86 THE OREGON NATURALIST. 
dense horny consistency. The sides of 
both mandibles are both marked with 
several oblique, curved grooves with the 
convexity forward. During the winter 
the basal portion of the upper mandible is 
contracted and membranous. In summer 
this is replaced by a dense horny layer 
which extends dowaward and backward 
to the mouth. The seasonal change in 
plumage is very slight, but as before s:ated 
that of the bill is very marked. é ale 
favo-ed with visits of only one sp2ci2s of 
fratercula, and by them oniy in the cold- 
est winters viz: 
along the coast the many harbors, bays, 
etc. would have afforded them ample re- 
fuge before reaching this locality. From 
thes2 and other notes I think we may safe- 
ly conclude, that althougn we do not ob- 
serve many directly near the coast yet, 
the birds do often get this far south 
and even farther, but owing to the mild 
weather, remain at sea. 
_ As the birds are observed in winter they 
present the following peculiarities. The 
colored ring which has been so clear about 
the eyes, has disappeared. The light red 
of the angle of mouth has also goie and 
Bill of young Tufted Puffin, (2. ¢/7rhata) life size. 
(13) Fratercula arctic. (743) 
SEA PARROT OR COMMON PUFFIN! 
Occasionally s2en during hard winters 
or during severe storms when they are 
often driven far to the Southward and 
may reach the coastof the Midd!e States. 
In the winter of 81-82 they were seen 
very abundantly after several severe 
storms and several were found dead upon 
the beaches. They disapp2ared almost 
entirely during the intervals between the 
storms and as the largest number were 
seen after a severe ‘‘north easter’? the 
birds must have been driven directly in 
from the ocean for had they b2en driven 
the membrane Is shrunken and pale, the 
bill has lost the basal rim; the strip of 
horny memrane at the bas2 of each man- 
dible and also the sub-nasal strips are 
wanting, and theprenasal strips are gone. 
This great change in the bill takes p'ace 
during August and September, during 
which tim? the birds are unable to fly and 
often perish in great numbers in being 
caught at seainstorms. They are extreme- 
ly social birds breeding together by thous- 
ands upon islands in the Polar Seas, where 
they burrow into the earth for about three 
feet and deposit upon a slight nest of grass 
one dirty white egg which may or may not 
be marked with spots, dots, blotches of 
purplish, and measuring about 2.45 x 1.60. 
(to be continued.) 
