File:Report upon natural history collections made in Alaska between the years 1877 and 1881 (1887) (14751917532).jpg

Identifier: reportuponnatura00nels (find matches)
Title: Report upon natural history collections made in Alaska between the years 1877 and 1881
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Nelson, Edward William, 1855-1934 Henshaw, Henry W. (Henry Wetherbee), 1850-1930 True, Frederick William, 1858-1914 Bean, Tarleton H. (Tarleton Hoffman), 1846-1916 Edwards, William H. (William Henry), 1822-1909
Subjects: Zoology -- Alaska Birds -- Alaska Bibliography
Publisher: Washington, Govt. Print. Off
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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resident. They breed commonly on the Near Islands, but are not resident. They alsobreed abundantly on the Commander Islands. Dall found their eggs in the Shumagins on June24. They were two in number, laid at the bottom of a hole under the rocks near the waters edge.Young in down were taken on Uuga Island the middle of July. Their bright red legs and whitewing-patches render these birds very conspicuous. During May, 1877, I fonnd them very common in the bays about Unalaska and frequentlywatched them as they swam about quietly feeding. They are graceful swimmers, and as theymove about frequently put their heads under water and paddle along some distance iu this posi-tion. Whether this was for the purpose of looking for food beneath the surface or not could notbe determined. When approached in a boat they frequently came circling close by, as if to exam-ine us more closely. Their common note is a low piping whistle, and Dr. Bean heard tliem utter-ing calls like the chipping of a sparrow.
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KITTLITZS I^URI^ELET BIRDS. 45 They uest upou the Fur Seal Islands, aud are especially numerous on the Diomedes in BeringStraits, where we secured fresh eggs the middle of July, ISSl. They are not common on the eastcoast of the sea, where the wu.ter is shallow, and are scarce also in Xorton Sound for the samereason. A few pairs of a black Guillemot, which at the time I took to be this species, were seen inKotzebue Sound aud others at dxpa Lisburne, but the deep bays and deep water ou the Siberiancoast of Bering Sea and the adjacent Arctic afford them a favorite summer resort, and they findan abundance of breeding jilaces on the clifls there. The red feet of these birds are used by theEskimo of the straits for ornaments ou some of their clothing, aud the skins are used for clothing.In winter their plumage changes to a pied mixture of black aud white, aud when hunting far outat sea the Eskimo of Norton Sound find them late in November about the holes in the ice. A specimen in this mottlreportuponnatura00nels

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