BIRDS — ALCIDAE — MORMON ARCTICUS. 



903 



ridge at its base, and two or three curved descending grooves near the end, under mandible smooth at base, and with about 

 three grooves near its end Wing rather short and weak, tail short, legs and feet strong. 



Throat black, uniting with the same color of the upper parts of the body. Large space on each side of the head and entire 

 under parts, from the throat white, frequently tinged with ashy about the eyes. Entire upper parts (and throat) brownish 

 black, darker and frequently clear black on the back. Head above frequently dark ashy, separated by a well defined line from 

 the black of the other upper parts ; bill and feet orange yellow. Sides under the wings ashy black. 



Total length about 13^ Inches ; wing, 7^, tail, 2| inches. 



Hdb. — Northwestern coast of America and sidjacent.coast of Asia. Kamtschatka, (Mas. Acad. Philad.) 



Strongly marked by its black tbroat and the prominent horn over the eye. This is plainly 

 the species figured by Audubon and Grould, and seems to be different from the succeeding, 

 M. glacialis. 



List of specimens. 



MOKMOlSr GLACIALIS, Leach. 



Mormon gladalis. Leach, Stephens, Shaw's Zool. XIII, 1826, p. 40. 



Figures. — Naumasu, Isis, 1821, pi. VII, fig. 2. 



Sp. Ch. — An elevated, short and blunt process over each eye, and under it a narrow transverse process. About the size 

 of the preceding ; general form stout ; head large ; bill much flattened laterally, entirely horny ; upper mandible composed of two 

 parts, the first at the base narrow; and covered with minute spots or granulations, terminal part with two or three curved 

 grooves in its middle, and not so near the end as in the species immediately preceding ; under mandible with grooves corresponding 

 to those of the upper ; bill rather longer, and not so wide laterally as in the preceding species, (if. corniadata. ) Wings moderate, 

 rather weak ; tail short ; legs strong. 



Throat white or pale ashy, large space on the sides of the head and under parts white, frequently tinged with ashy on the 

 former. Entire upper parts brownish black, darker on the back, and extending into a ring around the neck in front ; head 

 above frequently ashy brown ; bill and legs orange yellow, the former frequently dull greenish at base. 



Total length about 12J inches ; wing, 6^ to 7 ; tail, 2i inches. 



Bab. — Northern and eastern coasts of America, Northern Europe. 



Possibly the young of the preceding, and only differing from it in having the throat white 

 or light ashy, and a short obtuse horn over the eye. The specimens of this bird that we have 

 seen are from Greenland and northern Europe. 



MOKMON AEOTICA, (Linnaeus,) Illiger. 



Mca arciica, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, (1766,) p. 211. 

 Mormon arctica, Illiger, Prod. 1811.— Aud. nBiog. Ill, 10.5. 

 9?Alca labradoria, Gm. Syst.Nat. I, p. 550, (1788.) 

 Mormon fratercula, Temm.. Man. 11, 933. 



FiGnRES.— Buff. PI. Enl. 275.— Nauman, Isis, 1821, pi. 7, fig. 5, 6, 7, B. of Germ., pi. 335. -Gould, B.of Eur. V, pi. 403.— 

 AuD. B. of Am. pi. 213, Oct. ed. VII, pi. 464. 



Sp. Ch. — Smaller than either of the preceding, but much resembling the two last species in form and color. A short, blunt 

 process over each eye , and a narrow transverse process under it ; bill much flattened laterally, horny ; upper mandible compose 

 of two parts, that at the base narrow, and covered with minute spots or granulations, terminal part with about four curved 



