1895.] ON Å MELANISTIC PHASE OF URIA GRYLLE. 11 


This is also fuliy corroborated by the remainder of the 
measurements given by Benicken, these being scarcely different 
from what are normal in U. grylle. 
Faber (1. c. p. 981) sums up his impressions of the same 
specimen in the following words: 
Der Schnabel, verschieden von dem der bekannten Lum- 
men, hatte die Form und Grösze zwischen dem der uria Briin- 
nichii und der uria grylle". Wherein this difference of form 
consisted, is not mentioned. 
It appears evident from the above remarks that the type 
specimen had å bill which in shape, at any rate, did not differ 
from that found in the Uria family, and probably corresponds in 
size to å normal Uria grylle (perhaps slightly larger than in the 
majority of specimens of that species). 
Dr. Bittikofer remarks with regard to the Leyden specimen: 
, Ås the tip of the upper mandible is wanting, I am not able to 
tell much about the size and shape of the bill; but this latter 
does not give the least impression of being anything else than of 
the true U. grylle*. 'This observation is interesting, as the bird 
in question may possibly, as stated above, be the type-specimen 
of U. motzfeldi. 
In the specimen in the British Museum, the shape and size 
of the bill is just as in the typical specimen of U. grylle. A 
sketch of the bill, which I have received from Dr. Grant, shows 
that the length of the culmen is 30 min., thus being under, 
rather than over the average length in the above-named species. 
Consequently, in shape and size, the bill in the three now 
existing specimens scarcely differs from U. grylle. 
The number of Rectrices in all 3 specimens is 129. 
The Colour in the original specimen is described by Benicken 
as ,ruszfarbig schwarz, am Unterleibe etwas ins Graue iiberge- 
hend, die Schwungfedern bråunlich schwarz*. 
As stated above, the 'specimen from Christiansund had al- 
most the same whitish pattern at the bases of the wing feathers 
as in the normally coloured Uria grylle, the colour, however, 
not being quite so white as in old specimens of these. 
