27 



fleshiness. The crest springs chiefly from what would otherwise be a naked 

 linear groove in the plumage from the ej'es to the extreme occiput. Some of 

 the feathers begin to grow much above, if not a little anterior to, the eyes. 

 The crest in perfectly adult birds is more than four inches long. The feathers 

 have exceedingly slender, delicate sliafts, and loose, entirely disconnected, 

 though quite lengthy fibrilhe ; and a peculiar silky glossiness. 



The wings are of the usual size and shape in this family. The tail is com- 

 paratively somewhat longer, perhajis, than in any other Alcidine bird; the 

 lateral feathers a little graduated ; the central pair shorter than the next, pro- 

 ducing an emargination. The legs are as in Fratercula. The claw of the inner 

 toe presents the curious character which has already been dwelt upon in con- 

 nection with F. arctica. 



Adult. — Bill orange-red ; the basal moiety of both mandibles livid horn or 

 enamel color; the punctulated basal ridge, and rictal callosities more yellow- 

 ish. Legs and feet obscure reddish ; the webs bright coral red ; claws brown- 

 ish-black. Edges of eyelids red ; " iris pale blue." Crests pale straw-yellow ; 

 some of the posterior feathers, which grow from the black part of the head, 

 black at base. Face pure white, abruptly defined. This white occupies the 

 lores and sides of the head to the base of the crest, and encircles the bill, 

 broadly on the sides, narrowly above and below. The black of the crown 

 comes down the forehead to within a fourth of an inch of the culnien ; just fill- 

 ing the crown between the crests, and ending with a directly transverse out- 

 line. The white on the side of the lower jaw extends to within about the same 

 distance from the under mandible. A narrow, very distinct pure white line 

 along the anterior edge of the fore-arm. Entire upper parts, and under tail 

 coverts glossy black ; sides of head and neck, and throat and breast fuliginous 

 brownish-black ; other under parts the same, but more grayish ; under surfaces 

 of wings smoky gray. Wings and tail black ; the inner webs of the feathers 

 brownish-black ; the shaft of the first primary whitish on its under surface to- 

 wards its base. 



The preceding description is taken from an unusually fine specimen (No. 

 46,494, Mus. Smiths. (^, Sitka, May, 18C7), representing the very highest con- 

 dition of maturitj'. The crest is more than four inches long. It is not often 

 that such very perfect specimens are met with in collections. 



Length between 15-00 and 16-00; wing 7-75; tail about 2-00; tarsus 1-30 ; 

 middle toe 2 00, its claw -50 ; outer toe 1-80, its claw -40; inner toe 1-25, its 

 claw -50 ; bill : greatest depth (a little in front of extreme base) 1-90 ; greatest 

 width (at angle of mouth) -90 ; chord of culmen 2-40, of which the terminal 

 portion is 1-40 ; rictus about 1-90 ; gonysl-60; greatest depth of upper mandi- 

 ble 1-15; nostrils -25 long. 



Young (J'ull grown). — Bill smaller than in the adult, and not so deep at the 

 base ; sides of terminal moiety of upper mandible perfectly smooth ; chord of 

 culmen 2-00; depth of bill at base 1-40. No crest; slight indications of it in 

 some short yellowish filamentous feathers on the auriculars. White line on 

 fore-arm imperfect. White about head as in the adult ; but the black reaches 

 nearly or quite to the base of the culmen and gonys. Otherwise like the adult ; 

 the under parts rather more grayish. The bill and feet ajipear to have been 

 less brightly colored. 



This strange bird fairly disputes with Phaleris pdttacula the claim to be re- 

 garded as the oddest of the odd species of this family. The peculiar configura- 

 tion of the bill strongly characterizes it at all ages, independently of its re- 

 markable head-markings. Though known for about a century, it has received 

 no specific synonyms from any of the writers whose works have been examined 

 in the preparation of the present memoir. Specimens are contained in nearly 

 all the American collections. The bird is authenticated as occurring on the 

 coast of Maine. 



