3^4 



Till' and Feathers. 



[zoE 



absence ia so many specimens. la by far the majority, the incis- 

 ors are distinctly bilobate and the lobes have well-rounded tips; 

 but in some specimens the tips have become more or less worn, 

 and in a few individuals this process has proceeded so far that 

 the upper edges of the teeth are truncate, with scarcely a trace 

 of the median notch. In the specimens examined we have 

 noticed that most of those with perfectly truncate incisors have 

 the latter also reduced in number. This probably indicates that 

 both conditions are dependent upon age. 



The upper lips are pendulous, and are crimped into seven or 

 eight perpendicular folds; and the lower lips are heavy but not 

 crimped. The color is sooty on upper surface, with the base of 

 the hairs whitish. The ventral surface is lighter. 



I give below measurements in millimeters of eleven of these 

 specimens. It will be seen that they agree very closely with 

 Merriam's type of the species. 



Zoological I/aboratory, Iceland Stanford Junior University , Jan. 12, 1894 



TAR AND FEATHERS. 



BY A. W. ANTHONY. 



Anyone who has collected sea birds along the Coast of 

 Southern California has doubtless noticed a peculiar soiled 

 condition of many of his specimens, consisting of a sticky, black 

 substance or black stain of greater or less extent, on the breast 

 and sides, which is frequently of such extent as to render the 

 specimens unfit for the cabinet. Eoons, grebes, and fulmars 



February 21, 1894. 



