116 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 
the water there. They were extremely numerous here, as well as all along this portion of the coast. 
Their oddly shaped Dill is well adapted for capturing the minute crustacea with which the waters 
abound in this region, though it would not answer the purpose for opening bivalves, as suggested 
by some of the older authors. Early in July it was found nesting upon the Diomede Islands, and 
its eggs were secured. It lays but a single one, which is white and about the size of that of a 
pigeon. 
SIMORHYNCHUS CRISTATELLUS (Pall.) Merron. 
(181.) CRESTED AUK. 
Like the preceding species, this bird is extremely numerous in Bering Sea, but like the latter 
prefers those portions of the sea in which the water is very deep and cold. Hence along the 
Alaskan shore the birds are rare, but upon the Aleutian Islands and the fur-seal group, the 
Diomedes, in Bering Strait, and the Asiatic shore north through the Straits they are very numerous, 
swarming like bees around a hive over the steep rocky islands which are found in these waters. 
Several of these birds were seen in the vicinity of Herald Island during our visit there, but they 
appeared to be very rare, as compared with the Guillemots and Murres. At Wrangel Island 
also, on August 11 and 12, others were seen, but only two or three individuals in all. 
SIMORHYNCHUS PYGMAUS (Gmel.) Ridgw. 
(182.) WHISKERED AUK. 
These birds are found along the Aleutian chain, but are not known from the islands to the 
north of that, and were not observed by us during the cruise of the Corwin. The habits and 
distribution of this species are little known, and it did not fall under my observation during the 
time of my residence at Saint Michael’s nor upon either of my visits to the Aleutian Islands. 
CICERONIA PUSILLA (Pall.) Ridgw. 
(183.) LEAST AUK. 
These birds are extremely abundant, breeding by millions along the Aleutian chain and upon 
all the other islands of Bering Sea, thence north to Bering Strait, occurring rarely, however, upon 
the American mainland coast, but found very commonly along the Siberian shore. A pair were 
seen August 15 off Icey Cape, on the Arctic coast of Alaska, which is the farthest northern record 
known of this small species. A few were seen off Cape Serdze Kamen on June 29, 1881, and these 
two records are all we have of their presence in the Arctic. 
PTYCORHAMPHUS ALEUTICUS (Pall.) Brandt. 
(184.) CASSIN’S AUK. 
This is another species occurring on the Aleutian Islands, which, however, was not noted by 
us during the cruise of the Corwin, and whose range does not extend far, if any, into Bering Sea 
beyond the immediate vicinity of these islands. 
SYNTHLIBORHAMPHUS ANTIGUUS (Gm.) Coues. 
(185.) BLACK-LHROATED GUILLEMOT. 
This is also a species occurring in the Aleutian Islands, which did not fall under our notice, 
occurring, however, more or less commonly there. 
BRACHYRHAMPHUS MARMORATUS (Gm.) Brandt. 
(186.) MARBLED GUILLEMOT. 
This is an extremely abundant species throughout the Aleutian Islands, where it breeds and 
extends its range northward along the west coast of Bering Sea to Bering Strait. It was found 
very numerous during our visits to Plover Bay, and thence along the shore to the Straits; but 
was not observed to the north of this latter point. 
