BIRDS — ALCIDAE PHALERIS TETRACULA. 
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, bh inches ; tail, 1\ inches. 
Hab.— Northwestern America; Aleutian Islands, (Pallas;) Kamtschatka, (Mus. Acad. Philad.;) Russian America ; Behring'a 
Straits; Japan, (Perry's Expedition.) 
This species is the 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 
Russian 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. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When 
collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Collected by— 
1)974 
8096 
<? 
Russian America 
1845 
S. F. Baird 
H. E. Strickland 
N. W. coast of America 
John Gould 
Simoda, Japan 
Com. M. C. Perry 
W. Heine 
Tylorhamphus, Brandt. 
PHALERIS TETRACULA, (Pallas,) Stephens. 
Mca letracula, Pallas, Spic. Zool. V, 1769, 23.— Gm. I, 552. 
Plialcris telracula, Stephens, Shaw's Zooi. 
Dusky Jluk, Pennant, 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 slightly 
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 8j inches ; wing, 5| inches; tail, 1J inches. 
Hab. — 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 quite possible 
that it is a stage of plumage of the preceding P. cristatella, though entirely without the appen- 
