THE BIRDS OF THE PRIRILOF ISLANDS. 357 



Lucas I am under deep obligation for many favors. To Mr. Henry W. Elliott I am 

 especially indebted for much assistance, specimens and notes, when on the islands, 

 together with kind attentions during exceptionally unfortunate circumstances, as well 

 as for his published notes. 



Necessarily this list is incomplete, as the winter-occurring birds have been little 

 noted. Under each species will be found a synonymy as far as it relates to the islands 

 and with the addition of the names from several general works, such as the Bird 

 Catalogues of the British Museum, the American Ornithological Union's Check List 

 of 1895, Coues' Key of 1890, and Eidgway's Manual of 1896. 



THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ISLANDS, OENITHOLOGICALLT CONSIDERED. 



I have simply confined myself to an account of the topography as it influences 

 the summer distribution of the birds. 



The Pribilof group consists of four small islands, St. Paul, Otter, and Walrus 

 Island constituting a subgroup, St.' George another. The subgroups differ mark- 

 edly in appearance and size, and though evidently of the same volcanic origin, being 

 simply rocky ujilifts through which volcanoes have broken, and with a more or less 

 special surface deposit of lava and volcanic cinders, may be of somewhat difterent 

 age 5 and certain circumstances of life distribution would seem to warrant the oi^inion 

 that they have never since they were uplifted been united. 



St. Paul. — This is the largest and most important. It is 13 miles long from 

 Northeast Point to the Eeef and about 9 miles wide. The area given by Elliott, who 

 first surveyed the group, is 33 square miles. The character of the surface is rolling, 

 with many rounded hills of volcanic cinders and a few with rugged, weathered sum- 

 mits. Usually a crater or two is found at or about the centers of these hills and are 

 often filled with snow or water. About these elevations, which do not exceed COO feet, 

 birds are very scarce. Much of the flat surface consists of huge masses of rocks, 

 which were once uplifted and broken and are now almost completely covered with a 

 dense carpet of flowering plants, mosses, and lichens, mixed in indescribable confusion. 

 In some places.it is possible to descend between these rocks for 8 or 10 feet and even 

 to lunch on the coarse, granular ice snow to be found there. The cinder debris from 

 the hills has covered a great extent of these rocks, and inland along the shores the 

 drifting sands from the beaches have also had a large share in producing a flatness 

 which enables one to journey almost entirely around the island with some comfort, 

 even much of it being accessible to teams. On the slopes and lower grassy places 

 the Lapland longspur is abundant; about the tundra and small rocky cliffs and 

 gorges the Pribilof snowflake is to be found, while practically all over the tundra the 

 Pribilof sandpiper makes its summer home. Between the slopes at many i^laces are 

 ponds of water of varying sizes, while along the entire eastern side numerous ponds or 

 lakes occur at intervals, many caused by the throwing up by the sea of sand barriers, 

 while others seem due to steam eruptions from the now extinct volcanic forces. About 

 these ponds waders and waterfowl generally are found, sometimes in great numbers. 

 The oldsquaw duck makes her nest in their vicinity and leads her young to take their 

 first lessons in swimming on their surface. A few mallards and northern phalaropes 

 also nest in their neighborhood. At intervals all around the shores bold headlands 

 jut into the sea and are connected by magnificent, curved stretches of fine, compact 

 sandy beaches, back of which is an extensive area of dry, loose sand, with patches of 



