42 



feathers, six (to ten?) in number, springing from the anterior part of the 

 forehead, about opposite the anterior edge of the orbits, brownish-black; a 

 single series of slender filamentous feathers from each side of the base of the 

 culmen, and thence to the superior border of the orbit; a second similar but 

 shorter series from the edge of the commissure, and thence along the lower 

 part of the side of the jaw; a third similar series from the posterior can'hus 

 of the eye, and thence adown the side of the neck ; yellowish white. Body 

 colors almost uniform; brownish black, sometimes with more, of a grayish, 

 sometimes with more of a fuliginous hue ; the wings and tail most intense in 

 color, frequently nearly black ; the under parts, particularly the belly, lighter 

 and more grayish brown, inclining to mouse color. Bill orange red, its apex 

 salmon color, or more decidedly yellowish. Legs (in the dried specimen) 

 posteriorly dark brown, anteriorly lighter, more reddish-brown ; feet dull 

 brown ; claws reddish-brown. 



Length of body (approximately) 8-00 inches; wing 5-60 ; tail 1-60; bill: 

 chord of culmen -45; depth at base -28, width at base nearly the same; 

 length of rictus -95; tarsus 1-00; middle toe 1-25, its claw -35; outer toe 

 1-30, its claw -30; inner toe and claw 1-10; length of outstretched crest 1-40; 

 length of longest whitish feathers over eye l-OO. 



Os hyoides examined : The apohyals are slender cylindrical bones -6 long, 

 slightly knobbed at the end, devaricating at an angle of about 40°. The 

 ceratohyals are absent in the specimen. The urohyal is a delicate style for 

 •10 of an inch, then suddenly expands into a broad, flat, very thin spatulous 

 lamina, subrectangular in shape, or rather cordate, transversely concavo-con- 

 vex. This lamina is as long as the rest of the urohyal, and its breadth is 

 rather greater than the length of the stylous portion. The hasi-hyal is -IS 

 of an inch long, slender and cylindrical ; bearing upon its apex an exceed- 

 ingly thin, expanded, somewhat cochleariform glosso-hyal. No opportunity 

 has presented itself of examining the tongue bones of other species of the 

 family. 



The present is a long and well known species. First made known, at the 

 beginning of the present century, by Lepechin, (see above) it was redescribed 

 as Uria mystacea, in the Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica, by Dr. Pallas, whose ex- 

 pression " * * pennulis setaceis albis elongatis superciliaribus mysla- 

 ceisque" leaves no room for doubt as to the species he had in view. It was 

 redescribed in 1823 by Prof. Lichtenstein, under the name of Mormon super- 

 ciliosum. Unfortunately, it furnished the subject of Planche Coloriee, No. 

 200, at the hands of M. Temminck, under the palpable pseudonym of Phaleris 

 crista/ dla ; which event might have been the occasion of confusion and un- 

 certainty, were the bird a less strongly characterized species. As it is, 

 there is no difficulty in detecting and correcting M. Temminck's error. S. 

 carrJschatica is so very distinct from cristatclla, that no special comparisons of 

 the two are required. It is only necessary to point to the configuration of 

 the bill, and the presence of superciliary and maxillary filoplumes, for their 

 ready discrimination. For the rest, the present is a much smaller species 

 than crista/ellus ; and the plume is perhaps longer, certainly less recurved, 

 usually composed of fewer feathers, which are rather more filamentous. The 

 setaceous feathers are essentially arranged, as may be seen above, in three 

 distinct sets or bundles ; one from the side of the bill along the commissure 

 and lower part of the cheeks ; one from the culmen over the eye, and a third 

 from tlie jtosterior canthus of the eye backwards over the auricular region 

 and side of the neck; though the first and last sets may appear more or less 

 directly continuous with each other. It is possible that the plumage described 

 above may not be the most perfect one ; still, the perfect development of the 

 crest and other ornaments warrants the belief that the bird from which it 

 was taken is an adult. Authors speak of the under parts, particularly the 

 abdomen, as being frequently nearly white ; which may be the coloration of 

 those parts in very mature or very old birds. 



