The Auks are primarily divided into two " tribes," called " Pterorhines " and 

 " Gymuorhines." Under the former are ranged the true Auks, the Guillemots, 

 and the Sea-dove ; the latter comprehends all the rest of the familj'. The cha- 

 racter is found in the feathering or nakedness of the nostrils. This scheme is 

 spoken of more at length further on, and therefore need not be here criticised. 



The new genera are numerous. Of these Brachi/rhamphus, (type niarmoratus,) 

 Lomvia, (type troile,) Syntlilihoramphus, (type aiitiqiius,) and Ptychoramphus, 

 (type aleuticua,) are all valid, and were much needed. On the contrary, Tylo- 

 r/iamphi/s, (type cristatellus,) Ccraloblcphurum, (type arctica,) and Gymnohlepha- 

 rum, (type cirrhata,) were not called for, being antedated respectively by Simo- 

 rhynchus Merrem, (1819,) Fratercula Brisson, (1760,) and Lunda Pallas, (1811.) 



The founding of a subgenus, Apobapton, upon the type of Brachyrhamphiis, is 

 out of order. In the choice of names for the two subdivisions of Uria the au- 

 thor is unfortunate in taking the specific designation of the types of these ge- 

 nera, particularly in the case of Z/owif^'a, which must stand for the genus of 

 which troile is typical, necessitating a change in the specific appellation of one 

 sjjecies of that genus, whose synonymy was alread}- overburdened. 



The four new species are Phaleris microceros, Brachyrhaniphus Wrangelii, B. 

 brackypterus, and £. Kitllitzii. Of the three last, Wrangelii is only to-day iden- 

 tified ; the other two remain unknown, except by Brandt's description. Brachyp- 

 terus is said to have the tarsi longer than the middle toe, which distinguishes 

 it from all the known species of the genus. Kittlitzii is evidently a young bird, 

 and probably not a valid species. It is very near Uria brevirostris, Vigors, if 

 not the same, and may be the young either of marmoratm or Wrangelii. The 

 present monograph does not recognize it as valid, leaving only three really 

 new species to be attributed to Brandt's paper. 



Brandt identifies and retains Uria dubia Pall, under name of Phaleris dubius ; 

 Alca pygmfea Gm. as Uria pusilla Pall., under name of Phaleris pygm.-ea. Uria 

 Wurmizmume Temm., PI. Color. 579, is renamed Brachyrhaniphus [Synthlibo- 

 ramphus) Temminckii. Alca monocerata Pall, is renamed Cerorhina " orientalis," 

 probably through a lapsus calami for occidentalis Bp. (Species now twenty- 

 seven.) 



(1836.) Bonaparte, Geographical and Comparative List. — Phaleris microceros 

 Brandt is renamed as Phaleris " nodirostra." 



(1839.) Vigors, Zool. Voy. Blossom. — Alca antiqua Gm. is renamed as "Mer- 

 gulus cirrhocephalus." 



(1839.) AuDUBOx, Orn. Biog. v. — Colymbus marmoratus Gm. is renamed 

 " Uria Townsendii." Audubon's figure of the supposed adult bird may be 

 really Brachyrhamphus Wrangelii Brandt. His figure of the supposed youno- is 

 really the adult B. marmoratus. 



(1845.) Gambel, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila. — Uria aleutica Pall, is renamed 

 as "Mergulus Cassinii." 



(1849.) Gray and Mitchell, Genera of Birds, in. — A great blemish is the 

 inclusion of the Penguins as a subfamily of the Alcidx, coming in between the 

 Starikis and the Murres. Otherwise the arrangement here adopted of the Al- 

 cidffi is as faultless as any ever proposed. Three subfamilies are recognized : 

 Alcinfc for the true Auks and the Puffins ; Phaleridince for the Starikis ; and 

 UrincB, for the Guillemots. (This arrangement is noticed further on in con- 

 nection with Prof. Brandt's paper, under head of the general characters of the 

 family). Fratercula Briss. is adopted for the Puffins; Phaleris Temm. for all 

 the Starikis, except Alca monocerata Pall., for which Cerorhina Bp. is used • 

 Brachyrhaniphus Brandt, in the same acceptation as used by its founder • Uria 

 Briss. for the Guillemots ; and Arctica Moehring, for the Sea-doves. Under the 

 head of the latter, besides alle, are ranged cirrocephalus. Vigors, and Cassinii, 

 Gambel, with the exception of which, the lists of species are very accurate 

 and very full. Alca pygmsea Gmel. is identified with Una. pusilla Pallas; 

 Uria Mandtii Licht. is used for Cepphus columba Pallas. 



(1851.) Bonaparte, Proc. Zool. Soc. London. — A new genus and species 



