40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



that is, with more distinct barbs or fibrillte, than subsequently ; considerable 

 time elapses before ihey begin to curl over forwards, and they may continue 

 straight until they are an inch or rather more in length. When full grown, 

 they are nigh unto two inches long, curve until they almost make a circle, 

 drooping gracefully, helmet-wise, upon the bill itself. The crest of this and 

 other species is doubtless moved by peculiar muscles, and entirely subject to 

 the control of its wearer, like the very similar crests of the birds of th,e genus 

 Lophorti/x. 



Simorhynchns camischaticus is obviously the species most likely to be con- 

 founded with the present. In fact, such has been its fate at its hands of so 

 distinguished an ornithologist as M. Temminck. It would be wasting words 

 to institute a comparison between the adults of the two species at this late 

 day. In the youthful condition, before the distinctive head-ornaments are 

 apparent, and even before the bill has attained its perfect form, so character- 

 istic in each case, the two species may be distinguished with equal facility. 

 In camtschatica, the basal moiety of the sides of the lower mandible is always 

 feathered ; in cristatellus this part of the bill is in its whole length always per- 

 fectly bare of feathers. This latter feature is, in fact, the most excellent 

 diagnostic character of cristatellits; by the aid of which alone the species 

 may always be recognized, be it in never so immature condition, with never 

 so undeveloped a bill. The relationships of this species to duhius and iet7-a- 

 culus need not be noticed here, as they are given in all necessary detail under 

 the head of these species respectively. 



This species was introduced into the records in 1769, by Dr. Pallas, who 

 fortunately gave it a binomial name, thereby securing it from appropriation 

 by Gnielin, who contrived to filch so many species from Pennant, Latham, 

 and other contemporaneous writers. Dr. Pallas first described it as an Alca, 

 but afterwards removed' it to the genus (Jria — a very unwarrantable proce- 

 dure. It is the type of Merrem's genus Simorhynchus, and of Brandt's genus 

 Tylorhamphus ; but not, as generally supposed, of Temminck's genus Phaleris, 

 which is based upon Alca psittacula Pall. Though thus referred to so many 

 different genera, it has hardly a specific synonym, unless the name on 

 Audubon's plate 402 be regarded as such. 



Numerous excellent specimens of this bird are in the collections of the 

 Philadelphia Academy and of the Smithsonian Institution, from the various 

 localities quoted at the head of this article. It is decidedly a boreal species. 

 not recorded from the coast of the United States, though occurring on the 

 Asiatic shores as far south, at least, as Japan. 



Simorhynchus dubius, {Pallas) Coues. 

 Uria dubia, Pallas, Zoog. R.-A. ii, 1811, p. 371, pi. 87. " U. rostro fusco 

 simplici, crista frontis pennacea recurva, * * sexu vel relate tantum a 

 praecedente \_crislateUa'\ videtur deferre, licet deficientes ad oris angulos 

 calli carnei. et rostrum minus hiulcum differentiam insignem constituant. 

 Cum praecedenti in mari extra Awatscham portum observatur. Irides can- 

 didae. Rostrum sanguineo-fuscum. Pedes coerulescentes. Cajterum A. 

 cristatellx magnitudine et colore simillima." 

 phaleris dubia, Brandt, Bull. Acad. St. Petersb. ii, 1837, p. 347. Gray, Gen. 



Birds, iii, 1849, p. 638. 

 Tylorhamphus dubius, Bonaparte, Tab. Comp. Pelag. Comptes Rendus, 1856, 

 xlii, p. 774. 



This species, if it be really such, appears appropriately named, since there 

 is nothing to distinguish it from cristatellus beyond certain difl'erences in the 

 bill which might with propriety be attributed to an immature condition of 

 the specimen upon which the species was based. And yet the mention of a 

 recurved crest of feathers upon the forehead by Dr. Pallas militates against 

 the supposition that his specimen was not adult. The great reliability which 

 the scientific writings of Dr. Pallas claim, and ju.^tly deserve, from their 



[Jan. 



