ALCID.E — THK AUKS — SIMOllllYN'CIIUS. 



511 



Young (= Alea pyfjnuva, Gmkl., iiiid Sinwrhijiichuii dtsaini, CoL'ES ; Xo. ()r)43(), Constaiitiiie 

 Harbor, Amcbitku Isluiul, Aleutians, July :2(i, )«73, W. II. Dam.): Aliovc, oiitirdy uniform j,'los.«y 

 jiluuibeous-lilack, iududiii},' the whole lorul, orbital, and upjier i)art of the niidar ret,'ions ; lower 

 jiart of auricular rei,'ion, throat, and chin deep smoky j^ray, the lower part of the throat with a mixed 

 hoary white and dusky suffu.-iion, formiiif^ a .■iomewhat triangular tran.sver.se patch ; foreneck, jugu- 

 lum, and entire sides, deep uniform slaty phuubeous, gradually lightening on the lireast, and 

 changing insensibly to white on the lower part of the abdomen, anal region, and cri.ssum ; lining of 

 the wing deep smoky plumlwous or slate. ()u each side of the forehead, from the ba.se of the cul- 

 mea back to above the eye, a series of indistinct, small, narrow white feathers, and from the same 

 origin another series of similar feathers running obliiiuely downwanl across the lores, thence hori- 

 zontally backward on a line with the commissm-e, about as far as the jio.sterior angle of the eye. 

 A whitish streak behind the eye. Maxilla black, more brownish l)elow the nostril ; mandible 

 brownish, paler basally ; "iris white" (Dai,l); legs and feet brownish in the dried skin. Wing, 

 4.10 inches ; cuhnen, .40 ; depth of bill at ba.se, .30, width, .25 ; tarsus, .80 ; middle toe, without 

 claw, .90. Another specimen (type of " S. Cassini," C'oues, No. 4()5G4, (J, Ouninak I'a.ss, Aleutians, 

 Aug. 3, 18C6 ; W. II. Dall) is similar to the jireceding, but has no trace of ornamental tilaments 

 about the head, and the whole throat is smoky gray, not distinctly defined again.st the i)lumbeou.s- 

 Blate of the foreneck. Wing, 4.25 inches ; culmen, .35 ; depth of bill at base, .25, width, .20 ; 

 tarsus, .85 ; middle toe, .85. Downy ijomuj : Uniforhi grayish fuliginou.s, lighter below. 



There can be no question that the Sivwrhijnchtts Cassini, Coues, is the young of S. nuntschaticus, 

 Pallas ; and it is equally certain that the Alca pytjniini, Gmel., is the same stage of this species. 

 Gmelin's de.scription * (its the young plumage (=:" Cassini ") in every particular, while it does not 

 answer at all to any other known member of the family. 



There are .several fine adults in breeding-plumage of this species in the National Mu.seum col- 

 lection, collected in the Aleutian Islands by Mr. Lucieu M. Turner, and in the Commander Islands 

 by Dr. Leonhard Stejneger. Of the immature plumage there are, besides the type of ",S'. Cassini,' 

 also many specimens, besides several in the ilown. Two of the latter, with feathers just appearing 

 beneath the surface of the down on the Literal lower parts, as well as on the wings, scapular region, 

 and fore part of the head, were obtained by Mr. W. II. Dall at Kyska Harbor, Aleutians, July 3, 

 1873. There are also two specimens in the collection from Constantiiie Harbor, besides the one 

 described above, and one (No. 673!)!), J) from Akootan Island, collected Sept. 10, 1874, by Mr. 

 II. W. Elliott. 



We have no notes or information in regard to the habits of this species. It was 

 met with by Mr. Dall on several of the Aleutian Islands. It was originally described 

 by Lepechin as having come from Kamtschatka. 



ISIessrs. Blakiston and I'ryer (" Ibis," 1878, ]). LJIO) state that this bird was 

 obtained from the Kurile Islands (Chigima) in summer by Mr. N. Fukusi. ]\Ir. II. 

 Wliitely procured two specimens off the east coast of Japan (•' Ibis," 18G7, p. 209) ; 

 and iu Commodore Perry's Expedition examples were secured at Simoda and Tokio 

 Bay. 





Genus SIMORHYNCHUS, Mkuuem. 



Siworhynchu.t, Meukkm, 1819 (type, Alca crislalcUa, V\u..Jide G. R. Gray). — Coues, Pr. Pliiliul. 



Acad. 1868, p. 34 (part). 

 TylorampliHS, Braxut, Hull. Acad. St. Tetersb. II. 183", 348 (.saiac type). 



Char. Mandibles triangular, the lower nearly as deep as the ujiper, with the gonys very 

 straight, forming a more or less decided, and sometimes prominent, angle at the base ; in the breed- 

 ing season the base of the bill furnished with several accessory corneous pieces, nu)st conspicuous of 



1 " Rostro nigro, vcrticc, ccrvice, dorso, alis, cnuda iictlil)us([uc obscuris, jiigulo et ix'ctore glaucis, 

 nlxloraiue sordide albo . . . alec minor, 7 poll, longa " ((J.melin). 



