102 CRUISE OF STAEMER CORWIN IX TOE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



approached within fifty or sixty yards, wlien tbey sphished off into the water and took wiug. 

 Again the next morning-, as we landed at the month of the river on Wrangel Island, a female with 

 her yonng swam away from the beach and passed ont of siglit around the adjacent i)oint, thus 

 proving conclusively that the bird nests upon this land. 



At Cape Wankarein, Siberia, .Vugust 5, the same summer, the natives brought ott' to us large 

 numbers of these birds, which they killed with slings as described under the Steller's Eider. This 

 latter species, with tlie Kiug Eider, for/ued the main body of the great Hocks of Eiders which were 

 continually passing and repassing during the time of our stay at that place. At Point Barrow, 

 Alaska, on August IG, they were also in great abundance, and appeared to have the same habit as 

 observed at Wankarem of flying to and from the sea across the low saiuly spit separating the bay 

 at the point from the sea. 



GBDEMIA AMERICANA Sw. & Rich. 



(137.). American Scoter. 



Along the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea this species nests in considerable numbers wherever 

 the low, marshy character of the coast aftbrds it proper ground. It occurs sparingly upon Saint 

 Lawrenc^e Island, and thence north through Beriug Strait to the shores of Kotzebue Sound, in the 

 Arctic, aud upon the northeastern coast of Siberia mainly south of Beriug Strait. In the .Vleutiau 

 Islands it is a common winter resident, but is not known to breed there. 



MELANETTA FUSCA (Linu.) Boie, 



(138.) Velvet Scoter. 



Like the preceding, this bird is rather numerous along the coast of Norton Sound, but occurs 

 mainly in autumn after the breeding season is finished. It is not found nesting so commonly as 

 the American Scoter in this region, but probably passes farther to the north. It was seen in the 

 vicinity of Kotzebue Sound during the cruise of the Corwin, and across tlu^ Arctic to the Siberian 

 shore, where, at Cape Wankarem, on August 7, 1881, a considerable numbur of these birds were 

 seen upon the rocks at the points of the cape. Later in the summer, as we steamed south along 

 the shore of Siberia from Bering Strait, quite a number of these birds with the last named species 

 were seen in the sea off shore. A month earlier in the season none had been seen at this point, 

 but these birds were probably those which had nested ou shore at these points and were now 

 returning to their usual habits of frequenting the sea. This species is also found at Ounalaska, 

 I where Dall obtained specimens in October ; and at the last of May, 1877, they were quite numer 

 ous there and I secured several individuals during my stay at that place. 



PELIONETTA PERSPICILLATA (Linn.) Kaup. 



(139.) The Surf Duck. 



This is perhaps the least coiumou of the Scoters ou the shores of Bering Sea, but occurs 

 rather conitnonly iu the vicinity of Saint Michael's, Norton Sound, every autumn, and again in 

 spring. A number of individuals were seen off the northeast coast of Siberia the last of 

 August as we passed out of the Arctic in the Corwin. It was also seen with the preceding- 

 species on the rocks at Cape Wankarem the 1st of August, and several times along the American 

 shore of the Arctic iu autuiuu. It was not observed by mo, during the breeding season at the 

 Yukon month in 1879, nor in the vicinity of Saint Michael's, but as its eggs -were obtained by 

 Bischoff in the vicinity of Sitka, it undoubtedly includes the entire coast, thence north, in its 

 breeding range. 



MERGUS MERGANSER AMERICANUS (Cass.) Ridgw. 



(UO.) American Sheldrake. » 



Dall records several specimens killed on December 20 at Ounalaska in the outer bay after a 

 storm, and states that it cannot be considered as more than an accidental visitor, although it is 



