56 



THE MUSEUM. 



er surface were seen, and one secured. 

 This species is found mostly on Bering 

 Island where it breeds on the great 

 tundra, or rather swamp, near the vil- 

 lage. The first birds made their ap- 

 pearance on the 4th of May. One 

 ^g% was collected May 29th and meas- 

 ures 57x41.25 imn. 



Short-tailed Albatross, Diomcdea 

 nlbatrus. 

 This bird is by no means a rare vis- 

 ator to the islands, where I never saw 

 D. iiigripes, a species which, on our 

 northward voyage from San Francisco, 

 left us before we reached the Aleutian 

 chain. They were first observed the 

 middle of March. These were the old 

 * birds in the white plumage, and on 

 April 14th not less than eight were 

 seen near the village. During the 

 summer, however, the black young 

 birds of the foregoing year are more 

 numerous. In the middle of the im- 

 mense flock of Puffins and Auks, cov- 

 ering many acres, can always be seen 

 oneortwo of the comparatively gigan- 

 tic birds, which however are the first 

 to take the wing on approach of a 

 boat. 



Pacific Fulmar, luihnanis glacialis 

 i^lupischa. 

 The "Glupisch" is one of the com- 

 monest summer visitors to the islands 

 and breeds in enormous numbers in 

 suitable places, that is to say in high 

 and steep rocky bluffs and promontor- 

 ies boldly rising out of the sea 300 to 

 800 feet high, and I have spent hours 

 under their rookeries listening to their 

 whinnying voice and watching their 

 high and elegant flight in sailing out 

 and in and around the cracked rocks 

 like bees at an immense bee-hive. 

 The Fulmar is the first one of the non- 



resident water-birds ^to arrive at the 

 rookeries in early spring, usually in 

 March. The order of arrival being 

 Fulmanis, Uriaarra, Liiiida ccrrJiata, 

 Fratercula coniiciilata. The eggs 

 are dull white without spots and meas- 

 ure 68 to 71.5 ;//;// by 48 to 51 wide. 

 One specimen measured 75x49 ;/////. 

 All were collected on July 12th and 

 13th. 



Fork-tailed Petrel, Occanodronia 

 fur cat a. 

 This bird breeds on Copper Island, 

 where it is known by the natives as 

 "Sturmofka." On July 12th I visited 

 the precipitous rocks of Tschornij Mys, 

 where a small colony of these grace- 

 ful birds were breeding. The eggs, a 

 single one in each nest, were deposit- 

 ed in deep holes in the steep basaltic 

 rocks, 3 feet or more deep anu 1 was 

 only with great difficulty that a ew 

 could be secured. The birds were 

 taken on the nests and in some the 

 females, in others, the males were sit- 

 ting. The eggs which were in differ- 

 ent stages of incubation, are white 

 without gloss. Some have the min- 

 uted dark specks evenly dusted over 

 the blunt end, in others these specks 

 are a little larger, purplish black, and 

 form a circlet around the blunt end, 

 while some few lilac spots shine 

 through from the deeper layers. The 

 eggs were collected July 12th and 

 measure 32.5 to 34 ;//;;/ long b}^ 25 to 

 26. 5 ////// wide. 



Turnstone, Areiiarca iutirprcs. 



It makes its appearance early in 

 May and the beach especially on the 

 north shore of Behring Island fairly 

 swarms with them. In June they dis- 

 appear and only a few remain during 

 the summer. These, I suppose to 



