Birds observed in Kamchatka. 281 



being very numerous at Petropavlovsk^ though it is unknown 

 at Bering's Island, where the latter is equally abundant. 



One or two Black Guillemots, Cepphus columba (Pall.) 

 or C. snowi Stejn., were also met with, but this species is one 

 of the least numerous in individuals of all the sea-birds of 

 Bering Sea. The white-winged Guillemots of this sea and 

 of the Kuril Islands were believed to be identical, until in 

 1897 Dr. Stejueger pointed out that there are two forms, 

 and suggested the name snowi as suitable for that of the 

 Kuril Islands. Both are distinct from C. carbo Pall., the 

 wholly black form which frequents the Japanese waters. 



Petropavlovsk is a mere village, with log-houses nestling 

 close to the picturesque shores of Avacha Bay, Under the 

 eaves of some of the log-houses we saw on this occasion the 

 nests of the Brown-bellied Swallow, Hirundo tytleri Jcrdon, 

 but when we returned on August 27'th, 1897, these birds had 

 already left for the south. During our first visit, however, 

 we spent very little time at Petropavlovsk itself, but retired 

 from comparative civilization to the wilds of Tareinski 

 Harbour, on the opposite side of Avacha Bay, Here the thick 

 woods which grow right down to the edge of the loch, though 

 to all a[)pearance a regular botanical paradise, seemed to be 

 rather destitute of bird-life; but the very deuseness of the 

 luxuriant undergrowth prevented me from penetrating to any 

 great distance from the shore, or from seeing or securing 

 specimens of the few small Passerine birds whose notes could 

 be heard in the bushes. Such were a yellow Bunting-like 

 bird, probably Hypocentor aureolus (Pall,), seen several times 

 at Tareinski in 1896, but not obtained ; a pair of very 

 shy Siberian Bullfinches, Pyrrhula pyrrhida kamtschatica 

 (Taczan.) ; and a pair of golden-winged Finches, possibly 

 the Siskin, a bird, however, which does not seem to have 

 been recorded from Kamchatka, although it occurs at the 

 mouth of the Amoor. 



One afternoon at Tareinski I constantly heard the song 

 of a Bunting in the thick undergrowth near the edge of 

 the loch, but could not .-ee the songster. The bird sang in 

 a manner very like that of our common Yellow-Hammer, 



