Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska Part 9

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.

+Calcarius pictus+ (Swainson): Smith's longspur.--Specimens, 2: Wahoo Lake, 14658', 6908', 2350 ft., No. 31353, ad. male, July 9 and No. 31354, ad. female, July 7, 1952.

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-gra.s.s, other sedges, gra.s.ses 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 were a.s.sociated with open tundra supporting cotton-gra.s.s, 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.

+Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis+ (Linnaeus): Snow bunting.--Specimens, 6: Topagaruk, 15548', 7034', 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, 14510'02", 6920'30", 2920 ft., 1, No. 31355, August 1, 1952.

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.

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 ma.s.s weighed 20 grams. The new nest consisted of successive layers of new yellow gra.s.s 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, than elsewhere. In the same area, especially in gra.s.s 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.

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 buntings were in their black and white plumage, but on July 27, were in brown-white plumage.

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.

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.

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 a.s.sumed that eventually the birds would become established at Kaolak.

A juvenal female shot on August 1, 1952, at Mount Mary was 183 mm long and weighed 34 grams.

_Transmitted November 14, 1957._

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS

MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Inst.i.tutional 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 inst.i.tutional requests, or by the Museum of Natural History which meets the requests of individuals. However, 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.

* 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:

Vol. 1, Nos. 1-26 and index. Pp. 1-638, 1946-1950.

*Vol 2. (Complete) Mammals of Washington. By Walter W. Dalquest.

Pp. 1-444, 140 figures in text. April 9, 1948.

Vol. 3. *1. The avifauna of Micronesia, its origin, evolution, and distribution. By Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 1-359, 16 figures in text. June 12, 1951.

*2. A quant.i.tative study of the nocturnal migration of birds.

By George H. Lowery, Jr. Pp. 361-472, 47 figures in text.

June 29, 1951.

3. Phylogeny of the waxwings and allied birds. By M. Dale Arvey. Pp. 473-530, 49 figures in text, 13 tables.

October 10, 1951.

4. 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.

Index. Pp. 651-681.

*Vol. 4. (Complete) American weasels. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 1-466, 41 plates, 31 figures in text. December 27, 1951.

Vol. 5. 1. 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.

2. Two new moles (Genus Scalopus) from Mexico and Texas.

By Rollin H. Baker. Pp. 17-24. February 28, 1951.

3. Two new pocket gophers from Wyoming and Colorado.

By E. Raymond Hall and H. Gordon Montague. Pp. 25-32.

February 28, 1951.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Two new subspecies of Th.o.m.omys bottae from New Mexico and Colorado. By Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 59-71, 1 figure in text. October 1, 1951.

7. A new subspecies of Microtus monta.n.u.s from Montana and comments on Microtus canicaudus Miller. By E. Raymond Hall and Keith R. Kelson. Pp. 73-79. October 1, 1951.

8. A new pocket gopher (Genus Th.o.m.omys) from eastern Colorado. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 81-85. October 1, 1951.

9. Mammals taken along the Alaskan Highway. By Rollin H.

Baker. Pp. 87-117, 1 figure in text. November 28, 1951.

*10. A synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha. By E.

Raymond Hall. Pp. 119-202, 68 figures in text.

December 15, 1951.

11. A new pocket mouse (Genus Perognathus) from Kansas.

By E. Lendell c.o.c.krum. Pp. 203-206. December 15, 1951.

12. Mammals from Tamaulipas, Mexico. By Rollin H. Baker.

Pp. 207-218. December 15, 1951.

13. A new pocket gopher (Genus Th.o.m.omys) from Wyoming and Colorado. By E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 219-222.

December 15, 1951.