66 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 
west of Ounalaska. At this latter place its occurrence is governed largely by the character of 
the season; a pleasant spring brings them to nest about the village, while an inclement season 
prevents a single one from making its appearance. 
The Hirundo Unalasce Gmelin refers without question to this species, as there is nothing else 
to which it ean be referred occurring at Ounalaska. As before remarked, in some seasons not a 
swallow is seen at Ounalaska, again they are common; but thus far the researches in that region 
have revealed no species of swallow except this which visits this chain of islands. 
TACHYCINETA BICOLOR (Vieill.) Caban. 
(27.) THE WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. 
The present bird occurs quite commonly along the shores of Norton Sound during moderately 
pleasant days the last of May, and coincident with the main flight of the Blackbrant it hunts back 
and forth through the marshy flats and over the bare hilisides, but is rarely found in the settlements. 
After a very short stay it leaves for the wooded country in the interior, or on the lower parts of the 
larger streams where it breeds. In August it is again seen like various other species straggling 
along the coast. It haunts the vicinity of settlements at this season and may be seen generally 
n companionship with its cousin, the Barn Swallow, for a day or two, but rarely remains until the 
latter starts in its southern migration. I find no record of either this or the preceding extending 
its range to the Asiatic coast, nor are they known, to my knowledge, on any of the islands in the 
Bering Straits region. 
FRINGILLIDA. FINCHES. 
PINICOLA ENUNCLEATOR (Linn.) Vieill, 
(28.) THE PINE GROSBEAK. 
An extremely rare straggler to the unwooded shore of Bering Sea. About the head of Norton 
Sound, however, where spruce forests reach the shore, they are not uncommon. Here, as elsewhere, 
in the wooded country it is resident. For a discussion of the geographical variation of this bird 
I must refer those interested to the more general work I am preparing on the birds of the Territory 
of Alaska, as lack of space forbids taking up the subject here. 
LOXIA CURVIROSTRA AMERICANA (Wils.) Coues. 
(29.) THE AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 
An excessively rare species on the shores of Bering Sea, | know of its occurrence there in 
but a single instance; this was a specimen taken at Saint Michael’s in winter by Mr. Turner. It is 
of excessive rarity in the Yukon region. The Saint Michael’s specimen is identical with others 
obtained at Sitka and in the surrounding region, which appear to average considerably smaller 
than the birds of the interior and eastern portion of the continent. Its occurrence to the north of 
the Alaskan Peninsula can be looked upon as very exceptional. 
LOXIA CUCOPTERA Gm. 
(30.) THe WaHrtk-WINGED CROSSBILL. 
Although this species is seen much more frequently on the coast than the former, yet it is also 
a rare bird there except where, as about the head of Norton Sound, the forest of the interior 
approaches the coast. In the interior, however, this is one of the commonest and most familiar 
birds, and is one of the few hardy species which braves the rigorous winters in this region. During 
this latter season they may be found moving in small parties through the tree-tops, or in scattered 
pairs during the summer attending to the duties of incubation and rearing their young. Neither 
this nor the preceding species is known to occur upon any of the islands of Bering Sea or upon 
any part of the Siberian shore. This might be anticipated from a knowledge of the unsuitable 
character of these portions of the region in question. 
ee 
