Wadsworth] 4l2 [October 3, 



it was more common to find them in communities of from three 

 or four to as many dozen pairs. Thus while the bird is nowhere 

 very conspicuous it is really not uncommon, and if its scattered 

 colonies could be collected about one or two small islands, as is 

 the case with the Murres, the respective numbers of the two spe- 

 cies would probably prove less unequal than they seem. The 

 course adopted by the Razor-bill is by far the wiser one, however, 

 for dispersion during the breeding season can alone save our sea- 

 birds from ultimate extinction, although few of them as yet show 

 any disposition to abandon the bocial instincts which bring them 

 into so much trouble. 



Of the habits of the Razor-bill I learned nothing new. It bears 

 a strong resemblance in life to the Common Guillemot, but the 

 peculiar shape of the bill will usually serve to distinguish it when 

 within gunshot. 



THE FORTIETH PARALLEL ROCKS. 



BY M. E. WADS WORTH. 



Two papers by Drs. Zirkel and Merrill, published late last 

 spring in the Proceedings of this Society, call for some notice. 

 Although these papers were read during the previous year, and 

 were such that they could hardly be allowed to stand long un- 

 answered, it seemed best to wait until they were published, and 

 to reply after a reexamination of the collection under discussion 

 could be made. Accordingly the following note was sent by me, 

 May 21, to Mr. Arnold Hague, custodian of the collections of the 

 40th Parallel Exploration : " The recent publication of papers by 

 Messrs. Zirkel and Merrill renders it advisable that a reexamin- 

 ation of the 40th Parallel rocks should be made by me ; especi- 

 ally since they have now been permanently rearranged. This 

 examination it is proper I should make since Dr. Merrill's paper 

 bears internal evidence that we have written about different 

 specimens. I, therefore, ask you as custodian of the collection 

 for your permission to make such examination during the coming 



