208 ALASKA. 



birds, some old ones having the I:gbt and more pointed 

 beak." 



We do not besitate now to follow Professors Scblegel and 

 Brandt in uniting tbe duhia and tetracula with the cristatella of 

 Pallas. We were never satisfied of tbe distinction of tbe 

 former, and in our Monograph expressed tbe strongest doubts 

 of its validity as a species. Tbe otber, however, we fully be- 

 lieved, until recently, to be a good species. 



C-24. Siniorliyiicliiis piisilliis, (Pall.) Cov-es.— Least, or Knoh-hiUed, 



Auk. '' Cboocb-kie."' 

 ? ? Alca pygnum, Gmelix. Syst. Nat., i, 555, (1788.)— (-Vo«Me 



jwtiiis:^. Alca camtschatica, Lepecil, juv. ; li. e. = S. cassini, 



XOB. ?) 

 Fhaltris pygmcm, Brandt. Bull. Sc. Acad. St. Peterslj., ii, 347, 



(1837.) (Excl. syn. A. pygmcea, Gm.) 

 Tylorhamplnis pygnma, Bp. Comtes Eendns, xlii, 774, (1806.) 



(=rna pusUla, Pall.) 

 Symorhyndius pygma'us, ScnL. Mus. Pays-Bas, ix, 23, (1867.) 

 Urla J;^^si7/rt, Pall. Zoog. R. A., ii, 373, pi. 70,(1811.) (ExcL 



syn.) 

 Phakris jnisiUa, Cass. Proc. Pbila. Acad., 324, (1862.) 

 Phaleris (Ciceronia) jmsilla, Cass. B. N. A., 909, (1858.) 

 Simorhynchiis pusilhts, Coues. Pr. Pliila. Acad., (1868.)— Brandt. 



Bull. Sc. Acad. St. Petersb., vii, 230, (1869.)— Coues. Key N. 



A. B., 343, figs. 227, 228, (1872.) 



Phaleris corniculata, Eschsch. Zool. Atl., 4, pi. 16, ( .) 



Phaleris microceros, Brandt. Bull. Sc. Acad. St. Petersb., ii.. 



346, (1837.) 

 Phaleris (Ciccronia) microceros, Cass. B. N. A., 908, (1858.) 

 Ciceronia microceros, Reichenbach. 



Simorhynchns microceros, Coues. Proc. Pbila. Acad., (1868.) 

 Phaleris nodirostra, Bp. Conip. & Geog. List, 03, (1838.) 

 Ciceronia nodirostris, Bp. Couiptes Rendus, xlii, 774, (1856.) 



There is now no reasonable doubt of the identity of tbe 

 names above quoted, excepting Alca injfjmcva, which remains 

 unidentified. It may have been this species, but most probably 

 it was the young of aS'. camtschaticiis, in the same state as tbe 

 young bird we recently called S. cassini. The strong doubt we 

 expressed in our Monograph respecting the distinction between 

 tbe microceros or nodlrostris of authors and the i)usilla of Pallas, 

 has been confirmed. 



"This little bird is the most characteristic of the water-fowl 

 frequenting the Prybilov Lslands, to which it repairs every 

 summer by millions to breed, with its allies, aS'. cristatella, (ca- 

 nooskie,) and the Phaleris jysittacula. 



" It is comically iuditferent to the proximity of man, and caa 



