86 



THE MUSEUM. 



p'per. It is a much more quiet bird, 

 very often standing immovable for a 

 long while staring down into the 

 water. Its flight is graceful and very 

 rapid. Its voice loud and harsh, al- 

 most screaming. I only met it among 

 rocks and stones, seldome if ever on 

 the sandy beaches. 



American White- fronted Goose. 

 A user alb i f roil s gain be/ i. 

 A specimen was shot on Bering 

 Island. It seems to occur regularly 

 during the spring migration, but doubt- 

 less does not breed. 



Hutchin's Goose. 

 B rant acana dens is JiuteJiinsii. 

 I found this species breeding in 

 small numbers on Bering Island, where 

 I observed them repeatedly on the 

 large swamp east of the village, and 

 where afterwards an adult was shot 

 and one of the six downy young cap- 

 tured. My hope that the latter might 

 escape being eaten by any of the six 

 hundred dogs of the village was not 

 fulfilled. In 1883 the first arrivals 

 were announced on the 2d of May, and 

 on the 9th of June a male was killed 

 near Saranna. This species has been 

 found breeding on the Kurile Islands 

 and seems to pass the winter in Japan. 



Pintail. 



Dajila acuta. 

 The first birds were observed April 

 23rd. Four days later they were 

 seen in the neighborhood of the 

 village. From this time on they 

 were seen everywhere in suitable 

 places, as this species is undoubt- 

 edly the most numerous among the 

 fresh water Ducks on the island. 

 Still on the 20th of May, I found them 



in flocks but soon the pairs dispersed 

 over the tundras and the swamps of 

 the valleys, and already the 4th of 

 June a nest with seven eggs was se- 

 cured on Toparkofl Island ; six days 

 after another nest with five eggs was 

 taken. 



Harlequin Duck. 

 Histrionicus Jiistrionicus. 

 This species inhabits the rocky shores 

 of the Commander Islands, in large 

 numbers all the year around, and larg- 

 er or smaller flocks may almost at any 

 time be seen, diving and swimming 

 near the breakers, where the high and 

 inaccessible promontories tower up 

 from the sea or long, shallow and 

 stony reefs stretch out from the 

 shore for a quarter of a mile or more. 

 It loves the surfs and rocks and is, 

 perhaps, more expert in diving "at 

 shot " than any other duck, not being 

 particularly shy, however. I watched 

 their large assemblages during the 

 whole spring of 1883 and noted solid 

 flocks at Bering Island, as late as the 

 middle of June, and on Copper Island 

 on July 1st, the latter, however, con- 

 sisting of adult males, all in their most 

 beautiful plumage. The natives or 

 residents knew of no instance of its 

 eggs or its small young having been 

 taken or seen; nor did I succeed in 

 finding any evidence of its breeding, so 

 that I have little doubt but that the 

 numerous flocks which remain over 

 summer consist of birds not propaga- 

 ting during that season, for some rea- 

 son or other. It is also probable that 

 the flocks observed on July ist and 

 later, exclusively consisting of males 

 in full adult plumage, are composed of 

 adult males having already left the fe- 

 males and young on the breeding 



