538 Capt. Sabine's Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, S^-c. 



14. Uria Brunnichii. Briumich's Guillemot. 

 Uria Troille. Brun. no. lOQ. 



Until the last autumn this bird was known to naturalists on the 

 authority alone of Briinnich ; who, in his Ornithologia Borealis hav- 

 ing described the species at present denominated the Uria Troile, 

 under the specific name of Lomvia, proceeds to notice the exist- 

 ence of a second species much resembling it, and which he names 

 the Ui'ia Troile : this second species is the present bird. Linneus 

 originally called the first bird Alca Lomvia in his Systema Natures, 

 edit. 10. (1758) vol. i. 130 ; but in the second edition of his Fauna 

 Suecica (I76I), he named it Troile. Briinnich in I764 took up the 

 specific appellation o^ Lomvia from the Systema Nat ura, adding the 

 description he found given of it in the Fauna Suecica under the 

 name of Troile, and applied Troile to his new bird, referring, how- 

 ever, to the Fauna Suecica probably as authority for the name. 

 From this confusion I apprehend it has arisen that both these birds 

 have not since Briinnich published his work been noticed by ge- 

 neral authors as distinct species. Dr. Leach on examining this bird 

 ascertained it to be a distinct species ; and not being aware that it 

 had been previously distinguished and described by Briinnich, ex- 

 hibited it at the Linnean Society as a new species, under the name 

 of UriaFrancsii'in compliment to Mr. Frederick Franks, whom he 

 then supposed to have been the person by whom it had been first 

 killed. I have already had occasion, when speaking of the PliO' 

 laropus Platyrynchos, to remark the accuracy in observation of 

 Briinnich. It is but justice to attach his name to a species of 

 which his claim to priority of knowledge and of communication 

 is unquestionable. Latham (Sy7iopsis vi. 330) notices this bird of 

 Briinnich's, but considers it a variety of the Foolish Guillemot. 



The Uria Brilnnichii was found in abundance in Davis's Straits, 



and 



