Hutchins'sGccsc, July 21; Brant Geese,July 25, 24. Only two clutchesof SnowGccsc eggs remained unhatched after July 20. On that day the Bluc and Snow Gccsc,accompanied by their tiny young,left their nestingislands and began to walk inland up the river. When I first realized this generalmovement, the rear- guardalready had a startof severalmiles, and I neverproperly caught up with the main body. In the evening,I gave up the chase,and returned to my camp in order to preservethe specimensI had al- readycollected. I did not sccthe geeseagain until large flocks,probably of non-breedingadults, appearedon the coastin August. I do not know the purposeof this migration; the islandswhere the majority of the gccscnest arc coveredwith an unusuallyluxuriant growth of grasses,and the birds arc remarkablyfrcc from enemieswhile in the region. Throughout my stay on the north shoreof the Bay of God'sMercy, I sawfoxes on only two occasions,first on June $0, several miles outsidethe westernborder of the gooseterritory, and again on August28, at the mouth of the river. Manning saw a singleowl on August27 and the region is far from the rangeof Duck Hawk and Gyrfalcon. This leavesthe jaegers,which arc not numerous. One pair of Long-tailedJaegers and four ParasiticJaegers nested within ten miles of the centerof the goosecolony. The Brants nestedbelow the territory of the other gccscon the small islands which, at low tide, rose a few fcct above a maze of mud fiats and shallowchannels of fresh water. Herring Gulls, King Eiders, and a few P•cd-throatcdLoons shared this territory with the Brants. Within two days of the hatching of the young, the Brants disappearedin their turn, although I never saw them leave, and after July 26, I did not find them until August20 when I saw four adults and nine young amongstislands near the east bank of the river. I chased them for a long time, until the old birds flew off, and with somedifficulty I at length caughttwo of the young. If they had kept to the land, I might neverhave caughtup with them, but they took to the water wheneverthey could,and I was able to wade much faster than they could swim. The territory of the Brantsex- tended for several miles each side of the mouth of the river, but I found none breeding inland of the area of tidal mud. Thus the range of the Snow Geesescarcely overlapped that of the Brants. I found only two nestsof Hutchins'sGeese, one amongstthe Snow Geese,about a mile behind the high-tide mark, and the o•cr, with six eggs,on one of the outer isletsclose to three nestsof King Eiders. 512 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[Auk Oct.

[Besidesthe Blue and SnowGoose colony at the Bay of God'sMercy, scatterednests of thesefour speciesoccur in other suitablelocations on SouthamptonIsland, as do thoseof Branta canadensisleucopareia. Sutton (1932: 30-31) concluded,chiefly from Eskimotestimony, that B.c. canadensisalso occasionallynests on the island.--T. H. M.] WHITE-FRONTEDGOOSE, Anser albifronsalbifrons (Scopoli).-There seemsto be no positiveevidence of the occurrenceof this speciesany- wherein the area or on the westcoast of HudsonBay, or on the main Arctic coast east of Coronation Gulf. [Cf. Taverner, 1935: 117.] AMERICANPINTAIX, Dafila acuta tzitzihoa (Vieillot).--On the west coastof HudsonBay thereis no certainrecord north of Chesterfield. [I collectedspecimens near SeahorsePoint, SouthamptonIsland, on June 8 and 26, 1938. Five wereseen altogether. A flockof 15-30 were seen by Eskimosnear Native Point severaltimes during June of that year. In July, 1940,I frequentlysaw two to five at a small lake near the coastabout 15 miles north of the Koukdjuak River. Taverner (1935: 117) saysthat a specimenhas been taken at Cape Alberta (by J. ]2). Soper),on the north side of Foxe Peninsula. --T. H. M.] NORTHEm•EIDER, Somateria mollissima borealis (Brehm), (Iglulik name, 'Miteq•).--The most notable breedingground of the Northern Eider in northwestFoxe Basin seemsto be Sioraq (Parry's Tern Island). I did not visit the islandin the summer,but Father Bazin and the nativeswere often talking about it. Parry [1824: 282-283] visited it on July 27, and found a great many eider's eggsas well asa heapof shellsleft by the Eskimos. He namedit from the abund- anceof terns. It lies betweenIglulik and JensMunk Island. Eiders are saidalso to be very numerouson Ugli and Uglerglakdjuk(Parry's North and South Ooglit Islands). At any rate, the speciesseems to be confinedto the outlying island, beyond the reach of foxes,and I found no trace of it on Iglulik, Nerdlernaktoq, Abadyar, or Qiqek- talu [between Abadyar and the mainland] islandsnor the islands in Hooper Inlet, nor anywhereon the mainland, although King Eiders are commonat all theseplaces. The nativesconfirm this. I never saw this specieson the north shoreof the Bay of God's Mercy. [I saw a few there in July, 1934.--T.H.M.] A number nestedon islandsin a lake inland from GibbonsPoint about eighteen miles from the head of the bay on the east shore. They sharedthe islandswith Herring Gulls and terns. King Eiders were abundant along the north shoreof the bay, and were alsomuch more numerous than Northern Eiders at the edge of the land floe, and in the pack Vol.60'] BRAY,Birds o! SouthamptonIsland, etc. 5 13 •94• .• in the north part of HudsonBay and Roe'sWelcome, June, 1936. s. m. borealisand dresserishould intergradein the region. [Eidersare saidto remain asfar north asCape Fullerton throughout the winter. In 1940 they were still numerouswhen we left on De- cember20, and I sawlarge numbers there in early March, 1937. All identifiedat CapeFullerton after October20 wereof thisspecies, and probably"sedentaria" (Snyder 1941) though specimens collected have not yet been identifiedsubspecifically. Both speciesnest on the islands in Frozen Strait, but are scarcealong the bold northeast coast of Southampton Island. King Eiders are by far the more numerous breeding eidersat Taverner Bay. The Northern Eiders probably do not neston the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak, althougha few do at the north end of Taverner Bay.--T. H. M.] KING EIDER, Somateria spectabilis (Linnaeus), (Iglulik name, 'Miteq').--This is an abundant breeder in the northeastof Melville Peninsula, especiallyat the mouth of Crozier River, where it nests on the grassybanks of the pools. I never found a nest away from the immediate neighborhood of water, nor more than three miles from salt water. It seemedto prefer lower, more swampycountry than the Old Squaws,and I have never found nestsof both at the same pond. I saw large flocks of males in the southern part of Admiralty Inlet, from May 16 onward, but I believe the speciesnever winters in the northern part of Foxe Basin. [No eiders were seen at the floe near HantzschRiver betweenOctober 7, 1938, and April 17, 1939.--T. H.M.] On Southampton Island I found King Eiders nestingalong about twenty miles of swampycoast on the north shore of the Bay of God's Mercy. Nests were either just above high tide (the favoriteterritory of the Sabine'sGulls), or on the islandsamongst the tidal flats. About twelve miles west of the river, where the tundra, though still very low and coveredwith a good growth of grasses,was beyondthe influenceof the early summerfloods, the territory of the King Eiders ceasedabruptly. Nor did I see any on the east coast of the bay in the Gibbons Point region where the coast is formed of rather high beachesof broken limestone. This is all very different from the circumstancesnoted by Sutton (1932: 77): "They [the King Eiders] nest,not on the off-shoreislands in the larger lakes,as doesthe Northern Eider, but in the middle of the tundra, often far from a lake, and only infrequently near any sort of body of water." For sometime after the eggsare laid, the malesremain with the femalesin the neighborhoodof the nests,but early in July they dis- Birdsof SouthamptonIsland, etc. LF Oct.Auk appear,presumably going out to sea. On SouthamptonIsland I saw the last maleson July 10, about forty, very wild and without ducks,at the headof the Bay of God'sMercy. At CrozierRiver, in 1937,I sawno malesafter July 2. On SouthamptonIsland, the first eggshatched on July 26; at CrozierRiver, on July 21. I did not see any eiderson the southshore of Fury and Hecla narrows. I noticeda gn'eatdifference between the behavior of newlyhatched eidersand geeseof the sameage. The duckswere extremely lively a few hoursafter hatching, and wereeven quite difficult to collectat all; whereasthe youngof all the geese,as if, in their silkydown, they knew that theywere the aristocratsof their family, seemedto require almost constantattention from their parents throughout the first day of their lives. When captured they would lie quite still, only piping feebly,and they never tried to escapewhen I took them into my tent; bu• a brood of youngducks less than a day old, which I had carried home in a rucksack,climbed out of it and escapedfrom the island altogetherwhile I was taking off my boots. RED-BREASTEDMERGANSER, Mergus serrator Linnaeus.--Someof the Iglulik nativesknow this speciesfrom the Chesterfieldarea, but I have no evidencethat it occursfarther north, althoughSoper [1928: 87] found it fairly numerousin southern Baffin Island. [Birds probablybelonging to this specieswere seenby Eskimosat Ranger Brook, SouthamptonIsland, in August, 1934.--T.t-I. M.] OLD SQUAW,½langula hyemalis (Linnaeus), (Iglulik name, 'Ag- giuk').--An abundantbreeder on all the lands surroundingFoxe Basin,except perhaps the lowestalluvial marshregions. It hasnone of the dependenceupon the seawhich the King Eider seemsto show, and as far as I ever walked into the interior of Melville Peninsula west of Crozier River, there were few lakes which did not possessa pair. On the high countrynorth of the inlet and on the limestone tundra it was lessnumerous. I first noted it in large numberswhen I returned to Foxe Basin from Admiralty Inlet at the beginningof June. There were immenseflocks at the edgeof the floe off the southeastpoint of Iglulik, and on my trip in to my summercamp at the mouth of Crozier River we saw innumerablepairs courting on the poolsof freshwater which covered the ice. On Southampton Island I neversaw an exampleof this specieswithin the area subject to the springfloods, although it was commonon the poolsof the limestone-plateauarea behindthe eastshore of the bay. West of the river I found only two pairs,both on the deep permanentlakes amongstthe firstridges, well out of reachof the floodwater. It is Vol.•'[ B•¾, Birdsof SouthamptonIsland, etc. 515 probablyone of the veryfew birdswhich inhabit the far interiorof the northern islands and of Melville Peninsula. fold Squawswere abundanton the seaand lakesat FrozenStrait and SeahorsePoint, but few were seenalong the bold parts of the northeastcoast of SouthamptonIsland. In 1940they were numerous duringthe breedingseason along the eastcoast of FoxeBasin between KoukdjuakRiver and TavernerBay, but I doubt if any birds nested south of the ridges.--T. H. M.] A•aElUCANROVGH-'•EC. gED HAWI<, Buteo lagopuss.]ohannis (Gmelin). -On October7, on the mainlandbetween Gore Bay and RepulseBay, while we were sledginginto the post for the first time, one of these birds flew low over our heads. This summer (1937) about three breedingpairs were obtainedby Manning from the shoresof Frozen Strait. Baird found a nest on the limestone screes of the West Nuvudlik [The Points], about twelve miles inland from the head of the Bay of God's Mercy, July 8, 1936. [They were rather numerous at Frozen Strait, but less common along the Foxe Channel coast of SouthamptonIsland. Six were seenin May, 1938, at SeahorsePoint, but none later. A singlebird was seen flying at Taverner Bay on June 8, 1940.-T. H. M.] WHITE GYP.FALCON, Falco rusticolus candicans Gmelin.--I have evi- denceoœ only two nestings. One on the north shoreof AdamsSound, Admiralty Inlet, where I saw the nest and collectedone adult on May 9; the other on the cliffsof Qiquektalu,between Abadyar Island and the mainland. I never visited this site, but Father Bazin told me he usedto seethe birds everyyear. It must be very closeto the big colony of Herring Gulls near the west side oœAbadyar. The birds I saw in Adams Sound were extremelypale (white) examples, and the Abadyar ones are said to be much the same. Fathers Cartier and Fafard, of Wakeham Bay, on the south shore of Hudson Strait, told me that they ate about eighteen gyrfalcon eggs,taken from four nests(they found five but one wasinaccessible), all within ten miles oœthe post, in May, 1937. All the birds are said to have been very dark. I saw one dark bird at the head of Wakeham Bay on September18. [One breedingpair was seenby P.M. Bennett in 1938on Bushnan Island. I saw an occasionalmigrant or wanderer at Southampton Island and northeast Foxe Basin.--T. H. M.] Ducx HAWX,Falco peregrinusanatum Bonaparte, (Iglulik name, 'Kaijuk').--Rathercommon in northwestFoxe Basin. I sawnesting birds on AbadyarIsland on June 5; on the north shoreof Quilliam 516 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[-Auk Oct.

Creekon June 11; and southshore of Fury and Hecla narrowson June30. I sawno falconswhile I wasnear the goosecolony at the Bay of God'sMercy. [Duck Hawksnest along the Foxe Channelcoast of Southampton Island, and near SeahorsePoint; they alsonest, but lesscommonly, on both sidesof FrozenStrait. One breedingpair wascollected from Pilingin 1940. Only two or threeothers were seen on the westside of Foxe Basin.--T. H. M.] "WHITE-SHAFTEDPTARMIGAN, Lagopus lagopusleucopterus Tav- erner,"(Iglulik name,'Akkigiq').--The year 1937 was a poorone for ptarmigan.On my way backto Iglulik from ArcticBay, Willow Ptarmiganwere abundantin the southernpart of Admiralty Inlet and on the land crossingfrom Admiralty Inlet to Gifford Fjord during the last weekof May. All specimensobtained had white primary shafts;I have no evidenceas to the breeding of this race on Mel- ville Peninsula. [Some White-shaftedPtarmigan remained all winter at Taverner BEy,1939-40. They were plentiful there the following spring, and some probably nested. I saw none at HantzschRiver or to the north of there. I identified none among the large flocksof Rock Ptarmiganon the north side of FrozenStrait in the springof 1937 or in the fall of 1940. In somewinters they are rather commonon SouthamptonIsland. I have not seenthem there during the summer, but Sutton (1932: 88-90) considersthey nest among the 'willows in the South Bay region.--T. H. M.] KE•.•.oc,g's PTA•MXGAN,Lagopus rupestris kelloggae Grinnell, (Iglu- lik name, 'Akkigiq').-Ptarmigan do not nest on the low limestone islandsof northwestFoxe Basin (Iglulik, Nerdlernaktoq), and the nativessay they do not occurin the limestone-fragmentarea in northeast Melville Peninsula. This suggeststhat Willow Ptarmigan are not commonon Melville. During the summerI saw only two ptarmigan,presumably of this species,on the high hills (about700 feet) northwestof Quilliam Creek, although I wasteda good many days examiningthis bleak region. A large flock reachedAbadyar Island on September14, when they were seenby natives;but the mission schoonerarrived at Iglulik on the sameday, so that I never had a chance to hunt them. They were rarely seen in winter. There was a small flock on March 9 on the ice southof Munk Island, and anotheron April 28, near the head of Admiralty Inlet. Manning has sent home a number of Rock Ptarmigan from Frozen Strait. Only one of these, a Vol.60'] BI•Y, Birdsof SouthamptonIsland, etc. 5 17 •94• a female from PolecatHarbor, June 8, is sufficientlyadvanced in the brown plumageto be identifiedcertainly as kelloggae. The locality is near the probableborder of kelloggaeand rupestris,and the date is too early for one to be sure that the bird was not on its way to a nesting ground still farther north. [Rock Ptarmiganwere very plentiful in 1937 during the spring migration on the north side of Frozen Strait, and on September26, 1940, a flock of 1,000 was seen there as well as many smaller ones. Some nest near SeahorsePoint, and one breeding female was col- lectedthere. No ptarmiganwere seen in August,1938, on the northeast coastof SouthamptonIsland betweenCape Weisford and East Bay, but in 1934I sawtwo familiesthat musthave been bred inland from there. During the first half of August, 1938, they were numerous on northwest Foxe Peninsula. A few were seen in the summer at the north end of TavernerBay, and in August,1940, between there and Piling. They were fairly commonat Taverner Bay and Hantzsch River during migration. Taverner has referredmy specimenstaken on the eastside of Foxe Basin to L. r. rupestris.--T.H. M.] L•TrL• BROWNCRA•, Grus canadensiscanadensis (Linnaeus), (Ig- lulik name, 'Tattigak').--I saw no cranesin 1937, but the Old Queen [an Eskimo] saw one on Iglulik Island in June. Nativessay that cranesused to breed on Iglulik, but no longer do so, though they may still on Nerdlernaktoq. The well-knownbreeding ground of cranesin northernFoxe Basinis in the Kangerkslukjuak[Steensby Inlet] region, and near Piling. [I saw no cranesaround this coast. --T. H.M.] G.F. Lyon [Richardson, 1825: 353] shot a crane near the mouth of Crozier River on June 25, 1823. The speciesranges northward,though not very commonly,at leastto westernBylot Island and Pond Inlet region. [P. D. Baird (1940: 227) sawone on Bylot Island in 1939; M'Clintock (1860: 137) saw a pair there in 1858.-- T. H.M.] Father Bazin gave me a photographof one he had shot near Pond Inlet. I saw only one crane in 1936, on the coastsix miles west of the mouth of BoasRiver, June 22, and I heard severalon the Roe's Wel- comeshore, about half way betweenCape Kendall and Cape Munn, on September8. [They may occuranywhere on the limestoneor marshyregions of SouthamptonIsland. On June 14, 1937,I saw a pair flying over the north side of Frozen Strait. Rae (1850: 159) saw eight cranesflying north near Garry Bay in 1847.--T. H. M.] 5 18 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. LOc•.I'Auk

EUROPEANRINGED PLOVER, Charadrius h. hiaticula Linnaeus, (Ig- lulik name, 'Kudlikudliakdjuk').--I have one specimenfrom Arctic Bay, datedJune 8, a very early date for a specieswhich must have migratedvia Iceland and Greenlandfrom Europe. The specieshas otherwisebeen recordedonly from Pond Inlet [Soper,1928: 103], and Clyde River, northeastBaffin Island. It appearsto be a common breederin the northeasternpart of Admiralty Inlet. [Hantzsch(Hesse, 1915: 169)obtained a specimenfrom Cumber- land Sound. Kumlien (1879: 83) regardedit as commonerin Curn- berland Soundthan the SemipalmatedPlover, but Soper (1928: 103) did not recordit there, thoughhe took many specimensof the latter species.--T.H. M.] SEMIPALMATEDPLOWR, Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, (Ig- lulik name, 'Kudlikudliakdjuk').--Onthe limestonebeaches of the southshore of Quilliam Creekand at the mouth of CrozierRiver, on the granite as well as on the limestoneshores, this is the commonest of the breedingbirds. I collectedspecimens also from the unpromis- ing rugged shore of Fury and Hecla narrows, and from Abadyar Island. I never saw it on Iglulik Island, but natives say that it is abundanton the disintegratinglimestone beaches south of Hooper Inlet. I first sawthe specieswhen on my way in to the head of QuillJam Creek on June 12, when they seemedto be mated. On the evening of June 30, I found a nestwith two eggs;two more were laid on con- secutivedays, and three of them hatched in the early morning of July 26, or rather more than twenty-threedays after the fourth egg had beenlaid.' I first collectedyoung less than twenty-fourhours old, on July 13. All the nestsI found were on the bare limestone beachesnear high tide mark, and were not decoratedin any way. OccasionallyI used to seebirds feeding in the meadowsbetween the ridgeson the granite sideof Crozier River up to a mile from the sea; but they kept, for the most part, to the beaches,and though they used to follow me noisily on my walks up the river, I never saw one more than two miles from the mouth. The young at first are very helpless,and cannot live long without constantbrooding; nevertheless,on some occasionsthey may leave the 'nest' almost as soon as they are all dry, and stumble as far as severalhundred yards until the mother thinks it safe to brood them. During my first stay on Abadyar, in August, I found one family with fully-fledgedyoung on August 8. I noted no increasein numbers due to migrantsfrom the north, and after leavingAbadyar on August Vol.f•o] BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. 519 •94B .•

12, sawonly one more bird, a youngmale broughtin by a native on September11. I do not know how far north the rangeof this speciesextends or whether it overlapsthe territory of hiaticula, but, sinceit breedson the south shore of Fury and Hecla Strait in its narrowestpart, it will almostcertainly be found on the much more favorablecountry round Gifford Fjord and in the low limestonecountry betweenAgu and Bernier Bay. I saw no SemipalmatedPlovers while at the Bay of God's Mercy, and indeeddid not expectthe specieson the mud flats and flooded marshes;but I noted a singleindividual on the gravel beachat Cape Kendall on September6. [SemipalmatedPlovers are the mostabundant birds on the gravelly beachesnear SeahorsePoint, but elsewhereon SouthamptonIsland they are not particularly common. They are fairly numerous at Frozen Strait and on the coastof Baffin Island from Cape Dorset to Wordie Bay (excludingthe Great Plain of the Koukdjuak). We saw none north of Wordie Bay.--T. H.M.] AMERICANGOLDEN PLOVER, Pluvialis dominica dominica (Miiller), (Iglulik name, 'Tudliakdjuk').--I believe this speciesis exceedingly uncommonin northwestFoxe Basin; I did not seea singleindividual during spring,summer or fall, althoughI took great care to identify the Black-belliedPlovers which were rather common,especially during migration. The Iglulik nativesdo not distinguishthis species. I found no Golden Ploversbreeding in the marshesat the Bay of God's Mercy, but they were numerouson migration after August 1. [A few scatteredpairs probablynest in suitableplaces throughout SouthamptonIsland. None were seenon the northeastcoast or at Frozen Strait. Eight Golden Ploverswere seen and two were collectedat Taverner Bay on August 10, 1939. The only other Golden Plover identified on the shoresof Foxe Basin was a single juvenile collectedat JennessBrook on August 11, 1940. Hantzsch (Hesse, 1915: 167) saysthat the Golden Plover was the characteristicbird of the tundrasto the southwestof Lake Nettilling, but Soper (1928: 101-102)saw only two in the Nettilling Lake area. On August25, 1938,I saw severalhundred ploversnear the mouth of Koukdjuak River, but they were not identifiedspecifically, and it is mostprobable that they belongedto the following species.--T.H. M.] BLACI•-BELL•EDPLOVER, Squatarola squatarola (Linnaeus), (Iglulik name, 'Tudliakdjuk').--Fairly commonin northwestFoxe Basin area, although I have no positive evidenceof nesting. On June 8, 1 saw 520 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[-Auk Oct. two birds on Iglulik Island. On June 18, a flock of nine visitedthe mud flats at the mouth of Crozier River, and I collectedthree specimens,the sexualorgans not much enlarged. On July 2, I sawand collecteda solitaryfemale from Fury and Hecla narrows;I twicesaw birds in July on the dry limestonetundra east of the river. On August12, I sawa bird on NerdlernaktoqIsland. Youngbirds were fairly commonamongst the migratingflocks on the east coastof Iglulik. From August 20 until I movedto Abadyar on the 31st, I sawat leastone everyday, thoughnever more than five together. The nativessay that the speciesnests on Iglulik Island. I saw only one individual at the Bay of God's Mercy, near the mouth of the river, July 24, 1936. [A few were regularly seenat the head oœthe Bay of God'sMercy throughout the summerof 1934, and somenest at other placeson the marshy coast of SouthamptonIsland. None were seen on the northeast coast of the island or at Frozen Strait. Black-bellied Plovers nestedfairly commonlyat Taverner Bay and I observeda few nesting birds on the west coastof Foxe Peninsula. Only two birds were seen on the flat land between Taverner Bay and the Koukdjuak River during the 1940 nestingseason. A few probably nest in any suitable marshes north of Hantzsch River. I saw some on Baird Peninsula and Bray Island towardsthe end of August.--T. H. M.] RuD•)¾TuR•sxo•E, Arenaria interpres morinella (Linnaeus).-I have no evidence of breeding in the northwest Foxe Basin area. During my stay on the mainland, I never saw a Turnstone, and there were none on Abadyar Island from August 8 to 12, but they became numerouson the east coastof Iglulik on August 16, and remained commonuntil I left on August 31. I collectedseven specimens, all oœthem juveniles. I saw none on Abadyar from September1 to 14. I think there were three pairs nestingin the grassytundra west of BoasRiver, but I never found a nest,and collectedonly one young bird, still flightless,on the late date, August 16. There were a few Turnstones around high-water mark throughout the summer, but they becamemuch commonerduring the fall migration. Around August16, somevery large flocks (above100 birds)rested behind an isolatedrocky point about ten miles westof the mouth of the river, where they were associatedwith White-rumpedand Red-backedSand- pipers, Red Phalaropes,and Knots. On Iglulik, their particular companionswere Purple Sandpipers. [On some of the limestoneareas of SouthamptonIsland, Ruddy Turnstonesare a very commonnesting bird. None were seenon the Vol.60] BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. 521 •945 a northeast coast of the island or at Frozen Strait. They nest quite commonlyat Taverner Bay, but are scarceto the northward and southward of it.--T. H. M.] HUDSONIANCURLEW, Phaeopus hudsonicus (Latham).--The Iglulik nativesdo not know this species,and did not recognizea pictureof it. One specimenwas obtained by Bernier from Arctic Bay. A flock of about fourteenfrequented the marshesat the head of the Bay of God'sMercy throughoutJuly, 1936. Manning had seenthem in the sameplace two yearsbefore. I sawone bird on the tidal flats about six miles west of the mouth of Boas River, on August 4. [SeveralHudsonian Curlews were seen at RangerBrook between July 21 and July 25, 1936,and a singlespecimen was collected near Leyson Point on July 16, 1938. None were seen elsewhere,and I know no recordfor BarfinIsland exceptthat given above (cœ.Tav- erner, 1934: 122).--T. H. M.] AMEmCANKNOX, Calidris canutus rufus (Wilson).--Wehave a few summerspecimens from the Bay of God's Mercy, and Manning collected a young bird from the east side of the bay in 1934, which must have been bred there; but I believe this is unusual. I collectedone specimenin full winter plumageon August12, at the mouth of the river. Around August 18, quite large flocks appeared on the shore. I found no trace of the species,either as breeder or migrant, in 1937, and I got no definite information from the Iglulik natives, althougha few believethey may have seenindividuals in the fall. [In 1936, I saw a few Knots inland on the rather bare limestone ridgesnorthwest of the Bay of God'sMercy; I think they nest there. I saw two Knots near Leyson Point, SeahorsePoint, and Cape Dor- chester; none elsewhere.--T. H. M.] PURPLESANDPIPER, Arquatella maritima (Briinnich).--On June 9, 1937,I sawa singlebird on Iglulik Island, and the sameday collected three from Ugliakdjuk in Hooper Inlet. Throughout the summerI looked for the speciesin vain, although I had particularly hoped to find it breeding on the rugged shore of Fury and Hecla narrows. Accompaniedby Turnstones, Purple Sandpipersbecame very common on the eastcoast of Iglulik on August 17, and continuedto pass until I left at the end of the month. I collected one old bird on August20; sevenothers collected, and almostall seen,were juveniles. They were the tamest birds I have ever seen in the Arctic except perhaps the young Snow Buntings. Their whistle reminds me a little of that of the White-rumpedSandpipers, but it is much louder, 522 BRAY,Birds o[ SouthamptonIsland, etc. LOct.I'Auk and rather wheezy. I did not seeany Purple Sandpiperson Abadyar in September,but one was brought to me there by a native on Sep- tember 11. I sawa singlebird at Cape Munn on September18, 1936, but none on the unsuitable shoresof the Bay of God's Mercy. [Sutton (1932: 124-126) noted it in migration on Southampton Island, and suggeststhat it probably nestedon the northeastcoast; but I saw none there, at Frozen Strait or SeahorsePoint. Purple Sandpiperswere commonduring the fall migration at Taverner Bay. They were very numerousat the Bird Islandsand nearbymainland on August 1-2, and no doubt nest there.--T. H. M.] PECTOe,•LSAm)V•VER, Pisobia melanotos (Vieillot).--I collectedone from a pair which had been feeding at the tide line on the evening of July 11, 1936, about six miles west of the mouth of Boas River. This specimenwas in full breeding plumage. Around August 20, I usedto seesingle individuals quite often amongstthe flocksof White- rumped, Red-backed,and SemipalmatedSandpipers on the shore; but the specieswas never numerousuntil September8, when it even made up a majority of the mixed flocksof Pectoral,White-rumped and Red-backedSandpipers and Red Phalaropeson the shoreof Roe's Welcome, about half-way between Cape Kendall and Cape Munn. On September9, I countedbands of 23, 11, and 18 in the sameplace. I have no evidence of their occurrenceanywhere north of South- ampton Island. [Sutton (1932: 126-128)noted the PectoralSandpiper in migration and nestingat South Bay. A singlespecimen was collectedat Tav- erner Bay on August 20, 1939. It has not otherwisebeen recorded from Barfin Island.--T. H. M.] WI-I•T•-RUMPm)SAm)P•e•, Pisobia [uscicollis (Vieillot), (Iglulik name, 'Sikdjeriak').--In 1937, I did not observethis speciesuntil July 14, near the rapids of Crozier River. Then I collecteda set of four youngabout twelvehours old on the night of July 18-19, and a secondset in almost exactly the same place on the night of July 20-21. I think there was a third nest near, but I never found it. On July 24, aboutsix White-rumpedSandpipers appeared near camp, and two that were shot proved to be juveniles. By the end of the month the specieshad becomevery common. Small parties,almost entirely juveniles, crowded the tidal pools near the mouth of the river, especiallyon the granite side. During my shortstay on AbadyarIsland in AugustI sawno White- rumped Sandpipers,but they were extremely abundant on Iglulik Island, at least from August 13, when I arrived, until the end of the vol.1943a o] .• BRAY,Birds of $o.thamptonIsland, etc. 523 month when I went back to Abadyar Island. The numberlessshal- low poolswhich lie in the hollowsbetween the shoreridges swarmed with youngWhite-rumped Sandpipers and Red Phalaropes,and these two made up the great bulk of the mixed flockswhich were passing along the east coastof the island throughout August. Since I never visitedIglulik Island in July, I cannotsay whether this speciesbreeds on the island,and beyondthe threepairs near camp,I neverobserved it during the nestingseason, although I was alwayson the lookout for White-rumpedSandpipers amongst the nestingBaird's which were so commoneverywhere. I haveno goodevidence of nestingin the Bay of God'sMercy region, althougha few birdswere presentthroughout the summerand noted near the headof the bay on June 8; a pair wascollected near camp on July 12. AboutJuly 31 theybecame exceedingly abundant, keep- ing up a majority amongstthe flocksof migratingshore-birds which fed on the mud flatsin front of my campuntil I left on August30. But they were never as numerousthere as during the fall migration on Iglulik Island. [White-rumpedSandpipers are the commonestnesting sandpiper in the SeahorsePoint region. They were an abundantmigrant at East Bay in September,1937, but I identifiednone along the coastto the north of there or at FrozenStrait. They nest quite commonlyat WaverherBay, but not near the coaston the flat land to the south. They were numerouson the west coastof Foxe Peninsula.--T. H. M.] BAmx)'sSA•X)•'x•'•R, Pisobia bairdi (Coues),(Iglulik name,'Sikdjer- iak').--I neversaw this specieson SouthamptonIsland, and it is probably very scarcein the southernpart of the island. Sutton obtained a few specimensnear Coral Harbour. There are no records from the adjacent mainland coast. Manning has sent out a number of skins from Frozen Strait, but so far there are insufficient data to determinethe statusof the speciesin that locality. In Quilliam Creek and Crozier River regions,on the south shore of Fury and Hecla narrows,and for as great a distanceas I ever walked into the interior of Melville Peninsula from the head of the creek,this speciesis secondin numbersonly to the longspurs.In fact, it is evenmore widely distributed, nesting not only on the lime- stonemarshes and the low granite country near the river, but also on the high, desiccatedlimestone plateau and at 800 feet on the bleak hills overlookingthe narrows,where even the longspurshave scarcely penetrated. It seemsto like water near its nestingsite, but does not mind if the supplyhas dried up by mid-July. I first heard the 524 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[Aul• Oct, bird on a misty day at Abadyar Island on June 7, and first collected it on the southshore of QuilliamCreek on June12, but it wasalready commonwhen I reachedthe headof the creekon June 14. Through- out the nestingseason the trill of the Baird'sSandpipers was the most characteristicsound of the tundra. They are very noisybirds, one female calling constantlyeven while brooding her young. In this the bird shows a remarkable difference from the behavior of the White-rumped Sandpiper. I took a set of four youngabout 24 hoursold on July 11, and two more sets,very recentlyhatched, on the night of July 21-22. The latter representsa more typical date. The speciesseems to show a slight tendencyto a colonial habit; I found two nestsvery closeto- gether,at a place where there were six pairs of excitedparents flying around. ! took one young bird about 3 days old on July 11, and another almostcertainly from the sameclutch, fully fledgedand able to fly freely, on July 18. During fall migration time, there was no apparent increasein numbers due to new arrivals from the north (in contrast to the White-rumped Sandpipers). On Abadyar Island, from August 8 to 12,I sawonly threesandpipers, all of themof thisspecies. On Iglulik Island, from August 13 to 31, I never observedthis species,although there were many thousandsof White-rumped Sandpipersand phalaropes,and considerableflocks of Purple Sandpipersand Turnstones. [In the fall, Baird's Sandpiperswere numerousin flocks mixed with White-rumpedSandpipers at Taverner Bay. A numberof flocks in which no White-rumpedSandpipers were identified,were seenon the north side of Foxe Basin in late August, 1940.--T. H. M.] LEASTSANDPIPER, Pisobia minutilla (Vieillot).--There are no recordsof this speciesfrom north of the tree line, either eastor westof HudsonBay, with the exceptionof Kumlien's (1879:86) which were almostcertainly due to confusionwith the SemipalmatedSandpiper. RED-BACKEDSANDPIPER, Pelidna alpina sakhalina (Vieillot).--I have no good evidenceof the nestingof this speciesat the Bay of God's Mercy, thougha few birdswere presentthroughout the season. The first migrants appeared on August 3, and from that date they remained numerouson the mud flats and tidal poolsuntil the end of the month. Around August 18, I sawflocks of more than a hundred nestingamongst the ridgeswest of my camp. I never noted the speciesin the Iglulik region,and noneof the nativesthere recognized the pictureof it. This is odd. Hennesseyobtained it on Melville Island. [Not mentionedin his report on the birds, 1910: 502-508. --T. H. M.] Vol.19436o] ..I BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. 525

[We saw no Red-backedSandpipers at Frozen Strait, Seahorse Point, or anywhere on the coastof Foxe Basin.--T. H. M.] SV.MIPALMATED SANDPIPER, Ereunetes pusillus (Linnaeus).-- An abundantbreeder on the big grasstundra westof BoasRiver. This speciesand the Red Phalaropeare the commonnesting land birds in this region which is probably too wet for many species.It was alreadynumerous when I reachedthe Bay of God'sMercy on June 20, and its characteristicallyhigh-pitched trill was the dominant soundof the tundra until the youngwere hatchedabout the middle of July. It remindedme of grasshopper-hauntedmeadows at home. I never saw the bird on the islands in the mouth of the river, and obtainedonly one genuinedowny about four daysold on July 24. Young birds, someof them certainly lessthan a week old, were common aroundhigh-tide mark near my westcamp on August3. There are no recordsof this speciesnorth of the southernshore of South- ampton Island where Sutton [1932: 142-147] found it the commonest nestingsandpiper in the South Bay region. I never saw it in the Iglulik area, and Manning did not collectit from Frozen Strait. [At Taverner Bay, SemipalmatedSandpipers are not as common as White-rumpedSandpipers, either in migrationor as summerresi- dents,but they are rather more numerousamongst the ridgesto the north. None were seennorth of Straits Bay. They were numerous at the Bird Islandson August 1, 1938. They probablynest in suitable placesover most of SouthamptonIsland, but I saw none at Frozen Strait.--T. H. M.] SANDERLING,Crocethia alba (Pallas).--I never saw this specieson the north shoreof the Bay of God's Mercy, which is probably too muddy. Manning took threespecimens on July 16 at GibbonsPoint, on the beachesof disintegratedlimestone forming the east shoreof the bay. Sutton[1932: 148] suspectedthat the speciesnested on the westernpart of the island,but he had no certainevidence. AlthoughI took specialtrouble to look for it in 1937,especially at the mouth of Crozier River where shingle beds and banks of sand and mud made up what seemedto me a perfectSanderling country, I did not identify a singleindividual. I never saw it amongstthe flocksof migratingshore birds on Iglulik Island in August,and if it occursat all in this region, it is uncommonor very local. [I sawno othersbesides the three abovementioned. The only record for BaffinIsland is a small flock seenby Kumlien (1879: 87) at Niantilik, CumberlandSound. Sutton (1932: 148-150)noted it as a migranton SouthamptonIsland.--T. H. M.] 526 B•Y, Birdsof SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[-Auk Oct.

R•) PX-IALAROP•,Phalaropus [ulicarius (Linnaeus).--Thecommon- est breedingland bird on the grasstundra near the shoreat the Bay of God's Mercy. Exceedinglynumerous. Most of the birds had arrived when I reachedthe area on June 20, although we found them still quite commonat the edgeof the open water about six miles off shore at Chesterfield and in Roe's Welcome. I used to see both sexes, at the nest and on the poolsof melted snow near high-watermark, up to July 4. On July 10, there were large flocksof femalesplaying and feedingat the edgeof the sea (the ice havingvery recentlygone out from the head of the bay). I sawno more femalesafter July 11. In 1937,the specieswas not numerousin CrozierRiver area; about six pairs nestedin the low limestonecountry at the mouth, in the long grassat the edgesof permanentpools. It seemsto require a much damperhabitat than Baird'sSandpiper. It wasfirst seenwhen a pair occupiedthe pool in front of my tent on July 19. On Iglulik Island, from August 12 at least until the end of the month, young birds teemedon the shallowinland pools,and off the easterncoast of the island. They were even commonerthan the White-rumped Sandpipers,and more numerousthan they ever were at the Bay of God's Mercy. There, the numbersdid not increasegreatly during August. All birds observedduring migration were juveniles. At least three pairs nested on Abadyar Island. I do not know if the speciesnests on Iglulik Island. Manning took one specimenat Gib- bons Point in July in practicallyfull winter plumage. [Red Phalaropesare probably commonin all suitable districtson SouthamptonIsland. None were seenon the northeastcoast of the island, and only two at Frozen Strait. They were by far the commonest birds in the coastal area on the very flat land between Koukdjuak and Taverner Bay, Baird Peninsula,and Bray and Kock Islands towards the end of August, 1940.--T. H. M.] NORTHERNPHALAROPE, Lobipes lobatus (Linnaeus).--Sutton(1932: 156) obtainedone specimenfrom SouthBay. No recordfor the mainland coast north of Chesterfield; no record for Baffin Island. [A male and female were taken at Taverner Bay on July 25, 1939, and a female a little to the southof there on July 4, 1940.-T. H. M.] POM/mINEJAEgEr, Stercorarius pomarinus (Temminck).--The least commonof the jaegersin the Bay of God's Mercy region. I never saw one there, though Sutton (1932: 157) obtained it at Cape Low. I saw none during our trip up Roe's Welcome to York Bay in September. In 1937,I sawthe speciesonly on Iglulik Island. Five birds (three Vol.6o] BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland? etc. 527 dark, of which I collectedone, and two with light under parts) fre- quented the southeastcorner of the island, at least from August 21 until I left on August 31. They were especiallyattracted by the remains of a white whale left by the Eskimosat Iglirssuit when I was the lone inhabitant of the place. I never saw the Long-tailed Jaegersat the carcase,but Herring and Glaucous Gulls used to feed therewith the PomafineJaegers. The nativessay the speciesbreeds here and there in the area, but is nowhere numerous. [I saw no PomarineJaegers except between the KoukdjuakRiver and Taverner Bay where they almostcertainly breed.--T. H. M.] P^R^S•T•CJ^•R, Stercorariusparasiticus (Linnaeus), (Iglulik name, 'Ishungnuk').--Muchmore commonthan the Long-tailedJaeger in the westernpart of SouthamptonIsland. At leastfive pairs nested in 1936 along some twenty miles of shore line on either side of the head of the Bay of God's Mercy. Birds were seen at every landing on the shoreof Roe'sWelcome in September. I saw thirteen at the head of the Bay on July 9, but couldnot find a nest. I observedno other traceof a colonialhabit. All the birdswere in the light phase. I never saw this bird in 1937. There are few satisfactorydata as to its statusnorth of SouthamptonIsland and Koukdjuak River. LON•-T^•L•DJ^•aS, Stercorariuslongicaudus Vieillot.--Much the commonestjaeger in the northwest Foxe Basin area. At least six pairsnested in 1937on the shoresof Quilliam Creek and at the mouth of Crozier River. Seenon Abadyar, Iglulik, and Ugliakdjuk Islands (at least three pairs on Iglulik). I collecteda youngbird on Iglulik, August 31. On SouthamptonIsland I found this speciesmuch less common than the last. I saw only one pair, and collectedthe female, near my west camp, in June. [In general,I think the ParasiticJaegers are commonerthan the Long-tailedon SouthamptonIsland, though at certain times they are outnumberedlocally by the latter. I saw no jaegerson the northeastcoast of SouthamptonIsland or at Frozen Strait. Both Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegerswere very abundant, nesting between Koukdjuak and Taverner Bay. North of the latter place a few ParasiticJaegers were seen,but no Long-tailedJaegers were definitely identifiedwest of Munk Island. At the eastend of that island two Long-tailedand three ParasiticJaegers were seen.-T. H. M.] G•ucous GULL, Larus hyperboreusGunnerus.--Less common in the Iglulik area than the next species. Throughout the summerit occursthroughout the district,but I do not know of any nestingcolony. 528 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. [-AukL Oct.

[No nestingcolonies of this specieswere seenon the east side of Foxe Basin, but in the fall immature birds were quite numerousat HantzschRiver and Taverner Bay. None were seenat Frozen Strait. The only colonyi know on SouthamptonIsland is at the mouth of CanyonRiver where there were about twenty nestsin 1937. Nine pairs nestedon Walrus Island in 1936.--T. H. M.] HERRINGGULL, Larus argentatussmithsonianus Coues. THAYER'SGULL, Larus a. thayeriBrooks.--There is a large colonyof Herring Gullson the cliffsof the westernpart of Abadyar. Two pairs nestedon isolatedrocks in poolsat the mouth of CrozierRiver, one in each pool. i collectedthree youngbirds, lessthan 24 hoursold, on August18. I collecteda dozenskins, averaging rather dark thayeri,but theywere all eatenby puppiesafter a stormof September26. ! saved only a singlewing, from a bird shot betweenIglulik and Nerdlonak- toq Islandson August 11. This bird was noticeablypale in flight, and is not much darker than some of the probable kumlieni in the Canadian National collection. At the Bay of God's Mercy, where gulls breed commonlyon the smallestislands in the mouth of BoasRiver (within the area of the Brant), the first young hatchedon July 26. i took a fully fledged youngbird on Iglulik island at least twenty miles from any nesting site,August 23. On August20, at the Bay of God'sMercy, the young gulls were still unable to fly, but they were mostly on the wing by August29. The birds from the Bay of God'sMercy seemto be very nearly typical smithsonianus. Manning has a number of skinsfrom Polecat Harbour, Frozen Strait, which are very similar to South- ampton specimens.This district is about 150 miles southof iglulik. There is a famousgull cliff near the Hudson'sBay Company'spost at RepulseBay, which givesto the regionits native name,Naujan. [Herring Gulls are commonon all the coastsof SouthamptonIsland, Foxe Basin, and scatterednests occur in many places. There is a large colony at BrooksBluff, eight miles east of Polecat Harbour, and severalcolonies of varyingsizes on the southside of FrozenStrait and the northeastcoast of SouthamptonIsland. There are two col- oniesnear the north end of Taverner Bay, and one near StraitsBay. The specimenscollected from theseplaces have not yet been compared.--T.H. M.] IvoRY Gt•L•, Pagophilaalba (Gunnerus). ATLANTICKITTIWAKE, Rissa tridactyla tridactyla (Linnaeus).--isaw neither of thesebirds. The iglulik nativessay that Naujavah, the small white gull with black legs,is occasionallyseen in late fall in the north- Vol.19456o] .• BRAY,Birds o[ SouthamptonIsland, etc. 529 westernpart of Foxe Basin. Iktukshakdjuk,the 'Old King,' told me that manyyears ago he found enormousnumbers nesting in the interior of Brodeur Peninsulaand on the cliffs of Prince Regent Inlet (Port Bowen region). He had been nearly starving,and lived for some time on the eggs. J.C. Ross[1835: xxxv-xxxvi] reportedboth these speciesbreeding near Port Bowen, but no one has collected Kitti- wakeswest of the Atlantic coast,or breedingIvory Gulls from Canadianterritory. I haveone summerskin from Arctic Bay where the speciesis fairly numerous. [Sutton (1932: 182)and I eachobtained an Ivory Gull from South- ampton Island. Sutton (1932: 183) consideredthe Atlantic Kitti- wake a rare migrant there.--T. H. M.] SABI•E'SGULL, Xema sabini (Sabine).--Breedscommonly immedi- ately abovehigh water in the floodedmarshes at the Bay of God's Mercy, and together with terns, nests on islands in the mouth of Boas River, although the terns are everywheremore numerous. I firsttook young (lessthan 24 hoursold) on July 23. I sawno young birds flying beforeAugust 14. Most of the adults left the islanddur- ing the last ten daysof August. At this date they are still in almost completesummer plumage. In 1937,I did not seethe speciesuntil August12, off Nerdlonaktoq Island. Later I foundtwo familiesin the southeasternpart of Iglulik Island. The parents and young were still together. The natives seemedto admiremy specimensgreatly, so I think the speciesis not very commonin the region. On Iglulik, as on Southampton,the Sabine'sGulls are closelyassociated with terns. Their call reminded me of a rusty clockwork mechanismbeing wound up; they are lessnoisy than the terns,and the voicesof the two are really very different. [Sabine'sGulls nest abundantly between Koukdjuak River and Taverner Bay. At the end of August, 1940, I saw severalincluding juveniles on Baird Peninsulaand Bray Island. On Southampton Island, Sutton (1932: 184-189) found them nestingin the South Bay region. I saw none on the northeastside of the island, at Frozen Strait or at LeysonPoint, although terns were numerousat the last place.--T. H. M.] ARctin TER•, Sterna paradisaeaBriinnich.--Abundant breeder at the Bay of God'sMercy, and at severalpoints on the Roe'sWelcome coast. I took the first youngbird, lessthan 24 hoursold, on July 19. During my stay at the mouth of Crozier River in 1937, I saw only one tern, in July. It doesnot nest in Quilliam Creek, and I never 530 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. LOct.[-Auk sawone in Furyand Hecla narrows. But it isan astonishinglyabundant breederon someof the small low islands,both granite and limestone, in HooperInlet, and betweenAbadyar and Nerdlanktoq.It also nestsin somenumbers on the eastcoast of Iglulik Island. There is considerablevariation in the color of the nestlings. Eggsand newly hatchedyoung were seenas late as August 12. [Arctic Terns are common on all the low coast of Southampton Island, but I saw none at Frozen Strait, the northwest coast of South- ampton Island, or SeahorsePoint. On August 15, 1938, I saw over 2,000, including young, on the islandsoff Cape Dorchester. They were commonbetween Koukdjuak and Taverner Bay, but nestswere found only at the north end of the bay. Terns were seenintermit- tently around the northeast coast of Foxe Basin. A considerable number nest on an island off the northeast corner of Munk Island. --W. H. M.] BRONNICr•'SMUR•E, Uria lornvialornvia (Linnaeus),(Eskimo name, 'Akpa').--I did not seethis speciesin westernSouthampton Island in 1936. There are large colonieson the limestonecliffs of CoatesIsland. I saw a few (and handled one) amongstthe Mandt's Guillemots, February, 1937, at the floe edge off Iglulik Island. The natives do not often see them, and know of no breeding place in Foxe Basin, but there are famouscolonies in the Navy Board Inlet region and northeastern Somerset Island. [At Taverner Bay, I saw eight on July 11 and twelve on July 15, 1938. They do not nest on SouthamptonIsland, and I saw none until eight milesoff SeahorsePoint on July 18. They becamenumer- ous as Nottingham Island was approached. Sutton obtained a few specimensfrom the South Bay region.--T. H. M.] DOVEKIE,Alle alle (Linnaeus).--I saw no individuals,but the Iglu- liks know the bird ('Akpilliakdjuk')well, and considerit commoner than Briinnich's Murre. It is most often seenin spring. There are no recordsof breedinganywhere in Canadian territory. MANDT'SGUILLEMOT, Cepphus grylle mandti (Mandt), (Iglulik name, 'Pitiulaq').--Abundantin some of the waters surrounding SouthamptonIsland. Commonat the edgeof the floe in Roe'sWel- come and off Chesterfieldin June. Abundant breeder on Walrus Island, South Bay. It is commonthroughout the winter at the floe edge off Iglulik. Breedson numeroussmall islandsin Hooper Inlet, and is probably distributed all over northwestern Foxe Basin and the east coast of Melville Peninsula,but is nowhere very common. I have downy ¾ø1'•ø'1•94• • BR^¾,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. 531 youngfrom a tiny limestoneislet between Abadyar and Nerdlanaktoq. A large tern colonyhad occupiedthe islet, and there were just two familiesof guillemotsamongst the terns. I sawguillemots in August amongstthe islandswhich block the entranceto QuillJamCreek, but none in the neighborhoodof my summercamp at its head, nor at Fury and Hecla narrows. [Mandt'sGuillemots occur along most of the granitecoasts of Foxe Basinand SouthamptonIsland, but are lesscommon off the limestoneshores. None were seenon the sea borderingthe Great Plain of the Koukdjuak.--T. H. M.] S•ow¾Owr•, Nyctea nyctea (Linnaeus).--Itis strangethat owlsare very uncommonamongst the nestinggeese at the Bay of God'sMercy. Manning sawa singleowl there on August28, and there wasa pair, presumablynesting, near a pool on the edgeof the dry plateauabout ten miles southof the head of the bay. The years1936 and 1937 were both bad letoming years. I saw no owls during the winter until May 29, a singlebird near the head of Admiralty Inlet. A pair nestedon a rocky knob of disintegratedlimestone about two milesfrom the headof QuillJamCreek. I sawone on AbadyarIsland in September. [SnowyOwls were seenoccasionally in all districts.-T. H. M.] Ho•ED L•tR•c,Otocoris alpestris (Linnaeus).--Thisspecies is not presentin the marshy tundra of the Bay of God's Mercy region. It is fairly commonall around Foxe Basin. Manning collecteda number from FrozenStrait in June. Nine adults taken from my summer workingarea in 1937,from June 18 to July 10, are all very alike, pale, and possiblynear to hoyti. Seven adults and young collectedon August 1 are very pale. Four migrant birds collectedon Abadyar Island, September3, are darker; one, very bright yellow, seemsvery near alpestris. It is possiblethat a new race is representedamongst the light birds from the eastern Arctic, but there is no more to be said without bringing together the Iglulik birds and the existing seriesfrom SouthamptonIsland and southernBaffin Island, Horned Larks are said not to occur on Iglulik Island itself, nor in the neighborhoodof the native campson the fiat limestonecoast south of Hooper Inlet. The speciesis a fairly commonbreeder in the Crozier River region--in the .drier limestonemeadows, on the high, dry, limestoneplateau, up to 800 feet on the highest of the bleak hills overlookingFury and Hecla narrowsand, most commonly of all, in the little valleys between the granite ridges west of the river. Only Baird's Sandpiperhas so wide a range of habitat. I 532 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. LF AukOct. saw no migrantson Abadyar, August 8 to 12, and none on Iglulik Island, but they were quite commonwhen I returned to Abadyaron September2, and remainedso until I left on September14. First arrivalswere one pair, noted on June 15, at the mouth of Crozier River. They were commonat Polecat Harbour; noted at Frozen Strait on October 3, 1936. [Horned Larks are fairly numerous summer residentsat Frozen Strait, SeahorsePoint and north end of Wavernet Bay. Wavernet (1941) has provisionallyidentified specimensfrom the latter place as hoyti; the othershave not yet been compared.--T.H. M.] NORTHERNRAVEN, Corvus corax principalis Ridgway, (Iglulik name, 'Tullugaq').--Ravenswere nowherenumerous while I was in the north. They were absentfrom the marshesat the Bay of God's Mercy,and only twiceseen in Septemberon the Roe'sWelcome shore. One or two Ravensremained near the Hudson'sBay Cornpany'spost at Repulse Bay, at least until I left on December21, and one was near Eqe, northeastFoxe Basin, in late March. One brood (three young) was raised near the mouth of Crozier River, and I saw the birds from time to time throughout the summer,but did not collect them. In SeptemberI sawone bird on AbadyarIsland. The Iglulik Eskimosregard Ravenswith a certain amount of superstitiousdread. [Several Ravens were seen during the summer at Frozen Strait, the northeastcoast of SouthamptonIsland, and SeahorsePoint. A few wereseen during the springand fall at HantzschRiver. At Cum- berland Sound I saw nine togetheron February 22, 1940.--T. H. M.] GREENLANDWHEATEAR, Oenanthe oenantheleucorhoa (Gmelin).-- I havea singlespecimen from Arctic Bay. I did not hear of any other occurrences.There are no records of Wheatears from any of the shoresof Hudson Bay or Foxe Basin, although they have penetrated Hudson Strait as far as Lake Harbour [Sutton 1932: 223] and have been reported from Boothia Peninsula [Ross, 1835: xxvi]. [I collecteda single specimenat Taverner Bay on September2, 1939.--T. H. M.] AMERICANPIPIT, .4nthus spinoletta rubescens(Tunstall).--Occurs up the east side of Melville Peninsulaat least as far as Fury and Hecla Strait. This is probably near the northern extremity of the range, and they are very local. I found Pipits breedingonly on the shelteredsouth slopesof the big valley which runs from the head of Quilliam Creek to Fury and Heda narrows. There was a pair breeding in each one of four shelteredmeadows. On August 9, I saw four Pipits in the westernpart of Abadyar Island, and migrant Vol.6o-[ BRAY,Birds o! SouthamptonIsland, etc. 533 birds were rather common around the native houses (southeastern part) fromSeptember 2 to 14,where they were associated with Horned Larks. This seemsto suggestthat the speciesextends across the strait to Cockburn Land. [Pipits are fairly numeroussummer residents at Frozen Strait and SeahorsePoint. On severaldays in mid-August,1938, they were the commonestbird on the northwestcoast of SouthamptonIsland. On the east side of Foxe Basin, I saw them only at HantzschRiver in late Augustand early September. On July 21, 1938,they were the most abundant bird at the northeasternend of SalisburyIsland. --T. H. M.] HoaRY REDPOLL,Acanthis hornemanni exilipes (Coues). HORNEMaNN'SREDPOLL, Acanthis h. hornemanni (Holboell). COMMONREDPOLL, Acanthis linaria linaria (Linnaeus). GREATERREDPOLL, Acanthis l. rostrata (Coues).--Redpollsare exceedingly uncommon in northwest Foxe Basin. When I reached Arctic Bay in May, I was told by nativesas well as the white men at the post, that redpollshad been commonall through the winter. During my stay the weather was bad, but I have two specimens collectedby nativeson May 12 and May 18. Many of the Iglulik natives who saw these specimensassured me that the birds were never seen in their country. Southampton Island and the north coastsof Baffin Island are well known for redpolls. The natives say that they are commoner in winter than in summer at Arctic Bay and at Pond Inlet, and that they are sometimesfound in the coldest weather, huddled together in little coloniesunderneath the snow. They are comparedwith ptarmigan in this respect. My specimensappear to be near rostrata, although the bills are a little heavier than those in the Canadian National collection. There is no other evidencethat this race winters regularly so far north. The only forms which have been establishedas breeding in Canadian territory are the two smallerones, linaria and exilipes,neither of which has been proved to occur north of Coral Harbour, Southampton Island. Rostrata has been found in Greenland, nesting. The rela- tion between these forms is interesting. It is worth noting that, at any rate in Canada, in latitude 70ø N., there are no bushescompara- ble with the willow thicketswhich form the nestingsites of redpolls in Southamptonand southernBaffin Islands. [There is no definite evidencethat redpolls nest on Southampton Island. Sutton (1932: 226-334) found redpolls quite common there during migration, but exilipes was the only one he saw during the 534 BRAY,Birds of SouthamptonIsland, etc. L[Auk Oct. breedingseason, and that onlya few times. At SeahorsePoint I collectedtwo redpolls on May 31, and twomore on June15, 1938. I saw no others on the island or at Frozen Strait. On the west side of Foxe Basin,twelve were seenon variousdates. Taverner (1941)identified the only adult collectedas rostrata.--T.H. M.] SLATE-COLOREDJUNCO, Junco hyemalishye•nalis (Linnaeus).--Oc- currence north of the tree limit is accidental, but records are sur- prisinglycommon. An individual picked up exhaustedon May 25 at the Hudson'sBay Company'spost at RepulseBay, and preserved by Manning, constitutesthe most northerly of these. Other records are from Coral Harbour [Sutton, 1932: 235-236] and Southern Barfin Island. WroTE-CROWNEDSPARROW, Zonotrichia leucophrys (Forster).--[A very fat juvenile female was collectedat Taverner Bay on September 17, 1939. This, accordingto Taverner (1941),constitutes a new record for Barfin Island.--T. H. M.] LAPLANDLONgSPUR, Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus (Linnaeus).-- The most generallydistributed of the breeding land birds throughout the areasvisited by us, and in many placesthe most numerous. It arrives a good deal later than the Snow Buntings, but before the larks and waders. In 1937, I first noted it near the head of Gifford River, latitude 70ø N., on May 28. I found a nest with six eggson the south shoreof Quilliam Creek, June 11. Newly-hatchedyoung were first seenon July 5, at CrozierRiver. Most of the youngLong- spurswere awing before July 13. Not many birds were left on Sep- tember 14 when I left Abadyar. Longspurswere not very numerous on the Bay of God's Mercy marshes;I supposethese were too wet for the species. [Longspursare numerousin suitable districtson Southampton Island and the westside of Foxe Basin. They are scarcein the coastal area of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak, but becomemore numerous inland.--T. H. M.] EASTERNSNOW BUNTING, Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis (Linnaeus). --Extremelynumerous, but confinedrather strictlyto rock exposures, particularly the massesof rotting limestoneon the south side of Quilliam Creek. It is absent from the marshesand grass tundra and few or none remain in winter. I saw none in the Repulse Bay areaafter early November,and noneduring our winter journeysuntil late April in Admiralty Inlet. Nestsare often in the farthestrecesses of the disintegratingrocks; both nestsand youngbirds are exceedingly hard to find until the youngcan fly, around June 13. •94• •

This is by f• the tamestof the northernspecies, a real Arcticrobin. Throughoutthe secondhalf of July, a br•d mademy tent its home, and therewere almost always several birds perched on the canvasor theguys. WhenI put up a secondtent on thewest bank of theriver, it w• at onceadopted by anotherfamily; just the samehappened at Iglulik, and twice on Abady•. [Snow Buntingsare numerousin all suitablerocky l•alities. --T. H. M.]

•E•NCES CITED BAreD, P. D. 1940. British Expeditionto North Ba• Island 1938-1939. Polar Re•rd no. 19: 225-227. HEN•SS•Y, •NK C. 1910. Report of Mr. F•nk He•sey on the B•ds, Ani•, Crus•c• and Fauna collected on the Expedition of the "•ctic" •pt. •. E. Bernie, report of the Dominion of Ca•da •v•nment Expedition to the •ctic Islands and Husdon Strait: 502-513.

1915. Bern•d Hantz•h's •nithologi•e Ausbeute in Ba•and. •o•. f. •ith., 63: 137-228. (Referencesquoted from manus•ipt •anslation by R. M. and M. B. Andean.) •N, LUDWIG 1879. Conffibutionsto the Nat•al Histo• of Arctic Amain, made in Co•ection with the Howgate Polar Expedition 1877-78. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 15:1-179. (Publishedunder the d•ection of the SmRhsonianInstRute.) McAnram, W. L. 1940. Obitua•: Reynold •elyn Onslow Bray. Auk, 57: 139-140. •ANN•G, T. H. 1942. Blue and •ss• Snow •ese on •uthampton and Ba• Is•nds. Auk, 59: 158-175, pl. 7, I map. •'CL•TocK, F•NCIS L. 1860. The Voyageof the "Fox" in the •ctic S•. A Na•ative of the Di•ove• of the Fate of S• •ohn Franklin and His •mpanions; 375 pp., 16 pls. 4 maps. (Ticknor and Fields, Bcston.) PA•Y, WILLIAM •DWARD 1824. •our•l of a SecondVoyage for the Dis•very of a North-west Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, pe•ormed in the y•s 1821-22-23 in His Majesty's Ships "Fu•" and "Hecla." 571 pp., 31 pls., 4 maps. (•ohn •ay, •ndon.) •A•, •OHN 1850. Na•afive of an Expedition to the Shores of the •ctic •a in 1846 and 1847. VIII + 247 + [1] pp. wi• maps. (T. & W. Boone,•ndon.) •O• •AM•S CLARK 1835. Appendix to the N•ative of a secondvoyage in searchof a North-west Pa•age, and of a residencein the •ic Regions d•ing the years 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, by S• •ohn Ross . , includ•g the reports of Commander,nowCaptain, •ames C•rk Ross. •ction on Birds: •V-XLV. (A. W. Webster, •ndon.) 536 CAI-IALANE,Birds of Kodiak-Afognak L[Auk Oct.

RICHARDSON,JOHN 1825. Account of the Quadrupeds and Birds. Appendix to Captain Parry's Journal of a Second Voyage for the Discovery of a North-west Passagein the years 1821-22-23. Zoological Appendix no. 1: 202-397. (John Murray, London.) SNYDER, L. L. 1941. On the Hudson Bay Eider. Occas. Papers Royal Ontario Mus. Zool., no. 6: 1-7. SOPER,J. DEWEY 1928. A Faunal Investigation of Southern Baffin Island. Nat. Mus. of Canada, Bull., 53: 1-143, 7 pls., 1 map. SuTToN, GEORGEMIKiCH 1932. The Birds of SouthamptonIsland. Mere. CarnegieMus., 12, (2, sect. 2): 1-275, pls. 11-24. TaV•RN•R, P. A. 1936. Birds of the Eastern Arctic. In Canada's Eastern Arctic, its History, Resources,Population, and Administration. Assembledby W. C. Bethune for the Northwest Territories Council: 113-125, 6 pls. (Unpublished.) Remarks on Birds Collected by T. H. Manning on Baffin Island. (In MS). Ottawa, Ontario

NOTES ON BIRDS OF THE KODIAK-AFOGNAK ISLAND GROUP

BY VICTOR H. CAHALANE DURXNGthe autumn of 1940, while gathering field data for the National Park Service,I spent about two weeksin the region of Shelikof Strait, southwesternAlaska. I arrived at Kodiak on Sep- tember95 and departedfor Sewardon October 11. Partsof two days (September29 and October 10) of this period were devotedto field work in the vicinity of Kodiak village and four days (September$0 to October 3, and October 8) in cruising along the northern and westerncoasts of Kodiak Island as far south as Larsen Bay and Uyak 'village.' Visitswere made ashore at two pointson southernAfognak Island, on RaspberryIsland, and in Viekoda,Terror and LarsenBays on Kodiak Island. In making this cruise in the seiner 'Hazel M,' I am greatly indebtedfor the help of my companionand pilot, N. J. Benson of Kodiak, Wildlife Agent of the Alaska Game Commission. I had no opportunity to collectspecimens, but kept noteson the birds observed. Becauseof the relative scarcityof field noteson the birds of this region, especiallyso late in the seasonwhen danger of fierce stormsdiscourages excursions by boat, thesesight observations may be worth recording. With the single exceptionof the Gadwall