2014 The Zoologist— February, 1870. 



being cognizant of the existence of twenty-seven skins, six skeletons 

 and fifty-three eggs. Dr. G. Harllaub (Bericht lib. d. Leist. in d. 

 Naturg. der Vogel for 1864) remarks ujDon this enumeration: "Es ist 

 dieses Verzeichniss indessen sehr unvollstandig. So z. B. geschicht 

 des schoneu Exemplares der Bremer Sammluug so wie des pracht- 

 vollen Ei's im Museum zu Oldeubung keine Erwahnung." Mr. A. 

 Newton, on the subject of existing specimens, has (1. c.) the following : 

 " If all the stories we received can be credited, the whole number 

 would reach eighty-seven. I should imagine sixty to be about the 

 real amount;" and again: "It is pretty evident that most of the 

 specimens of the great auk and its eggs which now exist in collections 

 were obtained from Eldey, between the years 1830 and 1844.* 



Two eggs are contained in the Philadelphia Academy's collection. 



Utamania, Leach. 

 Size moderate ; form stout, compact, heavy ; head moderate, ante- 

 riorly produced, neck thick. Wings of moderate length, but fully 

 developed, admitting of flight, reaching when folded beyond base of 

 tail ; more than twice as long as tail from carpal joint to end of 

 longest primary. Tail rather short, pointed, of somewhat stiffened, 

 acuminate feathers, of which the central pair are elongated and 

 tapering. Legs short, stout; tibiae bare for a short space above joint; 

 tarsi compressed, anteriorly with a single row of scutellae, posteriorly 

 and laterally finely reticulate, shorter than the middle toe. Toes long, 

 outer nearly equal to middle, inner much shorter; interdigilal mem- 

 branes broad and full ; claws short, stout, obtuse. Bill about as long 

 as head, densely feathered for half its length ; feathers on upper 

 mandible extending beyond middle of commissure, nearly as far as 

 those on lower mandible. Bill greatly compressed, its sides flat, with 

 several transverse sidci, its culmen ridge regularly convex ; tip of 

 upper mandible declinate, rather acute; its base encircled by a pro- 

 minent ridge; gonys about straight; commissure straight lo lip, then 

 suddenly deflected. Noslrils just above cutting edge of bill, in its 

 feathered portion, just posterior to basal ridge, impervious, narrowly 

 linear. 



* "Lists of these, which are in tlie main correct, though I know of a few that are 



omitted, have lately appeared in the 'Zoologist' for ihe present year [1862], pp. 73o.'3 



i and 7386, and almost simultaneously in the ' Field' newspaper (Nns. 4'23 and 424, 



pp. 93, IH). Further remarks on them will be found in the former journal (pp. 7387 



and 7438)."— A'ewion, /. c. 



