116 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



the water there. They were extremely mimeroiis here, as well as all along this j)(>rtit)ii of the coast. 

 Their oddly shajied liill is well adajtted for capturing the minute erustacea witli which the waters 

 abound in this region, though it would not answer the iiurjiose for opening l»ivalves, as suggested 

 by some of the older authors. Pearly in July it was found nesting upon the Diomede Islands, and 

 its eggs were secured. It lays but a single one, which is white and about the size of that of a 

 l)igeou. 



SIMORHYNCHUS CRISTATELLUS (Pall.) Meiroii. 



(181.) Crested Auk. 



Like the preceding species, this bird is extremely numerous in Bering Sea, l)ut like the latter 

 prefers those portions of the sea in which the water is very <leep and cold. Hence along the 

 Alaskan shore the birds are rare, but upon the Aleutian Islands and the fur-seal group, the 

 Diomedes, in Bering Strait, and the Asiatic shore north through the Straits they are very numerous, 

 swarming like bees around a hive over the steep rocky islands which are found in these waters. 

 Several of these birds were seen in the vicinity of Herald Island during our visit there, but they 

 appeared to be very rare, as compared with the (luillemots and Miirres. At Wrangel Island 

 also, on August 11 and V2, others were, seen, but only Iwo or three individuals in all. 



SIMORHYNCHUS PYGM^US (Gmel.) Ridgw. 



(182.) Whiskered Aitk. 



These Inrds are found along the Aleutian chain, but arc not known from the islands to the 

 north of that, and were not observed by us during the cruise of the Corwiu. The habits and 

 distribution of this si)ecies are little known, and it did not fall under my observation during the 

 time of my residence at Saint Michael's nor upon either of my visits to the Aleutian Islands. 



CICERONIA PUSILLA (Pall.) Ridgw. 



(183.) Least Auk. 



These birds are extremely abundant, breeding by millions along the Aleutian chain and upon 

 all the other islands of Mering Sea, thencic north to Bering Strait, occurring rarely, however, upon 

 the American mainland coast, but found very commonly along the Siberian shore. A i)air were 

 seen August 15 oil' Icy Cape, on the Arctic coast of Alaska, which is the farthest northern record 

 known of this small species. A few were seen off Cape Serdze Kameu ou June 29, 1881, and these 

 two records are all we have of their presence in the Arctic. 



PTYCORHAMPHUS ALEUTICUS (Pall.) Brandt. 



(184.) Cassin's Auk. 



This is another species occurring ou the Aleutian Islands, which, iiowever, was not noted by 

 us during the cruise of the Corwin, and whose range does not extend far, if any, into Bering Sea 

 beyond the immediate vicinity of these islands. 



SYNTHLIBORHAMPHUS ANTIGUUS (Gm.) Coues. 



(185.) Black-throated Guillemot. 



This is also a species occurring in the Aleutian Islands, which did not lull under our notice, 

 occurring, however, more or less commonly there. 



BRACHYRHAMPHUS MARMORATUS (Gm.) Brandt. 



(186.) Marbled Guillemot. 



This is an extremely abundant species throughout the Aleutian Islands, where it breeds and 

 extends its range northward along the west coast of Bering Sea to Bering Strait. It was found 

 very numerous during our visits to Plover Bay, and thence along the shore to the Straits; but 

 was not observed to the north of this latter point. 



