52 



also calls attention to the fact, that some of the expressions in the diagnoses 

 of the old authors have no basis in the characters of any Alcidine bird. Under 

 the circumstances, it behooves us to ignore the name pygmaa altogether, since 

 it cannot be identified ; and to accept pusillus of Pallas, to which no possibil- 

 ity of doubt attaches, as the proper name of the present species. 



PTYCHORHAMPHUS, Brandt. 



Uria, Pallas, Zoog. R.-A. 1811, ii, p. 370, in part; not of authors. 



Ply rhorhamp hits, Brandt, Bull. Acad. Sc. St. Petersb. ii, 1837, p. 347. Type 



Uria aleufica, Pall. 

 Merguius, Gambel, Pr. A. N. S. ii, 1842, p. 266, in part; not of Ray, Vieill. 

 Arctica, Gray, Genera, iii, 1849, p. 638; in part; not of Moehring. 

 Simorhynchm, Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, 1867, livr. ix, p. 26, in part ; not of 

 Merrem. 



Size moderate; general form stout; not crested, nor with any elongated 

 feathers about the head. Bill about two-thirds as long as the head, three- 

 fourths as long as the tarsus, very stout, straight, somewhat conical in shape, 

 slightly if at all compressed, without nodes or irregularities, the tip acute; 

 culmen very moderately declinato-convex in outline, the ridge broad, more or 

 less corrugated transversely at the base ; the sides of upper mandible bulg- 

 ing, the tomial edges inflected ; sides of lower mandible nearly upright, flat, 

 longitudinally grooved for the greater part of their length, their tomial edges 

 somewhat inflected; rictus straight; gonys straight, or nearly so, very long. 

 Nasal fossaj long and wide, shallow, filled in with soft skin ; that of the two 

 fossae meeting over the base of the culmen, and there corrugated as just de- 

 scribed ; nostrils rather long, narrowly oval, subbasal, opening at the lower 

 border of the fossae, the edge of the membrane that overhangs them elevated, 

 flaring. Frontal feathers in a nearly transverse line across the base of the 

 culmen, thence descending a little obliquely backwards, just behind the nos- 

 trils, to the commissure; those on lower mandible extending, in the inter- 

 ramal space (which they completely fill), to a point rather beyond a perpen- 

 dicular from those on culmen; then, encroaching very little on the sides of 

 the lower mandible, they retreat in a s'raight line rapidly backwards and 

 obliquely upwards. Wings moderately long, narrow, pointed, the primaries 

 somewhat falcate, narrowing rapidly at the tip to an acute point, first longest, 

 rest equably graduated. Tail short, broad, rounded, contained about three 

 and a half times in the length of wing from the carpal joint; the feathers 

 broadly rounded at their tips. Taisus much shorter than the middle toe 

 without its claw; about two-thirds as long as the middle toe and claw; 

 greatly compressed, covered with small, very irregularly shaped polygonal 

 reticulations ; no large transverse scutellae. Outer lateral toe as long as, or 

 slightly shorter than the middle ; its claw not reaching the tip of the middle 

 claw. Tip of inner claw reaching base of middle one. Claws compressed, 

 acute, moderately arched, the inner edge of the middle one dilated. 



This genus was instituted in 1837 by Prof. Brandt, for the reception of the 

 Uria aleutica of Pallas, its type and only species. It is strongly characterized 

 by the bill, which is of a shape not even approximating towards that of any 

 other Alcidine bird. Its points of structure in other respects are shared by 

 the majority of the family. 



PTYCHORHAMPHUS ALKUTicDS, (^Pall ) Brandt. 



Uria alenlica, Pa.\\a.s, Zoog. R.-A. ii, 1811, p. 370. " Corpora supra fusco, 

 subtus albo liturato, rostro producto, triplici plica inter nares." 



Ptyrhorhamphm aleulicus, Brandt, Bull. Acad. St. Petersb. ii, 1837, p. 347. Bo- 

 naparte, Tabl. Comp. Pelag. Compt. Rend., 1856,xlii,p. 774. Cassin, Baird's 

 B. N. A. 1858, p. 910. Heermana, Pac. R. R. Rep. x, 1859, Route to Cala. 

 Birds, p. 75. Elliot, B. N. Am. part iv, 1867. 



JPhalerin akulica, Gray, Genera Birds, iii, 1849, p. 638. 



