CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 95 



yet it was not uoted by us durinjj our cruising aloug tliat coast in the summer of 1881, nor was it 

 seen on Wrangel Islaud, although on this islaiid we saw evidences of the i)resence of some species 

 of geese ; but our short stay prevented our ascertaining their identity. Mr. Ball tells us that upon 

 his return to the coast of Oaliforuia in the latter part of October enormous flocks of these birds 

 were seen about oue hundred miles off shore as they were flying south, frequently alighting in the 

 water near the ship. 



PHILACTE CANAGICA (Sevast. | Bannist. 



(120.) Empkbob (1oo.se. 



This strange and haiitlsonie bird has the most limited range ol'any American species of Ooose. 

 It summers and raises its young on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska from the mouth of tiie Kusko- 

 ((uim River north to Bering Strait; but north from the Yukon mouth it is found very rarely. 

 From tho, Yukon month soutli to Cape Vancons'er may be taken as the point of its greatest abun- 

 dance. Here it occurs in tliousan<ls every summer. From this point it extends its range to the 

 westward, and ociMirs in considi^rablc niMubers upon Saint Ijawrence Island, wlu>re wc; saw 

 consid(!rable nnudiers of them during .June 2t, ISSI, while we were lying at anchor off the north- 

 west end of tlie island. During this time aliumlaiit Hocks of these birds were passing and 

 repassing along this end of the island, ajtparcntly on tlieir way to and from somt^ favorite 

 feeding ground. 



At East Cape several birds wei'c seen the lirst of -Inly, and tlicy were found by Nordenskirild, 

 arriving at his winter cpiarters at Ta]tkan on the northern coast of Siberia in the spring as soon as 

 the snow left; and he speaks of them in his account of the Yega's voyage as the "Painted 

 troose" of Pallas. There is a record of two or three instances of their occurrence in Port Clarence, on 

 the American shore of Bering Strait, and 1 know of two paii's beiug taken iu Golovuin Bay on the 

 north coast of Norton Sound, and others at Shoktolik, on Norton Bay, with the chain of occurrences 

 continued south by Saint Michael's to the Yukon mouth. But at all these points except the last this 

 bird is very rare. Just how numerous it is on the Siberian coast is still unknown ; but from its large 

 numbers along the American shore and its wintering habitat restricted mainly to the Aleutian 

 Islands, where it is found iu the greatest abundance at this season on the various parts of the 

 chain, it may be confidently designated as an American species which extends its range during 

 the summer to portions of the northeastern Siberian coast. My first acquaintance was made with 

 this bird on Akoutau Island, just east of Ouualaska-, iu May, 1877, when a native brought one on 

 board the vessel ; and we learned from him that it is more or less common wherever open beaches 

 are found along these islands, and iu consequence are called " Beach Geese" by the natives. Those 

 groups of rocky islets to the south of the Aleutian chain, known as the Shumagin and Sanak 

 Islands, and others lying nearer the .south shore of the Aliaska Peninsula form the principal 

 wintering ground of this species ; thence to the west along the entire Aleutian chain it occurs, 

 but in less numbers than on that portion just mentioned. 



ANAS BOSCAS Liun. 



(121.) The Mallabd Duck. 



On the entire Bering Sea coast of Alaska the common IVIallard is a comparatively rare duck. 

 It is most numerous from the northern shore of Norton Sound in the vicinity of Saint Michael's, 

 south to the mouth of Kuskocpiim River, but is nowhere abundant. It was not seen by us (hiring 

 the cruise of the Corwin, nor is it recorded from the northeastern Siberian coast or the Arctic 

 within the region treated in this paper. Elliot mentions a i)air of these birds which reared their 

 young on the Saint Paul Island of the fur seal group during the season of 1872, and several others 

 were seen later in the season. He also uoted the bird on Saint George's Island, but not as a 

 regular visitor, ft is recorded by iMr. Dall as one of the most abuiulant winter visitors anuing the 

 ducks at Ounalaska, occurring in considerable numbers by October 12, 1871, and from then until 

 the succeeding month of April it was very numerous. It is not known to breed on the Aleutian 

 Islands, but only along the coast and i.slands to the northward. 



