ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 23 



Islands only on the strength of two pairs, which were observed by me 

 at rather close quarters, but not shot. 



In the evening of the 2Sth of April, 1883, I saw four black "Kajur- 

 kas" sitting on stones a little off shore to the south of the so-called 

 •'Reef Mys," near the village of Bering Island. I had good opportu- 

 nity of watching them with an excellent field glass, but as the tide 

 was running out and no boats or bajdarkas in the neighborhood, it was 

 useless to try to shoot. They were uniform blackish without any white 

 whatever on the wings, and the light patch on the eye-region was 

 plainly visible, so that there cannot be the slightest doubt as to the 

 correctness of the identification. I had been on a sharp lookout for 

 this species during the whole spring season, and offered the native 

 hunters a good reward for a wholly black "Kajurka," without white on 

 the wings, but without results. That, during the following weeks I 

 regularly revisited the i)lace where at first I observed them, may be 

 taken as almost a matter of course, but I never saw them again. 



9. Synthliboramphus antiquus (Gmel.) 



17biS. — Alca antiqua Gmel., Syst. Nat. I, p. 554.— Schi-egel, Mus. P. B. Uriiiat, p. 21. 

 (18G7). — Uria a. Kittlitz, Isis, 1832, p. 1104.— Temm. & Schleg., Faun. 

 Jap. Av. (p. 124, pi. 80) (1819).— Sch enck, Reis. Amiirl. I, p. 499(1860).— 

 SwiNH., P, Z. S., 1863, p. 330.— M, Ibis, 1874, p. 166.— Whitely, Ibis, 1867, 

 p. 209. — Bracliyrhamphus a. Dall & Bannist., Tr. Cbicag. Acad., I, 1869, 

 p. 310.— Dall, Avif. Aleut. Isl., west Unal , p. 11 (1874).— Blakist. & 

 Pryer, Ibis, 1H78, p. 210.— i/f/., Tr. As. Soc. Jap. VIII, 1880, p. IHO.— lid., 

 ibid., X, 1882, p. 90.— Blakist., Ameud. ListB. Jap., p. 8, (1884).— *S(/H/7i7i- 

 lorhamphns a. FiNSCll, Abb. Breiii. Ver., Ill, 1872, p. 80. — Dall, Avif. Aleut. 

 Isl. Uual. eastw., p. 11 (1873).- Taczax., J. f. Or n., 1876, p. 203.— /rf., Orn. 

 Fauu. Vost. Sibir., p. 74 {IS77).— Id., Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1877, p. 51.— 

 Id., ibid., 1883, p. 345.— Beax, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, p. 171.— Nelsox, 

 Cruise Corwin, p. UG (188:5).— Turner, Auk, 1885, p. 159. 



1826. — Ui'ia se7iicula Pallas, Zoogr. Ross. As., II, p. 367. 



1837. — Brackt/rainphiis bracln/pterus Brandt, Bull. Scieutif., II, 1837, p. 346. 



1839. — Mer<julu8 cirrkocephalua Vigors, Zool. Blossom, Orn., p. 32. 



1858. — iria carta Kittlitz, Denkw. Reise, 1, p. 288. 



The iStariJc ( = old man, so called probably from the white hair- like 

 feathers on the head ; hence Gmelin's name antiquus and Pallas's sen- 

 iciila) breeds on both islands, but only sparingly at Bering Island. In- 

 fact, the only i)lace where I know it to nest with certainty on the latter 

 is in the clifis of the outlying islet Arij Kamen. On Copper Island it 

 is more numerous, without being common there either. 



They seem to pass the winter on the open ocean, not far from the 

 islands, however, as two were seen and one was shot at Bering Island 



