BIRDS. :^09 



it of tolliu,^ tlio reiudeer when a mau is iu pursuit ; and it is also said to tell the deer wLethei' or 

 uot a man is a good shot. Kumlieii adds that he has seen au Eskimo waste his last charge in 

 vainly trying to kill one of these birds, although a herd of deer was near by. 



In examining a large series of these birds, contained in the National Museum collection, great 

 variation is observed betweeu specimens from the same locality, and it is dififlcult to distinguish 

 any difference which may be ascribed to geographical influence. Spring specimens from the 

 Upper Yukou have a decided ashy shade on the crown, nape, and back, though toward the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts there is a more brownish shade. The dark centers of the feathers over this 

 I'egiou, the wings, and the tail are brown-edged, especially on the back, with a lighter shade. The 

 dark ashy of the nape extends forward ou the ear-coverts, and the vest of the cheek, superciliary 

 stripe, and the entire under surface are of a nearly uniform buff or a yellowish-brown of vary- 

 ing intensity. The chin and tail-coverts are a little paler. A series of small, poorly-marked black 

 and brown spots extends down the sides of throat from the bill and reaches across the breast, thence 

 continuing towards the sides. A young bird obtained at Saint Michaels, July 29, 1877, has the 

 crown and sides of the head brown, and the nape has au ashy wash of buff; the superciliary 

 stripe is faintly outlined. Back brown, witli dark central areas to feathers, as iu adult. The wings 

 dark brown edged with fulvous-brown. Tail similar to adult. A well-marked series of dark 

 si)ots and shaft-streaks extends down the sides of the neck to bill and forms a heavily-marked area 

 across the breast, and a less strongly-marked series extends along the sides and flanks. In the 

 youngest specimens the buffy shade is less marked than iu those which have attained their 

 second plumage or are iu the process of moulting. Bill, feet, and legs are pale in young birds. 

 The spring birds from the northwest appear grayer and more ashy above than specimens from the 

 Eastern United States at the same season. 



Anthus ceevinu.s (Pallas). liedthroated Pipit. 



This species was accredited to the Aleutian Islands in Zander, Cab., Jour, fiir Orn., Extra- 

 heft 1, 14, 1853. 



A specimen was recorded by Mr. Dall, at Saint Michaels, during the Kussiau Telegraph 

 Exi)edition. This specimen has beeu alluded to by myself, Ridgway, and others, erroneously, as 

 A. inatensis, which latter species is not knowu from Alaska. 



CiNCLUS MEXICANUS Swains. American Dipper (Esk. 7L7/7/t/-7t«-^rt^((7.). 



Throughout the Territory, wherever clear, swift-running streams afford suitable locations, this 

 bird is found. It has beeu obtained at Sitka and ou the island of Unalaska, in the middle of the 

 Aleutian chain, and by Turner iu the Near Islands, in August, and I have specimens from Fort 

 Reliance, at the headwaters of the Yukon, as well as from various points along the lower course 

 of this*stream, and along the shores of Norton and Kotzebue Sounds, where the small streams flow 

 iuto the sea. Some natives from the interior, near the northeastern part of Kotzebue Sound, iu 

 about latitude 69° N., described to me a little black bird that remains all winter about open spots 

 in the ice on the swift-running streams, and swims and dives in the water like aduck; this is 

 undoubtedly the Ouzel, and I received specimens from several localities iu that region. Several 

 were obtained aud brought me in mid-winter from the head of Norton Sound, during a cold ])eriod 

 when the thermometer registered as low as -50° at Saint Michaels, and they must frequently 

 endure a temperature of —00°, or even lower, since iu the interior the cold is almost invariably 

 much more severe than along the coast. On the Upper Yukon it is also a resident, whence the fur 

 traders brought me wintering specimens. Iu this region also the cold is intense, as shown by the 

 fact that in one instance a bottle of mercury suspended on the south side of a house remained 

 frozen for six weeks, during which time there were no means of ascertaining how low the temper- 

 ature descended below the —42° necessary to produce this result. Throughout this period these 

 hardy little birds were busily seeking their food as usual about the open places in the ice marking 

 the rapids iu the smaller streams, the icy waters and the frigid temperature of the air not appearing 

 to affect them in the least except, perhaps, to make them a trifle less active than usual. It seems 

 S. Miss. 156 JT 



