442 Mr. E. Adams on the Birds of Michalaski. 



only to feed, but were continually flying about the marshes, and 

 diving and screaming upon the lakes. This species is a complete 

 mocking bird, at least of harsh sounds ; its cry often sounds 

 like the squalling of a cat, the barking of a dog, the harsh 

 laugh of a man, or the quacking of a duck, sometimes of all 

 these united into one loud scream, as it dives into the lake 

 in play. 



Their nests were numerous, and generally placed quite close 

 to the water on the banks of the lake ; they consisted merely 

 of a little loose grass pulled into a hollow ; but some few were 

 more carefully formed, though none of them were lined with 

 feathers or down. The eggs, two in number, were of an olive- 

 greenish colour, thinly spotted with dark brown; in some 

 most of the spots were collected about the large end, in others 

 not so. 



Crested Auk. Phaleris cristatella. 



Tub-e-uk, Eski. 



[Phaleris cristatella, Dall & Bann. p. 309.] 



Two of these birds were picked up at sea by a native on 

 the 14th of June. They were weak and half starved, but with 

 no marks of inj ury about them. I saw none except these ; but 

 they are occasionally met with by the natives at some dis- 

 tance from the shore. The Esquimaux about Kotzebue 

 Sound and Port Clarence use the small orange- coloured 

 plates at the base of the bill for ornamenting their waterproof 

 frocks ; and, from the great number attached to one frock, 

 there must be extensive breeding-places somewhere in that 

 vicinity. 



The time of observation on these birds extended from Oc- 

 tober 1850 to the end of June 1851, at which time most of 

 the birds had eggs nearly ready for hatching ; but no young 

 birds had appeared. The above list includes every bird, I 

 believe, that visited the immediate vicinity of Michalaski 

 during that period. 



