174 ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



male, a downy cliick, and an egg. On Bering Island it does not occur at 

 all, except as a rare visitor during the winter. Taczanowski, it is true, 

 asserts (Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1882, p. 398) that he has received a 

 female and eggs from Bering Island, but this certainly is a mistake, as 

 the bird and eggs, in all probability, are from the place, mentioned 

 above, on Copper Island. I need not mention to anybody familiar with 

 the water birds that his determination of the bird as >S'. mollissima is en- 

 tirely wrong. This species, of course, does not at all occur in the North 

 Pacific. I repeat that the Eider does not breed now on Bering Island, 

 and has not bred there within the memory of the present inhabitants. 

 The "PisfraA;" was well known to the Copper-Islanders, w^ho considered 

 it a great delicacy, while only a few of the men on Bering Island had 

 ever seen it. The only one I myself observed, while on Bering Island, 

 was a white male near Zapadnij on the 9th of March, 1883. 



The downy young is in every particular a counterpart of the chick of 

 ;S', mollissima of the corresponding age. 



The oidy egg procured (:N^o. 2,210, U. !S. Nat. Mus. No. 21,782) measures 

 70 by 48 millimeters. 



79. Oidemia americana Sw. & Rich. 



1814. — Anas nigra Wihsoi^;, Am. Oru. VIII (p. 1:35, pi. 72) (nee Lin.). ■ 

 IBU. — Oidemia americana Sw. & Rich., Faun. Bor. Am., II, p. 450.— Dali. & Bann., 

 Tr. Chic. Ac. Sc, I, 1809, p. 300.— Finsch, Abh. Brem, Vcr., Ill, 1872, p. 

 68.— D ALL, Avif. Aleut. Isl. Uunl. castw., p. G, (1873).— Blakist. .fe Fryer, 

 Ibis, 1878, p. 215.— Jjrf., T. A. S. J., VIII, 1880, p. 187.— ik/., ibid., X, 1882, 

 p. 100.— Seebohm, Ibis, 187U, p. 23. — Taczanowski, Bull. Soc. Zool. 

 France, 1883, p. 344.— Nelson, Cruise Corwin, p. 102 (1883).— Blakist., 

 Amend. List B. Jap., p. 9 (1884). — Turner, Auk, 1885, p. 158. 



During winter this species occurs at the islands, but sparingly, and 

 usually at sea far from the shore. I was therefore unable to procure a 

 specimen, but identified the species beyond question by means of my 

 binocular. The yellow knob at the base of the bill could not be mis- 

 taken ; it was not nigra. 



80. Oidemia deglandii Bp. 



1814.— ^was fusea Wilson, Am, Orn., VIII, (p. 137, pi. 72) (neo Lin.).— Kittl., 

 Deukw., I, p. 200 (1858). — Melanetta f. Nelson, Cruise Corwin, p. 102. 



\ShO.— Oidemia def/Iandii Bonaparte, Rev. Crit. Degland (p. 108). 



1852.— OifZe»iJ«. rdvelhta Cassin, Tr. Phil. Ac, V, 1850-'51, p. 126.— Finsch, Abh. 

 Brem. Vcr., Ill, 1872, p. 08.- Swinh., Ibis, 1875 p. 457.— Blakist. & 

 Pryer, Tr. As. Soc. Jap., X, 1882, p. WO.— Melandfa r. Dall & Bann., Tr. 

 Chic. Ac , I, 1869, p. 300.— Dall, Avif. Aleut. Isl., Unal. eastw., p. 6 (1873). 



1863.— (E<Zen(i« americana SwiNiiOE, Ibis, 1863, p 435 (nee Sw. & RiCH. ).—/(?., P. Z, 

 S., 1871, p. 419. 



