286 GAVI.Ti. 



Kurile Islands (Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. ii. p. 370), and two 

 examples were procured in 1805 on the east coast of Japan, one of 

 them in the latitude of Yokohama, and the other about 150 miles due 

 south of Yezzo (Whitcly, Ibis, 1807, p. 209). I have two examples 

 collected by Wossnesensky on the Kurile Islands, where it was found 

 breeding by Mr. Snow (Blakiston and Pryer, Trans. As. Soc. Japan, 

 1882, p. 89), and whence I have an example obtained by Mr. Snow 

 in June (Seebohm, Ibis, 1882, p. 168). There are two examples in 

 the Pryer collection procured at the same time. 



The breeding-range of the Crested Puffin extends from the islands 

 in Bering Straits, south-west to the Kurile Islands, and south-east 

 to the Aleutian Islands and Kodiak. 



An egg obtained by Mr. Snow on the Kiirilc Islands measures 

 215 by 1*4 inches; it is dirty white outside and greenish inside. 



280. FRATERCULA PYGM^A. 

 (WHISKERED PUFFIN.) 



Alca pygmcBa, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 555 (1788). 



The Whiskered Puffin may be distinguished from its Japanese con- 

 geners by its combination of two characters — winy less than five inches 

 from carpal joint, and throat dark brown. 



Figures : Temminck, Planches Coloriees, no, 200 (erroneously 

 named Phalaris crisiatella) ; Turner, Nat. Hist. Alaska, Birds, pi. i. 

 (breeding-plumage) ; Stejneger, Orn. Expl. Comm. Isl. and Kamts- 

 chatka, pi. 1. fig. 1 (head in winter), fig. 2 (head in summer). 



The Whiskered Puffin is doubtless identical with the Pigmy Auk 

 of the early writers (Pennant, Arctic Zoology, ii. p. 513), who de- 

 scribed it in winter plumage (Latham, Gen. Syn. iii. pt. i. p. 328) 

 from the islands in Bering Sea. It was afterwards described in 

 summer plumage under the name of Alca .kamtschatica (Lepechin, 

 Nov. Act. Petropol. 1801, p. 309), to be renamed some years later as 

 Uria mystacea (Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. ii. p. 372). Its synonymy 

 was further complicated by Lichtcnstein, who named it Mormon 

 8ttperciliosa, and by Dr. Coues, who called the young Simorhynchus 

 cussini. 



It is a mistake to call this Puffin the Pigmy Auk, firstly, because 

 it is a Puffin and not an Auk, and, secondly, because there is a still 

 smaller species belonging to the same genus. 



