ic6 Turner on Bird* of the Nearer Islands. Alaska. [April 



are to be found. In the fall of the year these are the favorite 

 feeding-grounds of thousands of Geese, a few of which are hatched 

 on Semechi but the greater part on Agattoo. The Geese, feeding 

 on the ripening berries in late August, September, and October, 

 rapidly fatten after their moult and become so heavy that I have 

 known them to burst their skins in falling when shot on the wing. 

 The high bluffs afford the Cormorants a safe breeding-place ; 

 the grassy ledges near the water form convenient nesting sites for 

 Eiders ; and in the recesses of the rocks Auks and Puffins abound. 

 Here blue foxes ( Vulpes lagopus) are found in numbers. The 

 natives have very wisely restricted the foxes to this large island, 

 otherwise they would not be able to procure the birds — Puffins 

 and Guillemots — from whose skins they make a long garment for 

 protection against the cold of winter. These garments were used 

 nearly exclusively during the Russian regime, and previous to the 

 discovery of the islands they were the only garment worn by 

 either sex. About forty skins are required for a single garment. 



These islands possess a warmer climate than the eastern 

 portion of the Aleutian Chain, the winter temperature never 

 falling as low as zero. The lowest degree of cold recorded by 

 me was 10.5 F., and this in the coldest season the natives could 

 remember. The summer is often bright and warm ; the max- 

 imum temperature reaching 76 F. Much cloudy weather oc- 

 curs at times, but it is generally fair from July to October. Rain 

 falls every month in the year, although March is known as the 

 snow month. Fogs often continue for several days at a time, 

 but seldom overhang the land ; Semechi and Agattoo, however, 

 are more foggy than Attoo. Rain often falls heavily, but only 

 for brief intervals. Storms are often excessively severe, and 

 during the winter are of frequent occurrence, the winds from the 

 southwest and southeast being often very violent, causing a 

 terrible sea to dash against the shores. 



The following list of birds consists of species actually collected, 

 or else identified beyond possibility of error, with the addition, 

 for the sake of completeness, . of a few species not observed 

 by the writer, but obtained or observed by Prof. W. H. Dall, 

 and recorded in his valuable 'Notes on the Avifauna of the 

 Aleutian Islands, especially those West of Unalashka' (San 

 Francisco, March 14. 1874). 



