The Zoologist — December, 1870. 



2397 



separating (he two forms as genera, their distinctive characters are 

 here anlithetically tabulated : — 



Uria {grylk). 

 Bill about equal to the tarsus, mode- 

 Mtely compressed. 



Ricliis straight, except just at tip. 



Gonys straight, half as long as cul- 

 inen. 



Upper mandible not grooved, 

 ' Tomial edges of upper tnandible 

 scarcely inflected. 



Nasal fossse wide, deep, mostly naked ; 

 nostrils partially corered with feathers. 



Feathers on side of lower mandible 

 forming a salient rounded outline. 



Tail short, slightly rounded, contained 

 2f times in the wing. 



Tarsus entirely reticulate. 



Tarsus scarcely shorter than middle 

 toe without claw. 



Outer face of outer claw groored. 



Size moderate ; no postocular furrow 

 in the plumage. 



LoMViA (Iroite). 



Bill much longer than the tarsus, 

 much compressed. 



Rictus decurved for great part of its 

 length. 



Gonys concave, nearly as long as 

 culmen. 



Upper mandible grooved near the tip. 



Tomial edges of upper mandible much 

 inflected. 



Nasal fossae narrow, shallow, feathered ; 

 nostrils covered with feathers. 



Feathers on side of lower mandible in 

 a straight oblique line. 



Tail very short, much rounded, con- 

 tained 3f times in the wing. 



Tarsus anteriorly scutellale. 



Tarsus much shorter than middle toe 

 without claw. 



Outer face of outer claw not grooved. 



Size large j a postocular furrow in the 

 plumage. 



Species (4 i^ 



I. Depth of bill opposite nostrils not more than a third of the length of culmen. 

 No white on sides of head; bill slender, not dilated at base; 



culmen, rictus and gonys much curved - - - - 7. troile. 

 A white ring and line on sides of head; bill as in troile - 2. ringvia. 



No white on sides of head ; bill stout, dilated at base; culmen, 



rictus and gonys nearly straight - - - - - 3. californica. 



II. Depth of bill opposite nostrils more than a third of the length of 



culmen .---------4. svarbag. 



Lomvia troile (Linn.), Brandt. — Habitat: European and American 

 coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, to or beyond 80® N. On 

 the American coast breeds from Nova Scotia northward. " Its most 

 favourite breeding-places south of the Straits of Belle Isle, are the 

 Funk Islands, off the coast of Newfoundland, Bird Rock, near the 

 Magdalen Islands, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and a number of small 

 islands, generally called Murre Rocks, between Meccalina and the 

 Esquimaux Islands, on the north shore of the Gulf" (Bryant). In 



SECONP SERIES — VOL. V. 3 M 



