128 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1898. 



abundance ; this rookery was visited July 4th. The nests for 

 the most part seemed to he quite high on the cliff's, and at this season 

 were occupied by the immature birds, many of which were able to 

 fly. The discharge of a gun caused hundreds of the adult birds to 

 take wing and circle about us. In a very short time, however, they 

 settled upon the cliff again, crowding upon each other and keeping 

 up a curious guttural sound. This species is represented in the 

 Stanford University collection by five fine specimens in breeding 

 plumage taken on the Pribyloff Islands July, 1896. A specimen 

 taken early in the season (June 14th) has the head and neck a deep 

 glossy black so nearly like the coloring of the back that it was diffi- 

 cult to make out the usual sharp line of demarcation. Hah., coasts 

 and islands of the North Pacific, from British Columbia to the 

 Kurile Islands. "Abundant on all the shore line of Alaska south 

 of the Arctic circle" (Turner). 



17. Cyclorrhynchus psittaculus. Paroquet Auklet. 



One specimen of this species was shot at Point Barrow, September 

 12th. But few of these Auklets were seen. Three specimens were 

 taken on St. George Island, July 26th, by Messrs. Greely and 

 Snodgrass. Hab., coasts of the North Pacific from Sitka to the 

 Kurile Islands. 



18. Simorhynchus eristatellus. Crested Auklet. 



These were very abundant on the water near King's Island dur- 

 ing the early part of July. The natives brought large numbers of 

 these birds on board our vessel to barter. I noticed, however, that 

 they always removed the small crest of the bird before disposing of 

 it. Whether they retained the crest as an object of ornamentation 

 or for some superstitious reason I was unable to learn. Three speci- 

 mens 1 from the Pribyloff Islands taken in July show an interesting 

 variation in the size of the sexes. Male: wing, 5A ins; tarsus, Its ; 

 middle toe and claw, lit ; exposed culmen, t% ; depth of bill at 

 nostrils, ts ; greatest width of bill at gape, II ; head, HI. Female : 

 wing, 5A ; tarsus, 1 ; middle toe and claw, Its ', exposed culmen, 

 T5 ; depth of bill at nostrils, tb ; greatest width of bill at gape, II ; 

 head, lit. Hab., coasts of the North Pacific from Kadiak and the 

 Pribyloff' Islands to Kamtschatka and northern Japan. Nelson 

 found this bird breeding in abundance on the Diomede Islands in 

 Bering Strait. They were not seen by us north of King's Island. 



1 Nos. 3,522, 3,523, 3,553, Stanford University, Greely and Snodgrass. 



