﻿280 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  42. 
  Uria 
  calif 
  ornica, 
  Bryant. 
  (730"). 
  Murre. 
  

  

  Abundant, 
  and 
  apparently 
  a 
  resident 
  all 
  throagli 
  the 
  islands. 
  Less 
  common 
  

   and 
  more 
  sby 
  than 
  the 
  last, 
  but, 
  unlike 
  U. 
  columba, 
  congregating 
  in 
  immense 
  

   flocks 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  oif 
  shore. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  last 
  species 
  going 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  

   flock 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  seldom 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  together. 
  

  

  43. 
  Omhria 
  psittacula, 
  Cassin. 
  Parroquet 
  Auk. 
  

  

  Not 
  uncommon 
  at 
  Amchitka, 
  but 
  not 
  seen 
  anywhere 
  else. 
  A 
  resident. 
  

   The 
  iris 
  is 
  white. 
  I 
  think 
  Brandt 
  is 
  mistaken 
  in 
  supposing 
  the 
  peculiarly 
  

   shaped 
  bill 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  prying 
  open 
  bivalve 
  shells. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  found 
  anything 
  

   in 
  its 
  crop 
  except 
  fragments 
  of 
  Crustacea, 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  uses 
  its 
  

   sharp, 
  recurved, 
  lower 
  mandible 
  in 
  tearing 
  out 
  the 
  softer 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  Iso- 
  

   pods, 
  and 
  in 
  picking 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  crevices 
  in 
  the 
  rocks, 
  and 
  from 
  under 
  round 
  

   stones. 
  

  

  44. 
  Phaleris 
  crisiatella, 
  Bon. 
  (719). 
  Sea-quail. 
  

  

  Abundant 
  in 
  large 
  flocks, 
  covering 
  acres, 
  off 
  shore 
  ; 
  from 
  Kyska 
  eastward, 
  

   but 
  very 
  rarely 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  bays 
  and 
  harbors. 
  A 
  resident. 
  

  

  45. 
  Brachyrhamphus 
  antiquus, 
  Br. 
  (736). 
  Ancient 
  Auk. 
  

  

  Abundant 
  throughout 
  the 
  islands, 
  especially 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  ; 
  we 
  obtained 
  

   it 
  from 
  Kyska 
  eastward. 
  While 
  this 
  species 
  also 
  congregates 
  off 
  shore 
  in 
  very 
  

   great 
  numbers, 
  it 
  yet 
  frequents 
  the 
  bays 
  and 
  harbors 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  small 
  auks. 
  The 
  iris 
  is 
  white. 
  From 
  observations 
  of 
  many 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  and 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  birds 
  of 
  all 
  ages, 
  I 
  have 
  become 
  satisfied 
  

   that 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  bird 
  obtained 
  by 
  me 
  in 
  Unimak 
  Pass, 
  in 
  

   1865, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  described 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Coues 
  as 
  Simorhynchm 
  Cassini. 
  

   Brandt 
  refers 
  Cassini 
  to 
  the 
  immature 
  form 
  of 
  Kamdiaticus, 
  but 
  Kamc/ialicus 
  

   has 
  never 
  been 
  authentically 
  identified 
  from 
  the 
  Aleutian 
  chain, 
  and 
  I 
  doubt 
  its 
  

   occurrence 
  there. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  quite 
  probable 
  that 
  many 
  species, 
  properly 
  be- 
  

   longing 
  to 
  the 
  Kurile 
  and 
  Commander's 
  Islands, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Kamchatka, 
  

   have, 
  in 
  confusion 
  of 
  geographical 
  names, 
  and 
  ignorance 
  of 
  these 
  rarely 
  visited 
  

   regions, 
  been 
  attributed 
  erroneously 
  to 
  the 
  Aleutians. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  quite 
  likely, 
  also, 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  small 
  auks 
  may 
  

   closely 
  resemble 
  one 
  another. 
  However, 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  nor 
  

   obtained 
  S. 
  Cassini, 
  except 
  where 
  antiquus 
  was 
  abundant. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  

   among 
  the 
  flocks 
  of 
  antiquus 
  on 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  shot 
  it 
  out 
  of 
  these 
  flocks. 
  

   Every 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  carefully 
  watched 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  small 
  auks, 
  has 
  

   observed«that 
  each 
  species 
  keeps 
  strictly 
  to 
  itself 
  ; 
  large 
  flocks 
  of 
  each 
  may 
  be 
  

   feeding 
  adjacent 
  to 
  one 
  another, 
  but 
  they 
  never 
  mingle. 
  The 
  only 
  exception 
  to 
  

   this 
  rule 
  is 
  the 
  murre, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  intrudes 
  into 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  auks. 
  

   Lastly, 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  color 
  in 
  Cassini 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  antiquus; 
  and 
  the 
  advanc- 
  

   ing 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  approximate 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  closely 
  to 
  the 
  latter. 
  No 
  

   doubt 
  remains 
  in 
  my 
  own 
  mind 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  their 
  identity. 
  

  

  