182 ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



spidllatus (Zoogr. Eoss. As., II, p. 305) "/acte nuda ruhro carulescen- 

 tique varia, circulo cutaneo oculos amhiente alho,^^ has caused tbe belief 

 that urile, at least partially, was referable to perspiciUatus. ■ 



If we now turn to the " Arctic Zoology," p. 584, we find the following: 



" C. Red-faced Couvokant. Ouril of the Kamtscliatkans, Bescr. de la Kamischatka, iQd.— Latham, iii. 



"i'. With .- slender bill; upper inaudible black; lower red: from the bill to the 

 eyes is a space covered with a bluish red, naked skin : round each eye a white 

 cutaneous circle : * * * on the fore part of the neck a few white slender feathers ; 

 » * * tail consisting of twelve feathers only. * * * Length of one I measured 

 thirty-one inches. Steller compares its size to that of a goose. 



"Inhabits the high precipices on the coasts oi Kamtschaika." 



We then proceed to the French edition of Kraschenninikoff's " De- 

 scription du Kamtschatka" (Paris, 1763), the one cited by Pennant, 

 from which we quote as follows (p. 493): "L'Ouril est de la grosseur 

 d'une Oie ordinaire: * * * II a aussi sur le con, par places, de longues 

 plumes blanches & minces comma des cheveux. Les yeux sont entoures 

 d'une petite membrane rouge, comme dans les Coqs de bois. * * * " 



From the above it seems unquestionable that Pennant's, " a white cu- 

 taneous circle," is only a slip of the pen for " a red cutaneous circle'' 

 (entoures d'une petite membrane rouge), a conjecture we shall find con- 

 firmed if looking still closer into the matter. It may be well, however, 

 to remark here that it also is evident that Pennant had a specimen 

 which he had measured, and from which he took the characters "bill 

 slender," and '^- tail consisting of twelve feathers." 



Next comes Latham's description. (Synops., Ill, pt. 2, p. COl. Lon- 

 don, 1785— same year as the Arctic Zoology.) 



"Rea-facedCorvorant, Arct. Zool., p. 584, c. TJrile, Sist Kamtsch., p. 157. 17. 



' ' This is somewhat less than the Corvorant: Length two feet ten inches [34 inches]. 

 Bill three inches and a half long ; the base of a reddish green, the end black : round 

 the eye a bare skin of a reddish colour: * ^ * on the middle of the neck before 

 a few slender white narrow feathers thinly interspersed among the others, many of 

 them two inches and a half in length : * * * tail six inches in length, consisting 

 of twelve feathers. » * * 



"Inhabits KamtschaiJca." 



From his reference, the English edition of the " History of Kamt- 

 schatka," p. 157, we only quote : " The fowl urile, of which there is 

 great plenty in KamtscJiatM, * * * has a red membrane or skin 

 round the eyes," this latter expression being evidently the translation of 

 Steller's " periophtalmiis cinnabarinis," as given in a foot-note. 



It is plain from the above that Latham also had a specimen before 

 liim, and I think there can be little doubt that it was the same as de- 



