123 



seen, much too large for the Petrels, and were probably made by 

 the PulRn, but neither eggs nor birds were found in them. 



TJria grylle. This bird was found breeding wherever the 

 locality was suitable. On one of the islands near Manan, called 

 the Inner Green Island, we purchased twenty from a man who 

 had collected them there. From the number of inaccessible 

 rocks in this vicinity, (the breeding-places by choice of this bird,) 

 its number will not probably be much diminished for years. It 

 breeds as far south as Mt. Desert on the coast of Maine. 



t Uria troille. Gannet Rock is nearly divided, by a deep 

 chasm, into two portions. On scrambling up its sides, we saw a 

 number of guillemots standing on the rocky shelves of the most 

 precipitous part ; seven eggs could be seen within the space of 

 three or four feet square ; these were procured with great difficulty 

 and some danger, by the boatman. They were all light blue, 

 with fewer marks than is generally the case. Incubation had 

 commenced in five of them. The birds were quite tame, and 

 would occasionally alight on the rocky shelves within thirty yards 

 of where we were standing watching them. Most of the time 

 they were flying through the fissure in the rock, always coming 

 from the same side, and passing sometimes within a few feet of 

 our heads. On Green Island, a single young one was procured, 

 apparently a few days old. 



fAlca torda. A number of auks were seen at Gannet Rock 

 and also at Green Island. Two eggs were found at the latter 

 place, and an old female was caught alive by Mr. Cabot. A 

 much greater number of the four last-mentioned birds was seen, 

 than were apparently breeding in the neighborhood ; this might 

 very probably be caused by the larger proportion of them being 

 barren birds. This fact was not ascertained, as it might have 

 been, by dissecting a number of the birds, as we did not feel 

 inclined to aid in their fast approaching extirpation from this 

 their most southern stronghold. 



Dr. Gould inquired how these birds compai-ed with those of 

 Northern Europe, and the Northwest Coast of North America. 

 The Arctic circle has been considered one uniform Zoological 

 Region ; he had recently examined shells collected by Mr. Stinip- 

 son in Behring's Straits and upon the northwest coast of North 



