BIEDS — ^ALCIDAE — BKACHTEAMPHU8 MARMOEATUS, 915 



This is the most frequent species of this group on the coast of the Middle and Northern 

 States on the Atlantic, and occurs nearly every winter as far south as the coast of New Jersey. 

 It differs from either of the preceding in having the hill much shorter and wider, and is not 

 difficult to recognize by its short and rather wide bill, though of the same colors of plumage as 

 the preceding. 



List of specimens. , 



BRACHYRHAMPHUS, Brandt. 



Brachyrhamphus, Brandt, Bull, Acad. St. Petersburg II, 1837, 345. Type, Colymbus marmoratus, Gm. 

 Ch. — Small; general form short, broad, and very robust. Head rather large; wings moderate; tail short. Bill short, densely 

 covered with feathers at base, compressed. Upper mandible curved; lower mandible grooved at base. Wings pointed, jSrst 

 quill longest . Tail very short; legs moderate; tarsi compressed; feet 'rather small. A group containing several species of 

 beautiful little sea birds inhabiting the North Pacific ocean. 



Apobapton, B r a n d t .^ 

 BEACHYEAMPHUS MAKMOEATUS, (Gmelin,) Brandt. 



Colymbiis marmoratus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 583. 

 Uria marmorata. Lath. Ind. Orn. II, 1790, 799.— Bon. Syn. 1828, 493. 

 Cepphus perdix, Pallas, Zoog. Rosso- Asiat. II, 1811, 351. 

 Uria brevirostris, Vigors, Zool. Jour. IV, 1828, 357. 



Uria townsendii, Aun. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 251, pi. 430.— Townsend, Narrative, 1839, 352. 

 Marbled Chiillemot, Pennant; Latham. 

 Figures.— Lath. Gen. Syn. VI, pi. 96.— Pennant, Arc. Zool. II, pi. 22.— Ann. B. of Am. pi. 430; oct. ed. VII, pi. 475. 



Sp. Ch. — Small; bill slender, distinctly notched near the end; frontal feathers advancing upon it to near half its length' 

 Wings short; tail very short; legs and feet short and weak. Entire upper parts brownish black, tinged with ashy on the back. 

 Scapular feathers white, forming two conspicuous spots on each side of tho back; ring around the back of the neck white. 

 Under parts white; under wing coverts dark ashy brown; longitudinal stripes on the side ashy brown; bill black; feet yellow. 



Younger. Upper parts brownish black, with the feathers tipped and edged with dull reddish; under parts spotted and marbled 

 ■with brownish black and white. 



Total length about 10 inches; wing, 5 inches; tail, 1| inches, 



Hab. Western and northwestern coasts of America ; California, (Mr. Geo. Davidson;) Washington Territory, (Dr. 



Cooper.) 



A beautiful little sea bird, apparently abundant on the western coast of the United States, 

 and probably constantly resident in the latitude of Puget's Sound, In Dr. Cooper's collection 

 are young birds evidently in the plumage of the year, and with the under parts mottled, as 

 above described, and as described and figured by Latham, as above cited. 



Bill rather slender, size smaller than in the succeeding sub-genus. 



