NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, 5 



tion of Gmelin. We have nothing new, except the first unequivocal indication 

 of Uria coltimba in Lathanrs " Uria grylleX&w B, from Aoonalaschka " (''fascia 

 alarum gemina alba," which was " grylle Var. A" of Latham's Syno])sis. vol. 

 iii.) " Alca Candida " Briinn. and " Cepphus lacteolus " Pallas — both of which 

 are merely albinos — still hold their ground ; but the nominal species based 

 upon the plumages of Utaviania tord-i, hitherto rampant, subside into " varie- 

 ties." (Species still fourteen.) 



(1790.) BoNNATERRE, EncyclopecUe Methodique, Orn. — Genus ringninus insti- 

 tuted, with Alcn impennis L. as type. A certain " Uria nivea " is named, for 

 which the author quotes Pallas, Spec. Zool. v. p. 33 (" lacteolus "; ^albino 

 grylle or columha). 



(1794.) DoNXDORFF (JoHANN August), Beytrclje Zoologische, zwcyter band, 

 erster theil. — The great synonymist of the eighteenth century, as he fairl}- de- 

 serves to be called, gives no descriptions, but laboriously collates astonishing 

 lists of synonyms. In the cases of some well-known birds, the citations stretch 

 over several pages, giving one such an idea of the extent of tlie ornithological 

 literature of the last century as could hardly be gained from any other work. 

 Donndorff follows Linnaeus in his reference of the Auks to two genera, Alca 

 and Colymbus ; the now sub-family Urinse composing his " Colj'mbi mit drej'ze- 

 higen Fiissen," as distinguished from the four-toed Divers proper. With this 

 author Alca " pica " and " balthica " revive ; A. " labradorica " and A. " pyg- 

 ma?a'' continue in their original significance ; Pallas' four species remain, and 

 also his nominal species " lacteolus ;" five varieties of ^rry/Ze are enumerated, 

 of which Var. " B " is columba. By the names " Colymbus minor '' and " troile" 

 the author probably intends to distinguish two species of ilurre, but his syno- 

 nyms are inextricably confused. The var. "5.'' of troile \s, however, unmis- 

 takeably r ngvia of Briinn. 



Such was the general status of .41cidine literature as it came from the hands 

 of the writers of the eighteenth century. We have fourteen well-known valid 

 species, and indications of the fifteenth {Uria columba). 



(1801.) Lepechin, Nova Acta Petrop. xii. — Alca camtschatica described. 

 (Species now fifteen.) 



(1811.) Pallas, Zoogrophia Rosso-Asiatica. — Dr. Pallas for the second time 

 comes forward to take a long step in advance of his contemporaries, with nu- 

 merous new species from the North Pacific, and with a more extensive sub- 

 division of the family. Six valid new species are described : to wit, " Cepphus " 

 cohimbii, " Cepphus " carbo, '■ Alca" monocerata, " Uria" aleutica, " Uria " dubia, 

 and " Uria " pusilla. Four known species are re-named : the Antient Auk 

 being called " Uria senicula," the Camtschatkan Auk " Uria mystacea," the 

 thick-billed Guillemot '' Cepphus arra," and the marbled Guillemot "Cepphus 

 perdix." "Cepphus lomvia," Pallas, equals "Uria lonivia," Briinnich, equals 

 " Colymbus" troile, Linnaeus. As in 1769, Dr. Pallas calls the Guillemots all 

 " Cepphus;" all the other Auks are consigned to " Uria" except the Puffins, for 

 which the generic najne " Lunda " (after Gesner) is employed. Alca psittacula 

 is ranged in this genus. (Species now twenty-one.) 



(1811.) Illiger, Prodromus. — Genus Mormon instituted for the Puffins. 



(1816.) ViEiLLOT, Analyse. — Genus Mergulus (after Ray) adopted for Alcaalle 

 Linn. Genus Larva instituted for the Puffins. Genus Alca " Linn." adopted 

 i^v cristatclla. 



(1818.) Transactions of the Linmvnn Society, xii. — Sabine re-names the thick- 

 billed Guillemot, as " Uria Briinnichii ;" Leach, a few pages further on, bestows 

 another name on the same bird, — " Uria Francsii." 



(1819.) Merrem. — Genus Simorhynchus instituted, yvhh Alca cristatellaFnUas, 

 as type. (Fide G. R. Gray.) 



1868.] 



