214 NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIOXS ^ ALASKA. 



of rufescens, while to the north it is foiiuil miugling with the Long-tailed and the Siberian Gray 

 Titmouse. From the wooded interior in the north it occasionally wanders to the open sea-coast 

 along the shore of Bering Sea and Kotzebue Sound, where a few bushy ravines and hill-sides 

 afford it temporary shelter. These visits are usually made during the fall aud spring, as is the case 

 with other Titmice, and at such times it frequently comes about the houses and is as familiar as 

 the other Titmice. It mainly keeps withiu the rauge of the white spruce of the north and the pine 

 forests of the southeastern coast, and is of very unusual occurrence outside of these limits. Within 

 its proper territory it is a very common bird, and from its Alaskan range near Bering Straits, east 

 thi-oughout the fur countries, and occasionally reaching as far south as the United States, it is one 

 ■of the most abundant of its kind. Owing to its being confined to the interior, I had no opportunity 

 of learning anything of interest concerning its habits, a few examples seen now and then, while 

 passing through the forests on the Yukon in winter, being the extent of my experience with the 

 bird in life, although large numbers of their skins were brought me by the fur traders and natives 

 from various portions of the interior, including the entire course of the Y'ukon to the British 

 boundary. 



Pakus eufescens Towns. Chestnut-backed Chickadee. 



Prom about 60^ north latitude on the southeastern coast of Alaska, south iuto California, this 

 Titmouse is abundant aud breeds throughout the greater part of its range. On May 16, 1874, Dall 

 obtained a speoimsu at Lituya B ly, aud Bischoff secured numerous skins at Sitka. Ilartlaub 

 records specimens from Portage Bay iu Deoeaiber, January, and Febraary. As the ornithology 

 of this portion of Alaska is almost unknown, the distribution of this bird will probably be found 

 to extend a considerable distance farther along the wooded coast and the interior. It may be 

 remarked, also, that the field iu this portion of Alaska is one of the richest open to American 

 naturalists, especially in the northern portion of the continent. I have nothing new to add regard- 

 ing the habits of this interesting species, and it remains only to call attention to the description of 

 the nests and eggs of this bird which is fouud in the appendix to volume iii of the History of 

 North American Birds. 



Phyllopseustes boeealis (Bias.). Kennicott's Willow Warbler (Esk. Chung- 

 UliU-tai-iik). 



The original record of this warbler iu America was based upon the capture of a single speci- 

 men at Saiut Michaels, on August IG, 1866, by the naturalist of the Western Union Telegraph 

 Expedition. A second specimen — an alcoholic bird in the National Museum collection, without 

 a label — is in the same plumage, and is to be doubtfully referred to the same locality. Since the 

 original capture, up to the summer of 1877, no additional examples were secured by the various 

 naturalists who have visited the Territory. During this summer, on July 26 and 31, I obtained 

 two specimens, one on each of the days mentioned, as they were searching the old board fences 

 surrounding the houses at Saint Michaels. Later in the season, at the end of August, another 

 example was taken, and the succeeding summer others were seen, but very sparingly, and none 

 were obtained. At the time of the capture of the specimens noted they were in comi)nnj- with 

 numerous young Orange-crowned Warblers, which were feeding about the crevices of the fences 

 and log-houses, finding an abundance of spiders aud other small insects in the lurking-places 

 there aftbrded. The Kennicott's Warblers were so similar to the Orange-crowned Warblers iu 

 motions and appearance that it was almost, if not quite, impossible to distinguish them until shot 

 aud examined in hand. One of the birds obtained was a young one in rather immature plum- 

 age, and the others were adults. The season of their occurrence and other circumstances lead me 

 to think that it breeds in small numbers along the northwest coast of Alaska in the vicinity of 

 Bering Straits, perhaps reaching Kotzebue Souinl, and certainly extending as far to the south as 

 the month of the Yukon. Owing to the little known character of the avian fauna along the north- 

 west coast of Alaska, it is not known whether this bird migrates from Northern Alaska to the 

 south along the American coast or returns across Bering Straits to seek a winter resort with its 

 relatives in Southeastern Asia and adjoining islands. 



