Birds observed in Kamchatka. 
273 
Island form, includes Southern Kamchatka in the area of its 
breeding-grounds. The sixth, Nucifraga kamchatkensis, is 
merely the differentiation locally of a bird already well known 
to be (in one form or another) Kamchatkan; while as to a 
possible seventh, viz. Larus canus, I am uncertain whether 
this species be really an addition to the Kamchatkan list. 
Kamchatkan specimens have been usually referred to the 
seemingly almost identical L. kamchatkensis. 
The composition of the Kamchatkan avifauna is well 
shown by the following table, which I take from Dr. Stejneger. 
A peculiar feature is the large proportion (over 56 per cent.) 
of swimming and wading birds. Of his 175 species 
39 
are 
Circumpolar , or 
about 22*3 per cent. 
37 
Palcearctic, 
„ 211 
>) 
28 
» 
Pacific 
» 16 
)) 
8 
>> 
American, 
4-6 
>1 
9 
>3 
Siberian, 
„ 5-1 
)) 
54 
East Asiatic or peculiar*, 
„ 30-9 
)> 
Including the Nutcracker, only 11 species or subspecies 
are peculiar to Kamchatka. All these (except Haliaetus 
hypoleucus Ridgway, the status of which is doubtful) are 
“ representative ” forms of species which are of considerable 
variability, and possess corresponding “ representative con- 
species or subspecies in the different provinces of the 
Palsearctic region.” The nature of the modification under¬ 
gone by these peculiar forms is of great interest. To quote 
Dr. Stejneger—In every instance it consists in an increase 
of the white colour as compared with the nearest allied forms. 
In fact, all the peculiarly Kamtschatkan birds possess a 
greater amount of white than any of their allies, wherever 
these may reside. So extreme is this tendency towards 
whiteness that one species, Astur candidissimus, has become 
entirely white, while another, Parus kamtschatkensis, is nearly 
so.” The increase of the white colour is not in the nature 
of a bleaching or fading of the darker colours, but a simple 
replacement of them by pure white. Parts of the body 
* In this category are included forms which do not ordinarily occur 
west of the river Yenisei. 
Bi:; 
