May 27

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June 5

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June 26

July 1

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July 17

Poetry
Gallery

                     << < July 10, 1899 > >>

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At Unalaska July 8 F. + I found the big Aleutian Leucosticte quite common, and Sandwich sparrows were universal. Their song is more like that of the eastern Song Sparrow than like the Savannah's song. The Lapland longspurs were very common, + sang and acted so much like bobolinks that it was good to see + hear them. Their flight call is very like the [female] bob's note, + the call of the leucosticte is a metallic chirp, chirp [illus]; + given just at the rise of their undulating flight. I got a fine [male] short eared Owl, + saw the others flying over the meadows. An Eagle, lots of ravens, + several seabirds were seen there also. At the Pribiloffs July 9 were colonies of little seabirds, [Page 46] various kinds of auklets. I couldn't indentify, leucostictes were too common, + Prib. Snowflakes were seen quite commonly on the upper slopes of St. Paul. Also about 4 dunlins were feeding in the long grass at the edge of the seal colony.

Fulmars were quite common, following and circling the ship everywhere in Behring Sea except close to land and shearwaters were also frequently seen. As we approached the Siberian [July 11] coast many small water-birds were encountered, but they were hard to identify. One beautiful [female] phalarope (probably the hyperborean) (later determined to be a red) flew close by the ship's bow, + have us a good view. When quite close in, the eiders became more + more numerous, but were quite wild, so that when we landed, we were only able to get one, a [female], which Trudeau shot. The flocks of Steller's ducks, with the [males] about 3 to one, went by just out of range, and Dr. Merriam thought he could distinguish several spectacled eiders among the passing flocks. Long-tailed Jaegers came screaming over the flats back of the Eskimo village, where the Snowflakes were common, the males in perfect summer dress, and singing a fine, tho somewhat weak tinkling song. They are very beautiful in their clean black and white, and are extremely dainty and at the same time dignified as the [sic] walk around in the green, feeding and singing. [Page 47] Lapland longspurs were common, mating, apparently, tho young able to fly were found on the sparse? point. The Siberian yellow wagtail was found quite commonly and one white wagtail was seen + shot at by Fisher, but he failed to get it. The yellow wagtail and Snowflakes both had fully fledged young able to fly with the adults. We had cherished hopes of finding the spoonbilled Sandpiper, but were disappointed as none were discovered. A fork-tailed petrel was flying right near my window when I first looked out on the A.M. of July 10, between the Pribiloffs and St. Lawrence Id.

                    
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