30 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



by the Aleuts, so that we find Bretherton (1896) and Turner 

 reporting different forms of this word as the Aleut name for loon 

 in general, and Nelson applying it to the red-throated loon. 



The Arctic loon is widely distributed, nesting commonly on 

 parts of the coastal plains of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean, as 

 well as in many inland localities. It is quite common on the east- 

 ern portion of Alaska Peninsula, but it becomes exceedingly rare 

 to the westward, as the following records show. 



Bretherton and Bent report them nesting on Kodiak Island, 

 and Cahalane (1943) found them to be common in the Kodiak- 

 Afognak group in 1941. Friedmann (1935) records bones at 

 various levels in archeological diggings on Kodiak, this indicating 

 a regular occurrence over a long period. 



Writing of his observations on the Alaska Peninsula in 1940, 

 Cahalane (1944) says, 



We found this species common on the Naknek River September 3, and at 

 Brooks Lake September 9. . . . On the western shore of Shelikof Strait, I 

 recorded loons as "common" between Amalik and Katmai Bays, October 4, 

 and "abundant" on the following day in Amalik and Kinak Bays and Geo- 

 graphic Harbor. 



He also observed them off Cape Nushagak, October 7, but he 

 adds, "They were absent from the interior of the Alaska Penin- 

 sula, even where suitable habitats existed." 



These observations were made chiefly in the migration period, 

 when Arctic loons are strikingly abundant along the Alaskan 

 coast. On May 18, 1937, as we were approaching Valdez, Pacific 

 loons were scattered widely over the water of the fjord. We 

 counted at least 75 at one time. One loose flock contained 50 loons. 



In 1940, Gabrielson observed 30 or more pairs, as well as scat- 

 tered individuals, on Kvichak River, July 23, and he noted 2 of 

 these birds at the upper end of Iliamna Lake on July 24. On July 

 7, 1946, he noted a loon at Port Moller. 



Jaques (1930) found them to be common near Port Moller, 

 June 1-23, 1928. On May 29, 1936, I noted at least eight pairs, 

 apparently preparing to nest, among the ponds bordering the 

 lower reaches of Ugashik River, but they are scarce at the west 

 end of the peninsula. 



Farther west, these loons are less numerous. Among the Aleu- 

 tians proper, we did not identify a single Arctic loon during two 

 seasons of extensive field work and a third season of hasty recon- 

 naissance. The chief of Attu Village did not recognize pictures 

 of the bird and declared that no such bird occurs there. Donald 

 H. Stevenson, former warden in the Aleutian Islands National 

 Wildlife Refuge, reported them as "not common." His only spe- 



