ALCIDyE — THE AUKS - CEIA. 485 



on St. George's. They are generally scattered, by ones, twos, and threes, among 

 thousands and tens of thousands of the arra. 



The following extracts from a letter written by Dr. W 0. Ayres are interesting 

 as showing the early history of the traffic in the eggs of this species. It is dated 

 San Francisco, Oct. 13, 1854 : The " Farallones de los Frayles " are a group of small 

 islands lying a little over twenty miles west of the entrance to the Bay of San Fran- 

 cisco. They are almost inaccessible, entirely uninhabited — with a single exception 

 — and afford therefore very naturally a resort for great multitudes of birds. Some 

 time since, a company was organized in this city for the purpose of bringing the 

 eggs of these birds to market. An imperfect idea of the number of the birds may be 

 formed from the fact that this company sold here during the last season — a i)eriod 

 of less than two months, in June, July, and August — more than five hundred thou- 

 sand eggs ; that all these were gathered on a single one of the islands ; and that in 

 the opinion of the eggers, not more than one a^Q in six of those deposited on that 

 island was gathered. The eggs were gathered in only one limited portion of the 

 island known as the Great Farallon, called the Rookery, in which one species of bird 

 they called the Murre swarmed in myriads, there being no other species among them. 

 The eggs vary to a greater degree than I have known in any other instance. 



Accompanying this letter are outlines of seven eggs (two of them evidently those 

 of Cepphus columha) and the measurements of twelve others. The broadest measures 

 3.60 by 2.23 inches, while two others measure, one 3.G6 by 1.87, and the other 3.G4 

 by 1.77. One very pointed egg measures 3.43 by 1.81 inches. The least length is 

 3.07 incJies. The ground-color of this egg is usually a pure white ; but quite fre- 

 quently a bluish-white, greenish-white, cream-white, buffy Avhite, blue, green, dilute 

 rufous, etc., constitute the ground. The markings are combinations of subdued lav- 

 ender, pale brown, and deep brownish black. In some these are sparse ; others are 

 thickly covered by them. 



Uria lomvia. 



a. Lomvia. BRtJNNICH'S GUILLEMOT. 



Alca lomvia, Linn. S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 130, no. 4. 



Cataradcs lomvia, Buyant, Pr. Boston Soe. 1861, 9, figs. 1, 4. 



Uria svarhag, Brunn. Orn. Bor. 1764, 27, no. 110 (winter pi.). 



Lomvia svarbag, CouES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1868, 80. 



Uria Bruimichii, S.\bi.\e, Trans. Linn. Soc. XIL 1818, 538. — Sw. k Rich. F. B. A. IL 1S31, 477. 



NuTT. Man.IL 1834, 529. —Gould, B. Eur. V. 1837, pi. 398. —Aup. Oru. Biog. IIL 1835, 



336, pi. 345 ; B. Am. oct. ed. VII. 1844, pi. 472. 

 Lomvia arra BriinmcM, Kincw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 764 a. 

 Uria arra, Cas.s. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 914 (not of Pall. 1826). — Bairp, B. N. Am. 1859, 



no. 731. 

 Lomvi'i arra, (pt.) CouES, Key, 1872, 346 ; 2d Check List, 1882, no. 876. 



Uria Francesii, Leach, Trans. Linn. Soc. XII. 1818, 588. — De K.\Y, N. Y. Zool. Birds, 1844, 280. 

 Uriapolaris, Brehm, Handb. Vog. Deutschl. 1831, 984. 



b. Arra. THE THICK BILLED GTHLLEMOT. 



Cepphus arra. Pall. Zoog. Rosso-.\s. IL 1826, 347. 



Uria arra, Cass. Pr. Philad. Acad. 1864, 324. 



Lomvia arra, CoUES, Key, 1872, 346 (part); Elliott's Alaska, 1875, 211 ; 2d Check List, 1882, no. 



876 (part).— RiDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 764. 

 Uria Brilnnichii, of authors referring to the Thick-billed Ctuilleraot of the North Pacific. 



Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific oceans ; on the Atlantic 

 coast of North America, south in winter to New Jersey, breeding from the Gulf of St. Lawrence 



