BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 771 



phalanges of middle toe; claws relatively large, strongly curved, 

 acute. 



Ornamental 'plumes. — A long and slender, strongly recurved frontal 

 crest, consisting of several (about 7-10) slender, filamentous plumes, 

 inserted in quincunx pattern^; a triangular loral area of short acicular 

 white plumes, sending backward two branches, the upper originating 

 at sides of forehead, consisting of very slender, thread-like, greatly 

 elongated recurved plumes, the lower branching from lower portion of 

 loral region and consisting of broader (acicular) plumes which extend 

 diagonally backward and downward across the malar region, the 

 plumes gradually becoming longer and finally somewhat decurved 

 posteriorly; another series of slender (filamentous) straight white 

 plumes originates immediately beneath posterior portion of eye and 

 extends obliquely backward and downward across auricular region, 

 these also becoming longer posteriorly, where they overhang sides of 

 neck; bill without deciduous accessory pieces, but the upper layers of 

 the corneous covering scale off after the breeding season.^ 



Coloration. — Above plain grayish dusky, the under parts paler, 

 fading into very pale gray or grayish white posteriorly; ornamental 

 head-plumes white, except recurved frontal crest, which is blackish. 



Range. — Aleutian Islands to northern Japan. (Monotypic.) 



ALCELLA PYGM^A (Gmelin). 



WHISKERED AITKLET. 



Adults in breeding season (sexes alike) . — Upper parts plain grayish 

 dusky (nearest dark neutral gray), darkest on pileum and sides of 

 head, more slaty on scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, gradually 

 passing into dusky gray (between chsetura drab and dark quaker drab) 

 on chin, throat, and foreneck, this passing through dull neutral gray 

 on chest into w^hite on anal region and under tail-coverts ; under 

 wing-coverts wholly grayish brown (hair brown) ; ornamental head- 

 plumes white, except the recurved frontal crest, which is dull blackish 

 and grayish dusky; bill bright red (blood red to scarlet), its tip and 

 a narrow space round base of mandible whitish; iris white; legs and 

 feet bluish gray, tinged with violet, the joints darker gray, the webs 

 and soles blackish.'' 



Winter plumage. — Not materially different from the breeding 

 plumage (all the ornamental plumes being retained), but color of 

 bill duller, the nasal cuirass being dusky instead of red. 



o See Stejneger, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 29, 1885, 26-29. 



b For more detailed description of the fresh colors of unfeathered parts in this species 

 Bee Stejneger, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 29, 1885, 30, 31. 



