8o Re.cent Literature. [January 



in reducing the North American L. rupestris, to a subspecies of L. muttis. 

 Mr. Nelson's fourth Ptarmigan is headed '■'• Lagopiis alpinus, Subalpine 

 Ptarmigan," and is only reported as from Siberia, and upon Norden- 

 skiold's authority. 



The Alaska Crane, noted as Grus fraterculus Cassin. is said to be ex- 

 tremely common on the coast of Norton Sound. 



The Geese of the Canada Goose type are given as two, Bernicla cana- 

 densis leucoparia of Cassin, the smaller species, and B. canadensis occi- 

 dentalis of Baird, a larger one from the westcoast, noted by Baird in 1858,- 

 but overlooked for some years. We are inclined to endorse these determin- 

 ations, some late examinations of our Geese having led us to believe that 

 there are four recognizable though doubtless intergrading Geese of North 

 America of the canadensis type — two larger and two smaller subspecies. 

 The large B. canadensis proper has its western representative in B. c. 

 occidentalis, as the small B. c. hiitckinsi has its in B. c. leucoparia. * The 

 " strange and handsome" Emperor Goose (^Philacte canagica) is given as 

 occurring " in thousands" from the Yukon to Cape Vancouver. The Eu- 

 ropean Widgeon (^Mareca penelope), is given upon H. W. Elliott's record ; 

 the American also occurs. Steller's Eider {Polysticta stelleri) isnoted as 

 widely distributed over the coasts of Bering Sea, and as " extremely num- 

 erous " along the Aleutian chain in winter. La??ipro?ietta fischcri, the 

 Spectacled Eider, is said to be common and in some places abundant along 

 the Alaskan shore of Bering Sea as far north as Norton Sound. Other 

 Eiders and three Scoters also occur; the Velvet Scoter is given as Melan- 

 etta fusca. 



Among the northern Gulls, the Ivor}' Gull, Pagopliila eburuea^ seems to 

 be absent from Bering Sea, though reported by Nordenskiold from North- 

 east Siberia. The Kittiwakes are Rissa brevirostris, and R. tridactyla 

 kotzebiiii. There is in this group the same typographical or other con- 

 fusion noted for '■'■ Lagopus rupestris" \ for two Gulls, according to the 

 errata to be treated as one, are separateh' headed ■'■Lartis cachinnans" 

 Pall. One (No. 152) is, however, Englished as the '■ Siberian Herring 

 Gull," the other (No. 153) as '• Pallas's Herring Gull"; while, to add to 

 the confusion, another species (No. 151) is also called " Siberian Gull," 

 but headed Larus affinis Reinh. L. affi)iis is said to be "numerous" at 

 Plover Bay and elsewhere. 



The rare and beautiful Rhodostethia rosea was takijn in October, at Saint 

 Michael's— a young of the year. Mention is also made of Nordenskidld's 

 Siberian adult of July i, 1879, and the eight specimens procured by Mr. 

 R. L. Newcomb, Naturalist of the 'Jeannette,' onl}' three of which reached 

 the Smithsonian, with Mr. Nelson's one making the only four speciinens 

 at present known to exist in any American collections. 



Among the Petrels, the Slender-billed Fulmar, Priocella tennirostris 

 (Aud.) Ridg. (the Tkalassoica glacialoidesoi»o\ne~), is noted as Alaskan on 

 the strength of Ball's Kotzebue Sound record. "A large dark Petrel repeat- 



* As described and figured by Cassin in 1855. lUiist. B. Cal., etc., p. 272, pi. 45 — but 

 whether leucoparia of Brandt is anotlier question. 



