BIRDS — ALCIDAE — PHAiEEIS TETEACULA. 



907 



Sp. Ch. — With a crest of narrow feathers, curved forwards in front ; base of bill with horny appendages, especially at the 

 corners of the mouth ; a line of narrow pendent hair-like feathers from behind the eye, white ; bill and appendages rich orange; 

 lighter and nearly white at the tip. Head and upper parts of body brownish black ; crest black ; under parts dark cinereous ; 

 under wing coverts cinereous ; feet dark greenish. Younger, No crest ; appendages of bill much smaller than in adult. 



Total length about 8| inches ; wing, 5| inches ; tail, li inches. 



Hab, — Northwestern America; Aleutian Islands, (Pallas;) Kamtschatka, (Mus. Acad. Philad.; ) Russian America ; Behring's 

 Straits; Japan, (Perry's Expedition.) 



This species is tlie largest of the genus, and is easily recognized by the curious horny appen- 

 dages of the bill, which, at the base of the upper mandible, assume an upright, somewhat spoon- 

 like form, and at the base of the lower mandible are semicircular and projecting. The bill 

 and appendages are rich orange red at base, lighter and nearly yellow at its point. This is 

 undoubtedly the species figured by Audubon, as above cited, though by several authors his 

 plates are erroneously cited for the species immediately succeeding. 



One specimen and several heads of specimens in the National Museum are labelled as from 

 Eussian America ; others now before us, including six from the Museum of the Philadelphia 

 Academy, are labelled as from Behring's Straits and Kamtschatka. They are very uniform in 

 the form and colors of the bill and colors of the plumage. One only is without the ornamental 

 crest, and is evidently a young bird. 



lAst of specimens. 



Tylorhamphus, Brandt. 

 PHALERIS TETRAOULA, (Pallas,) Stephens. 



Mctt tttracula, Pallas, Spic. Zool. V, 1769, 23.— Gm. I, 552. 

 Phahris telracula, Stephkns, Shaw's Zool. 

 Dusky Jluk, Fennaut, II, 515. 



Figures. — Pallas, Spic. Zool. pt. V, pi. 4. — Ib. Zoog. Rosso-Asiat. pi. 88. 



Sp. Ch. — General form and color much like the preceding, but apparently rather smaller and with the bill simple, without 

 appendages. Head with a crest of slender feathers in front, curved forwards. Bill simple, compressed ; commissure shghtly 

 curving upwards ; wing long ; tail short. Entire upper parts brownish black or fuliginous ; darker on the back ; a spot of white 

 below the eye and a few long hair-like white feathers behind the eye. Under parts [dark cinereous ; lighter on the abdomen. 

 Under wing coverts light cinereous ; bill dark ; feet greenish ; crest black. 



Total length about 84 inches ; wing, 5^ inches; tail, 14 inches. 



Hob. — ^Northwestern coast of America ; Unalaschka, (Pallas ;) Kamtschatka, (Acad. Philad.) 



We find in the Museum of the Philadelphia Academy one specimen only which appears to 

 be this species. It is a very plain species, with a short crest, and in the present specimen easily 

 distinguished by the white spot under the eye. 



Though we regard this bird at present as a distinct species, we consider it as q^uite possible 

 that it is a stage of plumage of the preceding P. cristatella, though entirely without the appen- 



