KATUEAL SCIEXCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 



69 



IJria unicolor, Faber, Prodr. Isl. Oni. 1822, p. teste Schlegel. Greenla,ad. 



without white on wings. 

 Uria [Lomvia) unicolor, Bonaparte, Comptes Rendus, 1856, xlii, p. 774. 

 Uria JlLrndtii, Lichenstein, Verz. 1823, p. 88, teste Schlegel. Spitzenbergen. 



Not of authors, whicli usually refers to columba. 

 Uria scapuhiris, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii, 1824, p. 250, pi. 64. 

 Cephus fflacialis, arcticus, Faroefisis, et Meisneri, Brehm. 



European and American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic ; very 

 abundant. Arctic Ocean. Spitzbergen, Iceland, Greenland. On the Ameri- 

 can coast, in winter, south to New Jersey coast. Rare or accidental in the 

 north Pacific, where replaced by columba and carho. — ? Kamtschatka (Mus. 

 Pays-Bas, fide Schlegel.)* Herald Island, Arctic Ocean, (Cassin Pr. A. N S. 

 Ph. 1862, p. 323); Spec, in Mus. Acad. Phila., Smiths. Inst., Bost. Soc*. 

 Nat. Hist. ; Essex Inst. ; Cab. G. N. Lawrence ; author's Cab. 



Adult, simmer plumage. 

 — Bill and claws black 

 Mouth, legs and feet bril- 

 liant vermilion red, tinged 

 with carmine. Entire 

 plumage plumbeous or 

 fuliginous black, with a 

 tint of invisible green. 

 Wings and tail pure black, 

 the former with a large 

 oval space on the upper 

 coverts, all the under cov- 

 erts and the subscapu- 

 Fig. IZ.— Vria gryUe.—^nt size. lars pure white. 



This perfect breeding plumage is temporary, and lasts but a short time. 

 Very many individuals do not assume it until June ; and it is usually retained 

 only during this and the succeeding month. Most specimens collected in May 

 are found to still have some traces of the winter plumage, below described. 



Adult, during autumnal change. The first indication of the moult is seen 

 in the wings and tail, and is to be observed in nearly all specimens taken after 

 July. By the latter part of this month, after incubation and nursing are 

 finished, the wing and tail feathers become much worn, and faded, turning to 

 a light brownish gray towards their tips. The white mirror shows scattered 

 traces of dull brown. The body color loses its hue of green, and becomes 

 more fuliginous brown. Isolated white feathers are scattered over the whole 

 body ; or the dark feathers acquire white tips. With the falling of the quill 

 feathers, which may take place very rapidly, and deny for a season all power 

 of ^ight, the bird is in the following condition, which is the i)ure moulting 

 state, exactly intermediate between the summer and winter plumages : — No. 

 18254, Mus. Smiths., Labrador, Aug. 14, 1860. E. Coues. Wing feathers re- 

 newed, pure black, but not fully grown ; wing from the carpus only 4-50 long. 

 Mirror of renewed feathers, almost or quite pure white, but small ; under 

 wing coverts and axillars pure white. Head and neck all around, rump, and 

 whole under parts marbled with black and white in equal quantitj% the bird 

 looking as if dusted over with flour. Back black, most of the feathers lightlj' 

 bordered with white, the scapulars more largely white. A still further in- 

 crease of white produces the following : — 



Adult, lointer plumage. — Wings and tail black, the mirror and under wing 

 coverts faultlessly white. Head and neck all around, rump and entire under 



* Although this author does not recognize the specific validity of U. columba, and would 

 therefore range specimens of the latter under grylle in his catalogue, a specimen (No. 5.) 

 there enumerated appears to be this species, as is inferrible from the expression '■ Au 

 miroir d'an blanc pur." 



1868.] 



