ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 211 



waterfowls do, and those places which would receive it might also be 

 a himthig- ground and footing to the foxes. 



The red-legged kittiwake, Larus hrevirostris, and its cousin, Larus 

 tridaciijJus, build in the most amicable manner together on the faces 

 of the cliffs, for they are little gulls, and they associate with the cor- 

 morants, sea parrots, and auks, all together; and, with the exception 

 of the latter, the nests are very easy of access. All birds, especially 

 the "arries," have an exceedingly happy time of it on this Walrus 



Islet nothing to disturb them, in my opinion — free from the ravenous 



maw of the foxes over at St. Paul and from tlie piratical and death- 

 dealing sweep of owls and hawks which infest the Aleutian chain and 

 the mainland. 



Systematic list of the avifauna. — I will now offer in natural 

 sequence a list of the names which are to be seen every year upon 

 the ornithological register of the Pribilof Islands, and the transient 

 ones also: 



1. Turdus migratorius. Robin; "Rap-o-loof." 



Casual, and rarely seen; never resident. Specimen secured Octo- 

 ber, 1872. 



2. Anorthura troglodytes var. alascensis. Alaskan Winter Wren; "Lim- 



MER-SHIN." 



This wee bird is not migratory, but remains permanently upon St. 

 George. Its nest is built in small, deep holes and crevices of the cliffs. 

 I have not myself seen it, but the natives say that it lays from eight 

 to ten eggs in a nest made of dry grass and feathers, roofed.over, with 

 an entrance at the side to the nest chamber, being thus elaborately 

 constructed. 



The male is exceedingly gay during the period of mating and incu- 

 bation, flying incessantly from plant to plant or from rock to rock, 

 and singing a rather loud song for a small bird. I shot the young, 

 fully fledged, on the 28th of July. It differed onlj^ from the parent in 

 having a much shorter bill and a darker and more diffuse coloration. 

 Although St. Paul Island is but 27 miles to the northwest, as the crow 

 flies, from St. George, not a single specimen of this little wren has 

 been seen there. I made during the whole season of 1872 unavailing 

 search for it. 



The natives' name, " liinmer-shin," signifies a chew of tobacco; and, 

 as the bird is not as large as some quids which I have seen, the name 

 is quite appropriate, for the dull brown and black plumage of the 

 bird suggests it aico. 



3. Leucosticte tephrocotis var. griseinucha. Gray-eared Finch; "Pahtosh- 



KIE." 



This agreeable little bird, always cheerful and self-possessed, is a 

 regular and permanent settler on the islands, which it never leaves. 

 In the dei)th of dismal winter, as well as in the halo of a summer's 

 day, the pahtoshkie greets you with the same pleasant chirrup, wear- 

 ing the same neat dress, as if determined to make the best of every- 

 thing. It is particularly abundant on St. George, where its habit may 

 be studied to great advantage. The pahtoshkie nests in a chink or 

 crevice of the cliffs, building a warm, snug home for its little ones, of 

 dried grasses and moss, very neatly put together, and then lined with 

 a few superfluous feathers. The eggs vary in number from three to 

 six ; generally four. They are pure white with a delicate rosy blush, 

 when fresh, and measure 0.97 by 0.07 of an inch. The youug break 



