ORNITIfOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 187 



Ph. pelagicus. Being not only tlie rarer of the two species, but also the 

 most difficult to shoot, no specimen was obtained from Bering Island, 

 where it is only known to breed with certainty on Arij Kamen which 

 also was the last refuge of Ph. perHplcUlatus. On Copper Island it is 

 more numerous, especially towards the southern end of the island, but 

 is by no means common, comi)ared with the number of Pli. pelagicus in 

 the same locality. 



Three eggs (U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 21765, L. Stejneger No. 2203) were 

 taken from a nest at Peresjejek, Copper Island, on the 14th of July, 1883. 

 All three were perfectlj^ clear, measuring 01 by 40, 03.5 by 39, and 66 

 by 37'"'". Another ag,'^ from Bering Island (Mus. No. 21760 ; L. Stejne- 

 ger No. 2328) measures 01 by 39'"'". 



86. Phalacrocorax pelagicus Pali^. 



1826. — Phalacrocorax pelagicus Pall., Zoogr. Eoss. As., II, p. 303.— Swinh., Ibis, 1874, 

 p. 164.-1(1, ibid., 1877, p. 147.— Blaklst. & Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 216.— lid., 

 Tr. As. Soc. Jap., VIII, 1880, p. 187.— 7ir/., i7))U, X, 1882,p. 102.— Taczan., 

 Bnll. Soc. Zool. France, 1883, p. 341.— Turner, Auk, 1885, p. 1.'38. 



1849. — Carho hicristatus Temm. &. Schl., Fanii. Jap. Av., pi. 84 {nee Pall.). — Swinh., 

 Ibis, 1861, p. 410. — rhalacrocorax h. Swinh., Ibis, 1861, p. 408. — Id., ihid., 

 1863, p. 4:U.—Id., P. Z. S., 1863, p. 325.— Whitely, Ibis, 1867, p. 211.— 

 Blakist. & Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 2li;.—Iid., Tr. As. Soc. Jap., VIII, 1880, p. 

 188.— Gracnlns h. Swinh., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 420.— Taczan., J. f. Orn., 1876, 

 p. 203.— JfZ., Bnll. Soc. Zool. France, 1877, p. 41.— Id., Orn. Fann. Vost. 

 Sibir.,p, 66(1877). 



\S67 .—rhalacrocorax o'olus SwiNii., Ibis, 1867, p. 395. 



1872. — Graculus violaceuf Finsch, Abh. Brem. Ver., Ill, 1872, p. 86 {nee Gmel.). — 

 Phalacrocorax v. Nelson, Cruise Corwin, p. 103 {part) (1883). 



1874. — Graculus hairdii Dall, Avif. Aleut. Isl. west Unal., p. 8 («ec Cooper). 



It will be seen that in tlie above synonymy all American references are 

 left out, except those relating to the occurrence of the si)ecies on the 

 Aleutian Chain. A close inspection convinced me that my birds, and 

 also those from the other Aleutian Islands, are distinct from the race oc- 

 curring on the coasts of the mainland of Alaska, being in fact nearer to 

 the southern race, the so-called Ph. pelagicus resplendens. This fact, how- 

 ever, bos no bearing upon the name of the Kamtschatkan bird, which 

 certainly is the bird to which Pallas originally gave the nuiae pelagicus. 

 It is the Alaskan form which required a new name, and it has, conse- 

 quently, been named by Mr. Eidgway Ph. pelagicus robustus. 



I made a few observations regarding the change of plumage in this 

 species which may be of some interest, as this part of the natural his- 

 tory of the Pacific birds seems to have been unduly neglected. 



It will be necessary first to remark that these birds raise two broods 



