wun ek Vw enc | td a al'as4na wive bas hig 1h M And “oe ewe Hicga ae Vey 4 Wed A iI waaay 4 boty ot on as Was rentaatriteaeta CRS ete ait ete cen MIS fatale adatoms eK ' vy nae My ‘ LA He Ln SANA est rv ii wi NYAS ae Pata yaa eas Beene cy nay age yy ae AW ga AAAS Ml \ wh ‘ » ’ » ‘ 4) 4 ‘ PN it ef! i rey the YL el a Wy ae nya rytatt } ns nytt Re ane ie ” myer 8 OREM NR ue ote ¢ Hf ane \ ied veh a A Ae wr " Pac reb lati ate 8 : ARG ala hinenhat at , i fy Q'ah Carney iin winch masanhintey CTRL a NL EY Leary h bey \ ' aay 2 Perea Ge 4 vate ba tal th each NN ray wy ‘ Cn ves shan Mat cae ; et ne AY th ie "if ' i ae We ‘at ve : ith — — te \ me Wey AY “an cK Marie liga) wae ‘a aAvacatareh a bi aay Rut! 4 rst sett we iss dha ih! ashy he wad) % 4 ARTE aay Aaa Ry Bat Teh iH eC EAM eH , 4 4h a4 uf Mary NOAH A a4 , PACT BOK aL MoM M RIL Ye ‘ Wi fy ‘4 ye ai wt BRIA iM ( i ie i 1b eae Ty ty eta eee Waey Py) i La \ 4 Ul ib aK AR PAN Ath a Nb oa) ty a ‘ eA PRR RAI ht nae “ ith Hb Ges Haat a Wu GW SON NATAL \ Lope a a Falah itlytaa loa s é ( ey, a Ay! m SONAR deat aang A Weala hand Wg Via Wael 4 4 ib his vit VN, vena CRSP RN yihed , Aas elie yay cu RYAIRRRE SRN UR REE ANG: a sie “4 \ Pe yely MR Ket Ws ie a ayhN ae OS dees \ ite AAW REDE KIC TIM AT RTC. MATL i } ‘ye Ny es Oe ODO " Hea eat , Wp Wyle tbr AA 8 Wa ‘ at, oY len i" i aly Rah aia Soe 44 OW ON 4 MJ eas RS sakeineet! ‘ * Ek At Om a ALALSL Aa tin Abeer War LVS iis sian as mi iat yl Ki t rae ih sen Maths) Ry lsat: VG Malan yy i AY Hae egy + 4s AAS ) Ae vi hi ea al st eat Hi vey Vani Sah) he. fr) wid Hh) ve a 3 Bae mene re) % atte Peas nt 6 y, ee i ‘ “i May ihe = * ae ‘ vi ah} roe easy cs shut aay iO Ph icy RRA xi sei Ast ¥ 8 ie i ‘ gs 8 Wut, ‘at fi a awed bas es Ay ; 4 OKs ae i$" zi Ks a nas Fark Sis snes ba Na vane ae PuuKo aspire Sian Sonn ste api “a < ig wy i Mi MONE Wy av ’ M SDSVR 1 a 5 Meet SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. ror ine a ES PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. Sas ery WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1891. ADVERTISEMENT. The extension of the scope of the National Museum during the past few years, and the activity of the collectors employed in its interest, have caused a great increase in the amount of material in its possession. Many of the objects gathered are of a novel and important character, and serve to throw a new light upon the study of nature and of man. '’he importance to science of prompt publication of descriptions of this material led to the establishment, in 1878, of the present series of publications, entitled “Proceedings of the United States National Museum,” the distinguishing peculiarity of which is that the articles are published in pamphlet form as fast as completed, and in advance of the bound volume. The present volume constitutes the thirteenth of the series. The articles in this series consist: First, of papers prepared by the scientific corps of the National Museum; secondly, of papers by others, founded upon the collections in the National Museum ; and, finally, of facts and memoranda from the correspondence of the Smithsonian In- stitution. The Bulletins of the National Museum, the publication of which was commenced in 1875, consist of elaborate papers based upon the collec- tions of the Museum, reports of expeditions, etc., while the Proceedings facilitate the prompt publication of freshly-acquired facts relating to biology, anthropology, and geology, descriptions of restricted groups of animals and plants, the discussion of particular questions relative to the synonymy of species, and the diaries of minor expeditions. Other papers, of more general popular interest, are printed in the Appendix to the Annual Report. Papers intended for publication in the Proceedings and Bulletins of the National Museum are referred to the Committee on Publications, composed as follows: T.H. Bean, A. Howard Clark (editor), R. E. Earl, Otis T. Mason, John Murdoch, Leonhard Stejneger, Frederick W. True, and Lester F. Ward. S. P. LANGLEY, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 5 S Il TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page Alphabetical index ...........-....-- SS. OS Oe oie aiaic oe AS ae Seales eae SS eeu ae eee 645-665 Allen, Harrison, F..D. Description of a new species of Bat, Atalapha semota......-.. 173-175 Description of a new species of Bat of the genus Carollia, and remarks on Carollia EUG Seas Sah eos Se een bso nee Gesne one dbe np SSeee oben ooGcEcdee | stocsede se soy e feadbesas 201-298 Carollia castanea, new species. Bean, Tarleton HI. (Scientific results of explorations by steamer Albatross.) No. X1.— New fishes collected off the coast of Alaska and the adjacent region southward .....-.-.- 37-45 Bothrocara, Dasycottus, Malacocottus, Poroclinus, new genera. Chalinura serrula, Antimora microlepis, Lycodes brevipes, Bothrocara mollis, Maynea pusilla, M. brunnea, Poroclinus rothrocki, Icelus scutiger, I. ewryops, Dasycottus setiger, Malacocottus zonurus, Hemitripterus marmoratus, Psychrolutes zebra, Sebastobolus alascanus, Chauliodus macouni, Labichthys gilli, new species. Cook, 0. F., and Collins, G.N. Notes on North American Myriapoda of the family Geophilide, with descriptions of three genera (with Plates XXXIII-XXXV) ......-.......... 383-396 Escaryus, new genus. Escaryus phyllophilus, EB. liber, new species. Dall, William H. Description of a new species of land shell from Cuba— Vertigo cubana. 1,2 Evermann, Barton Warren. (See Jordan and Evermann.) DESEO EpPHONOl a NO WIRPEClES Of MSIE: . Qa XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIILXXIV. Triassic plants from New Mexico: Hquisetum Knowltoni, new species PLATHS. Fossil marine plants: Halymenites Herzeri, Cylindrites striatus, Physophycus bilo- Mesozvic fossils from Straits of Magellan: Lueinas ? coinn bende new species.....- EAC ONO UM UntO OU OM LUD ELEN Cra: mnat wine's ania tit sin cio casein ose nie eteye eiulas a'='aislelniciaie Map of the District of Columbia, showing ancient village sites, ete ........-....- Rude chipped implements from the District of Columbia.................-----2002 Paleolithic implements from the District of Columbia New West American shells: Holospira semisculpta, H. arizonensis, Oapulus (Cyclo- thyca) corrugatus, Helix (Arionta) coloradoénsis, Melania (? Goniobasis) acutifilosa, Helix (Arionta) magdalenensis, Mitra (? Costellaria) nodocancellata, new species - New West American shells: Periploma discus, Venericardia barbarensis, new species. Venericardia ventricosa, Miodon prolongatus, Venericardia borealis .... New West American shells: Chione efeminata, Lucina equizonata, new species ; Lueina filosa Skull, pelvis, suspensorium and opercular apparatus, etc., of Raniceps raninus. Suspensorium and cpercular apparatus of Melanogrammus ceglifinus.......----. PI OPULO DIC TRESUOLULO IO to 2 Ae So ae wjalese cas ee DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF FISH FROM TIPPECANOE RIVER, . INDIANA. BY DaviID STARR JORDAN AND BARTON WARREN EVERMANN, Etheostonia tippecanoe sp. noy. Type, U.S. National Museum, No. 40080. Allied to H. jessie and to #. ceruleum. Head, 44in length; depth, 43; D. XI1-12,A.II,7. Scales, 5-50-8, with pores on about 23. Length, 13 inches. " A ie Dye Way) ys NADER ES: Etheostoma tippecanoe sp. nov. Body rather robust, compressed, with deep caudal peduncle; head moderate, with pointed snout; eye small, as long as snout, 43 in head; mouth large, oblique, the lower jaw somewhat included; maxillary reaching nearly to middle of eye; opercle very short, little longer than snout, its spine strong; cheeks naked, or with one or two scales above; opercles well scaled; breast naked; top of head naked ; nape with fine scales; upper jaw not protractile; gill membranes nearly separate; lateral line straight, ceasing under front of second dorsal. Dorsals moderate, slightly connected; anal spines subequal; pectorals shortish, about as long.as head; caudal short, subtruncate. Color dark, the scales covered with fine punctulations; body with twelve dark (blue in life ?) cross bands, nearly vertical and narrower than the interspaces; the next the last one brightest and broadest; between this and the last two bright spots (red in life?) with a dark one between them, at base of caudal; a black humeral scale; first dorsal dark; second dorsal, Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 791. 3 4 NEW SPECIES OF FISH—JORDAN AND EVERMANN. anal, caudal, and pectorals barred; ventrals speckled; three dark streaks diverging from eye. The interspaces on sides were probably more or less red in life. Four specimens of this interesting little fish were collected by Mr. B. W. Evermaun in the Tippecanoe River, at Marshland, Ind. The spe- cies is allied to FE. jessie, differing chiefly in the more pointed head, nearly naked cheeks, and smaller opercle. REMARKS ON SOME FOSSIL REMAINS CONSIDERED AS PECU: LIAR KINDS OF MARINE PLANTS.* BY LEO LESQUEREUX, COLUMBUS, OHIO. (With Plate 1.) The fossil remains described below belong to two different geological periods, and are very unlike in their appearance and composition. One of these organisms, the more interesting (Fig, 1, La), is like a long flexu- ous tubular stem embedded ina large piece of hard compact gray lime- stone, the label attached to the specimen indicating the locality as ‘“‘ Upper Helderberg limestone, Sandusky, Ohio.” The others are of much larger size, either (Figs. 2, 3) cylindrical fragments traced in relief upon gray, hard, yellowish sandy shale, of the so-called Erie shale fer- mation, exposed in cliffs bordering Lake Erie near Cleveland, Ohio, and referred by D>. Newberry to the Portage Group of the Chemang,? or (Figs. 4-9) short, oval, utricular bodies, rounded at one end, bilobate at the other, mostly seen in relief, entirely destitute of any kind of roots, seemingly dropped here and there upon large flattened pebbles or len- ticular masses of argillaceous iron ore, locally distributed in the shale. Though all are evidently of the same facies and character they are totally independent, more or less distant from each other, abnormal in form and position, and without recognized affinity to any kind of living plants or animals. They belong to that class of ill-defined fossil remains fitly called problematic organisms by Saporta, and therefore their nature is differently regarded by paleobotanists. By some they are regarded as the remains of marine plants of old types that have been gradually effaced and are now extinct, like those for example which have been generally described as Fucoids; others, refusing to find in them any trace of vegetable nature, even of organization, regard them as the result of mere mechanical mouldings produced by the movement of water or the tracks or burrows of different kinds of animals upon soft muddy surfaces, either near the shore or at the bottom of the sea. Though apparently of little importance to science, the discussion of the true nature of these fossil remains has been and is still pursued with persistence by some of the Lighest authorities in vegetable pale- ontology, and has given occasion to the publication of very creditable and conscientious memoirs; those of Saporta, for example, one upon the fossil Algz,i another upon the problematic organisms of the an- * This paper was prepared and submitted for publication some months before the death of the author—Ejitor. t Report of the Geological Survey of Ohio, vul. t, Part 1, Geology, 1875, p. 163. tA propos des Algues fossiles. par le Marquis de Saporta. Paris, 1332. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 792. 5 6 FOSSIL MARINE PLANTS—LESQUEREUX. cient seas;* one also by Delgado on the Bilobites and other fossil re- mains of the Silurian of Portugal;+ and still others in opposition to the opinion of these authors, especially the memoirs of Professor Na- thorst, of Stockholm, on the tracks of invertebrate animals and their paleontological importance.t The first two paleontologists named, admitting the vegetable origin and nature of the fossil remains in ques- tion, have supported their opinion by splendid figures and admirably detailed descriptions of these fragments, especially the Bilobites, which they consider as vegetables of the ancient seas ; while Professor Nathorst, following an original and quite different method of research, has pro- duced uponsand, soft clay, or muddy matter, by mechanical agency, the tracks of insects, mollusks, crustaceans, ete., the movement of water upon the shores, the action of rain, of currents, ete., traces in relief or impressions very similar in appearance to many of those which have been described by botanists as fucoidal remains, and has presented by photography upon numerous plates the remarkable result of his experi- ments. I am not called upon to diseuss in this short article the nature of the evidence afforded by these memoirs in support of the conclusions of these authors, as both opinions are legitimate when partially applicable or sustained by facts, while they are in the same way rightly contra- dicted by others. In generalizing on a subject like this the evidence is interpreted ac- cording to the views of each of the contesting parties, and partly sup- ported by facts unknown or not examined by the others. The student called to determine the nature of as yet unknown fossil remains has to use his own judgment, and to describe as reasons for his opinion the characters on which his determinations are based. DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIMENS. Halymenites Herzeri sp. nov. Pl. 4, Pigs, dla. Fragment of stem or frond, cylindrical, simple, undulately curved, as flexible in its original state, immersed in the limestone, split lengthwise and exposing its inner structure, which is composed of a tubular, central hollow, filled in its petrified state by amorphous hard calcareous matter, bordered with a thick coating or cortex of less. compact cellular matter, intermixed with a large number of black, perfeetly round dots, spores, or reproductive gemmules, one-fourth of a millimeter in diameter or less, The preserved part of the frond is 18°" long, 6™" in diameter; the censtal (originally hollow 2?) Rar t 23™™; the 2 SRST, oxiromaly numerous, * Les organises problématiques ree anciennes mers, eats! 1884, + Etude sur les Bilobites et autres fossiles des Quartzites de la base du Systeme Si- lurique du Portugal, par J. F. N. Delgado. Lisbonne, 1886. -tOm spar af nAgra evertebrerade, etc., in Koenigl. Svenska Vetenskaps-Aka- demiens Handinger, B. 18, No. 7, 1886, [with separate edition of this work trans- lated and abridged in French as ‘‘Nouvelles observations sur des traces d’animaux et autres phénoménes Worigine purement mécanique décrits comme Algues fossiles,” par A.G. Nathorst. 1886. ] FO, X10, | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 7 globular, or round-flattened, one-fourth of a millimeter in diameter or less, are irregularly spread, but more abundantly along the borders of the tubule or in the thickness of its peripheric horizontal filaments, but seen also upon the exposed surface of the matter filling the tube. The fossil fragment is that of an Alga referable by its texture to the Chordariacee Agardh, an order of the Melanosperme or olive-colored algwe, agreeing in its essential characters with those of the genus Chor. daria ot Agardh, as described in ‘‘ Nereis Bor. Ain.,” by Harvey, I, p. 125, as having ‘Frond cylindrical, cartilaginous, solid, hollow in the center coated with a pile of radiating horizontal peripheric filaments, spores clavate or obovate arising from the base of the filaments and concealed among them.” Adding to this the remark in the description of the genus Halymenites in Schimper’s Paléontologie Végétale, Vol. 1, p. 193, “sporangia puncti- form, immersed in the texture of the frond,” the affinity is forcibly rec- ognized. For as seen marked upon the enlarged part of the fossil organism, figured at la, even the radiating filaments are observable with the lens as well as the numerous black sporangia. The specimen is remarkable and of great value, for until now very few fossil remains of marine plants have been discovered with their in- ternal texture in such a state of preservation that its characters were possibly discernible. One or two specimeus ouly of that kind are re- corded by paleobotanists. Hapirat.— Upper Helderberg limestone, Sandusky, Ohio. Collector, Rev. H. Herzer, to whom the speices is dedicated. Cylindrites striatus sp. nov. Pl. 1, Figs. 2, 3. Frond forking at base in two cylindrical simple branches obliquely diverging, 1 to 14 in diameter; surface striate lengthwise; stria thick, filiform, generally continu- ous, parallel, straight, but traced like short irregular wrinkles, curved or obliquely serpentine at some places. Two specimens partly figured represent the species. The branches emerging from an irregularly nodose or tubercuiose protuberance, fork- ing near the base, diverge at an acute angle (20° to 25°), are exactly cyl- indrical and apparently simple. The preserved parts in both specimens, 8°" long, do not bear any branches, but in specimen No. 2 they are trav- ersed at various angles by other stems, also simple, passing under or above them. The branches are clearly detached from the surface or merely super- posed upon it by the lower face, so that as seen in Fig, 2 the cross section is exactly circular and therefore appears in relief, and the spaces be- tween the stems remain free of deposited matter as deep, irregular con- cavities. The stems are entirely petrified, the inner part of the cylin- der being filled by amorphous matter of apparently the same compound as that of the rock under them, a hard calcareous or argillaceous soft- grained stone mixed with minute scaly shining micaceous particles. 8 FOSSIL MARINE PLANTS—LESQUEREUX. Of these shining scales, observable as well upon the surface or cortical envelopes of the branches as upon the stone whereupon they are super- posed, I can not see any in the matter filling the stems. The striz are mostly regular and parallel, and are in some places here and there in- flated, obliquely flexuous or serpentine, much like those covering the surface of Gyrolithes, which are beautifully figured by Saporta in his work on the problematic organisms (Op. cit., pls. V and vi). These wrinkles, according to this author, represent in relief a netting of the cells composing the outer cortex of the tube, or the inner cavity remained empty by the disappearance of a vegetable organism of which the char- acter is unknown; for the substance filling the tube is homogeneous, or like that of the stone in which the organisms are embedded. To this ingenious explanation of the origin of the irregular striz observed upon the surface of cylindrical bodies as inference of their vegetable origin, may be added the presence and peculiar position of small short stem-like bodies, vertically upraised 6 to 8™= above the surface of the stone, by the side of the large prostrate eylindrical remains and evi- dently of the same nature. Two of these vertical branches are seen in Fig. 3a. They are slightly enlarged toward the base as passing to ra- dicular appendages; their surface is obscurely marked by strix, and horizontally, 6 to 8"™™ above the base, their top transversely cut is trun- cate, marked by a scar like that produced by the rupture of a small branch. As tending still to evince the vegetable origin of the fossil fragments considered here, it may be remarked that if the bodies, which are ex- actly cylindrical and apparently contiguous only by a narrow rim to the flat surface upon which they are superposed, are represented in their original position, neither their petrification by penetration of solid materials nor their construction by animal agency, the work it- self, the procuring of matter for the composition of the cortex of a tube, can be considered possible. If per contra the specimen represents the lower face of a shale upon which is seen in relief the cast, molded upon the impression of objects of which the original matter has been, after its destruction, replaced by stony substances, how explain the impression of a complete eyl- inder and its representation in relief or as a cast entirely free of the surrounding matter ? The fossil fragments described above have some likeness, at least in form and size, to those of Cylindrites rimosus Heer, FI. Foss. Helv., p. 115, pl. xvi, fig. 9. The figures of this species represent cylindrical molds of various sizes, more or less flexuous, not regularly or distinetly striate. Their position relative to the stone on which they occur is not indicated in any way. Heer remarks only that the organized sub. stance of the remains is gone and that their surface, which is narrowly ribbed lengthwise, appears rimose or cracked. Concerning the genus Cylindrites of Goeppert, Schimper says that it was established upon ik ead PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 9 fragments of molds or casts which do not show any characters indi- cating even approximately the form of the plant to which they belong, and Nathorst remarks, that to the group Cylindrites are referred all the fossil bodies more or less regular, cylindrical, simple, or rarely branched, straight or sinuous, or spirally twisted, from one-half to 2°™ in thickness, which are supposed to belong to algz. He considers some of them as tracks or borings of some kinds of animals creeping within the deposits of inuddy, clayey matter or upon the sarface, while others are referable to sponges. Hence the genus has no precise char- acters, and though I have used the name for the description of tubu- lose fragments, which in my opinion belongs to marine vegetables, I admit that [ do not know to what kind of fucoidal plants described by botanists this fossil may have distinct affinity. HABITAT.—Portage group, in cliffs bordering Lake Erie, near Cleve- land, Ohio. Collector, Rev. H. Herzer. Physophycus bilobatus sp. nov. Pl. 1, Figs. 4-9. Frond utricular, rounded, oblong in outline, strangled above the middle, inflated on one side, compressed, obtusely bilobate at the other, traversed inside by a medial axis emitting bundles of filaments passing toward the borders and apparently con- stituting the internal structure, sometimes exposed by erasion of the smooth cortical tegument. These bodies are represented in relief upon the surface of large, smooth, concretionary pebbles of soft-grained argillaceous iron ore, upon which they appear superposed and incrusted by one side without trace of roots. They are raised above the surface of the pebbles from 3 to 10™™, according to their size, being convex and therefore gradually higher toward the middle, indicated sometimes by a thin vertical line traced upon the surface. These bodies, thirty-six in number, are all irregularly disposed at va- rious distances from each other upon fourteen specimens, some of them bearing only one of the organisms, others a few; eight of them, the greatest number on a single specimen, being scattered upon a surface of about 150 square centimeters. Considering their texture, as far as it can be determined by the traces of curved filaments traversing from the axis to the borders, these fossil remains may be compared to the vesicular or undeveloped frag- ment of a leaf of Physophycus marginatus Schp. Pal. Vég., Vol. 1, p. 206,* which as seen in Fig. 4, /. ¢., seems to be the primary utricle from the development of which are derived the other leaves or forms represented upon the plates. Though the relation between the leaves of Physophy- cus marginatus and the bodies described as Physophycus bilobatus is dis- tant, I regard it as an evidence of their organized nature. And indeed those fossils of peculiar forms which appear with mere trifling varia- tions upon a large number of specimens can not have been produced * Caulerpites marginatus Lx., Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., vol. 153, 1869, p. 314, pl. vii; reproduced as Taonurus marginatus Lx., Coal Flora, Second Geol. Survey Penn., P, 1880, p. 7, pl. A, figs. 1-6. 10 FOSSIL MARINE PLANTS—LESQUEREUX. by the work of animals, nor by the water in its motion, ror by a kind of - deformation or crystallization in the clay by che vical agency. I see in them odd or exceptional forms of marine plants like those discoyv- ered at the base of the coal measures between the Devonian and Car- boniferous, five of which are represented in the Coal Flora, l. ¢., pl. B, figs. 1-8, all organisms whose relations or affinity to any kind of vege- table remains is as yet undiscovered, and which for that reason have been described under the new generic names Conostichus and Asterophy- cus. Their reference to marine vegetables has not been contested. In pursuing my researches for the same purpose of procuring evi- dence on the real nature of the bodies under consideration, I have rep- resented upon the plate six of them whose essential difference, merely in their size, appears to be the result of a gradual development or of growth, and of their texture, which is an agglomeration of cellular fila- ments. They seem to have been originally simple globular, vesicular rootless hydrophytes, like globular Ulvacee, growing or increasing in length, dividing at one end into two incipient small lobes, either inflated or flattened by compression and enlarged as in Fig. 4, the whole body of which measures 2 broad, 24 to3™ long. In Fig. 5 the inflated oblong part is twice as long though of the same width, and the lobes of the Same character and composition; the size of the whole organism being 5™ long and 2 broad. Fig. 6 is altogether broader, but the lower part is represented by a hollow impression, while the upper part or the lobes remain exposed in relief. It is the only one of these numer- ous fossil bodies of which the place of the lower or inflated partis a concavity as deep as is the prominence in relief of the other specimens. The modification is clearly the result of a casual splitting of the tough leathery tegument of the vesicular part, and the destruction of its in- ternal filaments or cellular matter. The cortical pellicle is seen irreg- ularly folded and crumpled by compression’ upon the concave surface, like the skin of an emptied bladder. The borders of the pellicle are seen at b, and a lacerated part of it ata. In Fig. 7 the outlines of the inflated oblong bag are preserved; but part of the tegument being de- stroyed by erosion it exposes to view the internal organization of the body in irregularly curved bundles of filaments passing at right angles. from the axis toward the bodies. This internal organization is still more clearly seen in Fig. 8, which has the texture of the body exposed in its whole length by the more prolonged process of erosion. In Fig. 9 the organism has taken a different form by the addition of a third or intermed ate lobe and the narrowing downward of the bladderly part, which leaves the central axis exposed like a pedicel. In this case the basilar inflated part seems to have been absorbed for the formation of the third lobe protruding between the lateral ones. The tegument of the body is obscurely wrinkled, especially in the part covering ths lobes, the wrinkles appearing as if produced by the exposure in relief upon the pellicle of the filaments underneath. It is in the same manner Serato. | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 1f that is explained the appearance of the irregular flexuous filaments covering the surface of the cortex of the tubes of the Gyrolithes of -Saporta and also of those of Cylindrites striatus described above. These remarks in support of my belief in the vegetable nature of these bodies are not conclusive. Indeed, no positive proof that the’ so-called problematic organisms represent fossil Alge can be furnished except by a microscopical analysis of their texture. But the Algz are cellular plants, rapidly destroyed by maceration, and therefore their tissue is rarely preserved by the penetration of mineral elements, as it is, for example, by the silex in the fossilization of vascular plants. It is for the same reason that remains of alg, even in accumulation, can not be transformed into coal, and that as fossils they do not show, except. in rare peculiar cases, traces of coally matter; for the cellular com- pounds of their tissue is, by decomposition of the plants, disseminated as bituminous fluid even under the same circumstances of slow burn- ing, which gradually transforms the woody or vascular tissue into coal. In rare cases only the bituminous elements of the Alge become fixed and solidified. It is, where marine plants of thick tissue or in massive agglomeration become embedded, decomposed, and flattened in com- pact argillaceous or clayey materials, impenetrable to the fluid pro- duced by decomposition of the plants. The bituminous elements are then gathered in the space formed by the stratification of the clayey materials and then gradually solidified and crystallized into a vitreous hard black matter, pure compact bitumen, much like hard coal. Thin sheets of this matter are often observed in the formation of black shales. of the Devonian, sometimes appearing like black spots of different forms, generally as thin as paper and adhering to the shale, sometimes. like circular groups of sporangia, more rarely as layers of concrete bi- tumen, and of a thickness of 2 or 3™™, adhering by one side to the shale vertically split by cleavage into cubical pieces more or less dis- tantly separated from each other. This crystallized bitumen is some- times attached to a flat surface apparently like a piece of bark, traced. by thin vertical lines, irregular in distance, but parallel, even sometimes crossed at right angles by a few other straight strive, probably repre- senting traces of some kind of superficial organization of stems of Alga, but none, as far as I know, distinct or regular enough to offer reliable characters for determination. These flat surfaces, diversely striate, are comparable to the problematic organism figured as Vexvillum or Hophyton, mentioned above. Tn cases like this the fossilized bitumen sufficiently proves that these traced surfaces, like the round groups of sporangia, represent marine organisms; but their reference to peculiar groups, genera, even fam- ilies of alge, remains hypothetical. HABITAT.—Portage group, in cliffs bordering Lake Erie, near Cleve- land, Ohio. Collector, Rev. H. Herzer. 12 FOSSIL MARINE PLANTS—LESQUEREUX. I am unable to discover in the numerous forms traced in relief upon the three forms described below any features or characters in evidence of their vegetable nature. Nos. 37 and 38.—Large fragments of shale covered upon one face by numerous flexuous linear filaments, mixed and curved in divers ways, varyiug in diameter from 2 to 5™™, some half cylindrical, others more flattened, traced in the middle by a depression or narrow channel and on the sides by close, more or less regular wrinkles oblique to the axis. Generally the fragments of these linear bodies, some of them 10 to 12°™ long, have the same size or equal diameter in their whole length; one of them only seems abruptly narrowed near one of its extremities and there branching at right angles. As the fragments are very numerous, covering the surface in crossing upon each other in many directions, the difference in size, remarked above, may be a mere casual deforma- tion. Their form and distribution correspond to the representation by photography of Cruziana Bagnolensis Moriere, in Delgado’s Wtude sur les Bilobites, p. 61, pl. xxvimI-xxx. In their generality they represent different forms of Chrossochorda Scotica Schp., figured in Saporta and Marion’s “Fy. Reg. Vég., Cryptogames,” p. 81. According to Nathorst they are merely trails of Gasteropods or Annelids, an opinion already admitted by Hall in Paleontology of New York, vol. t, pls. x11 and XIII, who has figured the same kind of impressions. No.°39.—Fragments of linear filiform bodies, much smaller than those of specimens 37 and 38, but of the same external form, much longer, flexuous, turning many times around in the same limited space and passing upon each other without abrupt change of direction. Described as species of Gyrochorta by some authors, they are, still more evidently than the preceding, mere traces of worms or small marine animals. No. 40.—A flat-ribbed or striated fragment like those figured as Hophyton Morierei in Saporta et Marion, Op cit., p. 81, fig. B, also figured as Vexillum Morierei Sap., “Organ. problém.,” pl. X11, fig. 2. It is upon the same slab as No. 39. appearing like a fragment of foreign material of bark of Calamites, for example, 245°" broad, 6°™ long, raised about ‘2™" above the surface of the stone. Its upper face is traced length- wise by few straight lines or strie at unequal distances, and by the circular traces of worms or Gyrochorta mentioned above. EXPLANATION OF PLATE. Fiaes. 1, la, Halymeniles Herzeri sp. nov. Fics. 2, 3, Cylindrites striatus sp. nov. Figs. 4-9, Physophycus bilobatus sp. nov. | U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIlil PL. | howe 1 vi f | i A eo >| : SS si \ i\\\ YOU ih y) y WY FossiL MARINE PLANTS. SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U.S. FISH COM- MISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. [Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald, U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries. ] No. X.—ON CERTAIN MESOZOIC FOSSILS FROM THE ISLANDS OF ST. PAUL’S AND ST. PETER’S, IN THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. BY CHARLES A. WHITE, Honorary Curator of the Department of Mesozoic Fossils. (With Plates 1, 111.) The fossils which are noticed in this article were collected by mem- bers of the U.S. Fish Commission upon the voyage of tbe Albatross, 1887-88, and submitted to me for examination by the Commissioner, Col. Marshall McDonald. They are all in a bad state of preservation, most of them being fragmentary. I have been able to recognize only two species, one of which is an aberrant form of the Cephalopods, be- longing either to the genus Ancyloceras or Hamites, apparently to the latter. The other isa bivalve shell, having the general aspect of a Venus, but which possesses some of the distinguishing features of Lucina. The presence of the Cephalopod just mentioned seems to leave no room for doubt that the strata from which these fossils were obtained are of Mesozoic age, and they are referred to the Cretaceous with little or no hesitation. The shell provisionally referred to Lucina seems to have a Tertiary aspect, but assuming that it was found associated with the Hamites, it also referred to the Cretaceous. Following are descrip- tions and figures of the two species which have been recognized: CEPHALOPODA. Genus HAMITES Parkinson. Hamites elatior Forbes? [Plate 1, Figs. 1 and 2.] Hamites elatior Forbes, Geology of the Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Dar- win, p. 265. The original specimens which were described by Forbes were col- lected by Darwin at “ Port Famine, Tierra del Fuego.” They are not figured by Forbes, but from his description they seem to be specifically identical with those which were obtained in the Straits of Magellan. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 793. -13 14 FOSSILS FROM STRAITS OF MAGELLAN—WHITE. The species is a large one, the largest fragment in the collection hav- ing a transverse diameter of not less than 3 inches; but it is a smaller one which is figured on Pl. 11. All the fragments in the collection seem to be portions of the living chamber, none of them showing the septa or sutures of the same. CONCHIFERA. Genus Lucina Bruguire. Lucina ? townsendi sp. noy. [Plate 11, Figs. 1 and 2.] Shell large, much inflated when adult, for a species of Lucina; um- ‘ones moderately prominent; beaks almost terminal; lunule small but somewhat deep; the postero-dorsal portion of each valve laterally com- pressed and defined from the body of the shell by a deep, long, narrow groove which meets its fellow at the postero-dorsal extremity of the shell. Surface marked by strong lines of growth. In its robust form and the somewhat prominent umbones this shell does not agree with typical forms of Lucina, and furthermore its hinge is not known. Its affinity with the Lucinoids, however, is suggested by the distinct dorso- umbonal grooves, its distinct lunule, its depressed ligament, and its marginal outline. The figures on Plate II are of natural size. The specific name is given in honor of Mr. Charles H. Townsend, who collected the fossils described in this article. PLATE II. Hamites elatior ? Fic. 1. Lateral view of a fragment of the living chamber. Fig. 2. Outline of transverse section of the same. It is probable that the natural outline was more nearly circular, as the specimen from which it was drawn has been somewhat compressed. PLATE III. Lucina ? townsendi. Fig. 1. Lateral view of an adult example. Fig. 2. Dorsal view of the same. PL. Il PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM Mesozoic FOSSILS FROM STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. III G 4 Liy yj ] ly] H } I} = = Yi Wy f Zify Yyy i MESOZOIC FOSSILS FROM STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. —_— = NOTES ON THE LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON, BY THEODOR HOLM, Assistant in the Department of Botany. (With Plates Iv-Ix. ) During the spring of 1889, while engaged in studying the germina- tion of some of our native plants, I collected quite a large number of germinating plantlets in the woods about Washington, especially along the Potomac shore. In the pursuit of these studies I found many speci- mens of our common Tulip-tree (Liriodendron Tulipifera), which, how- ever, did not particularly attract my attention, since their germination with the cotyledons above ground showed nothing especially remarka- ble; nevertheless I collected a number of them and brought them home for closer examination. I now observed, that although their germina- tion did not present anything of particular interest, they showed a pe- culiar fact in respect to their young foliage-leaves. The two or three leaves developed upon these young plants showed a great similarity among themselves, and at the same time differed from those of the older _ or full-grown tree. I then began the examination of the foliage of the ah i ee mature tree, and it was not long before I observed that there was a cer- tain regularity, depending upon the position of the different forms of leaves. It is a well known fact that there is a great variation in the leaves of our recent Liriodendron, not ouly on the same tree, but even on the same branch, but as this circumstance does not seem to have been much discussed heretofore, it may be of interest, at least to paleobota- nists, to describe the Liriodendron leaf somewhat carefully. After having collected many fine specimens of the leaves, from very young trees and from the branches of some of the oldest ones in the vicinity of Washington, I began to examine the course of the variation. First, however, I looked at the published descriptions of the tree, but it seems to be a fact so well known that the systematic authors have not thought it necessary to mention it. I consulted Prof. Lester F. Ward about. it, but he did not remember where these variations were described by any author, but advised me to study certain paleobotanical publications, and called my attention especially to a paper by Dr. J. 8. Newberry, Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 794. 15 16 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. entitled “ The Ancestors of the Tulip-tree,”* and to several other papers. important to this study. If we wished to find a complete account of the variation of the leaves of Liriodendron Tulipifera, should we not seek it in a paper in-which the author attempted to show its ancestral conditions? But I was disap. pointed in reading this paper, for, curiously enough, Dr. Newberry does not pay any considerable attention to the recent species. He enumer- ates and figures some new fossil species, and mentions, though briefly, — some other ones described before, but the comparison with the living tree which I was looking for was entirely wanting. On turning tosome other authors, for instance, Heer, Lesquereux, Saporta and others, I found descriptions and figures of fossil Liriodendron leaves, and: I shall now try to give a comparison of these ancient ty pes with the only living species, Liriodendron Tulipifera L. The object of these notes, as will appear later, is to prove that, as far as is known to the author, there is not a greater difference in the foli- age between many of the extinct species of Liriodendron than between a series of leaves from a very young tree or from a branch of an older one of our recent species. I shal] therefore. take as a point for discussion the last sentence in Dr. Newberry’s paper: ‘Hence, until more ma- terial shall show the simple, ovate, or lanceolate forms to be connected by insensible gradations with others, I must regard them as specifically distinct.” The most rational manner of treating the question of the differ- ence between the fossil and the recent species is to commence the ex- amination with the living plant, of which the most complete material will be always at hand and certainly give the most reliable result. We have then to look at the descriptions given by the different authors in the systematic works. The species. as well as the genus, was first de- scribed by Linné in his “Species plantarum,” 1764, p. 755, where he described the leaf as “tripartito aceris folio, media lacinia velut ab- scissa.” It seems now, however, as if there is some disagreement among authors, who have either considered the leaf as three-lobed, with the middle lobe notched at its summit, or as a regular four-lobed leaf, but with the apex cut off. We shall see that of seventeen authors eight have described it as three-lobed, while the remaining nine have called it four-lobed. The different diagnoses of the leaf are as follows: *‘Foliis trilobis truncatis” Willdenow;t ‘leaves three-lobed, with the central lobe truncated” Nuttall; { ‘leaves truncate at the end, with two side lobes” Eaton;§ “leaves divided into three lobes, of which the middle one is horizontally notched at its summit and the two lower ones rounded at the base” Browne;|| ‘‘ leaves dilated, rounded or sub- * Bulletin of the Torrey Botan. Club, vol. x1v, No. 1, 1887. t Willdenow: Species plantarum, vol. u, Pars II, p. 1254. ¢ Ths. Nuttall: Genera of North American plants, 1818, p. 18. § A. Eaton: Manual of Botany for North America, 1833, p. 208. || D. I. Browne: The trees of America, 1846, p. 25. 4 Deco. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 17 cordate at base, usually three-lobed, the middle lobe broad and emar- ginately truncate” Darlington;! “ leaves three-lobed, the middle lobe | truncate, glabrous” Darby ;” ‘“ the leaves are divided into three lobes, of which the middle one is horizontally notched at its summit and the two lower ones are rounded at the base” F. A. Michaux ;° “ leaves angled, truncated, mostly rounded at the base, somewhat three-lobed, the middle lobe appearing as if cit off, leaving a shallow notch” Chap- man.t The leaf has also, as mentioned above, been described as four- lobed by following authors and in this manner: “ Foliis abscisso-trun- catis, quadri-lobatis” Michaux ;° the same diagnosis has been given by Pursh.® “ Folia apice truncata, acute quadri-loba, lobis utrinque duo- bus sinu obtuso lato distinetis” de Candolle;7? “leaves cut truncate, four-lobed” Barton;* ‘leaves four lobed, truncate” Torrey ;? ‘leaves divided into four, pointed lobes, and terminated by a shallow notch, the extremity being nearly square and the middle rib ending abruptly as if cut off” Bigelow; “leaves truncate at the top, four-lobed, resem- bling a saddle in shape” Loudon;" “ folia truncata, sinuata, quadri- loba” Bentham and Hooker; ” ‘leaves with two lateral lobes near the base, and two at the apex, which appears as if cut off abruptly by a broad shallow notch” Gray. ® There is no doubt that the diagnosis given by A. Michaux (1. ¢.) is the only correct manner of describing this peculiar leaf, and, as has been shown above,it has been accepted by such authorities as Bentham, Hooker, and Gray. It is. however, to be remarked that Michaux’s four- lobed leaf is properly to be understood as a lobed leaf with the summit wanting, or what he called * abscisso-truncatis (foliis),” while it is not correctly described by other authors, who have called the leaf three- lobed with the middle lobe “ cut off.” We have no leaf,as far as L know, either fossil or recent, of this genus in which we can find any com- plete middle lobe or anything like the eutire leaf of the genus Magnolia, so closely allied to our Liriodendron; because I do not take the cotyle- dons into consideration. These are certainly entire, oblong, and taper- ing at both ends, distinctly but not sharply pointed at their summit, 1William Darlington: Flora Cestrica, 1853, p. 9. 2John Darby: Botany of the Southern States, 1855, p. 212. 3F. A. Michaux: North American Sylva, vol. 11, 1865, p. 35. 4A. W. Chapman: Flora of the Southern United States, 1883, p. 14. 5A, Michaux: Flora Boreali-Americana, 1803, p. 326. 6Fr, Pursh: Flora Americ septentrionalis, vol. 11, 1816, p. 382. 7A. P. de Candolle: Prodromus syst. nat. regni. vegetab., vol. 1, 1818, p. 461. 8 William Barton: Compendium Flore Philadelphicz, 1818, p. 18. 9 John Torrey: Compendium of the flora of the Northern and Middle States, 1826, p. 221. é 1 J. Bigelow: Plants of Boston, 1840, p. 245. uJ, C. Loudon: Trees and shrubs of Britain, 1875, p. 36. 2 Bentham and Hooker: Genera plantarum, vol. 1, 1867, p. 19. @ Asa Gray: Manual of Botany of the Northern United States, 5th ed., p. 50. Proc. N. M. 90 2 18 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. and show a considerable difference from the mature leaves. A drawing of one of the cotyledons is given on Plate Iv, Fig. 1, and a germinat- ing plantlet has been figured by Mirbel in his ‘ Nouvelles recherches sur les caracteres anatomiques et physiologiques qui distinguent les plantes monocotylédones des plantes dicotylédones.”* But this cir- cumstance that there is a difference between the cotyledons and the mature leaves does not seem to be of particular importance, when we are looking for the primeval leaf of any genus. We know well enough from the numerous contributions on the subject of the germination, how widely different the shape of the cotyledons can be from that of the mature leaves of the same plant, and I will merely call attention to the lobed cotyledons of Tilia, the entire ones of Acer, the Umbelli- Jere, ete. As to the nervation of the mature leaf of the recent Liriodendron, this seems rather to show a four-lobed than a three-lobed leaf, or per-.. haps it would be better to say a pinnately-lobed than a palmately-lobed. The three-lobed leaf, for instance, of Sassafras, so exactly figured in Pro- fessor Ward’s paper : “‘ The paleontologic history of the genus Platanus,”t must probably always be considered as a really palmately-veined and lobed Jeaf, with the two lateral ribs of the lobes strongly developed and proceeding from the base of the midrib, in pairs. But we quite often find, on the other hand, small leaves of the genus Quercus with only one lateral lobe on each side, but such a leaf would never on that account be considered as three-lobed. And I propose to compare the leaf of Liriodendron with a lobed leaf of Quercus, on account of the nerva- tion as shown on Plate Iv, where several forms are figured of full- grown leaves. We see on these leaves that the lateral ribs almost proceed in pairs to the lobes, but not at all from the base of the midrib. The leaf is really feather-veined, therefore pinnately-lobed, when lobes are present. Now as to the varieties of Liriodendron Tulipifera, but few have been mentioned and described, namely: ‘a acutiloba: lobis acutis acuminatisque, (6 obtusiloba: lobis rotundato-obtusissimis,” both of A. Michaux, and finally a variety chinensis Hemsl. The two varie- ties, described by Michaux, have been accepted by Pursh, De Candolle and Browne, though by the last named with a difference in the nomen- — clature (‘‘acutifolia” instead of ‘ acutiloba”), and with Loudon as au-— thor, but the description agrees perfectly with that given by Michaux. De Candolle has another variety “ foliis quadri-lobis aut rarius subinte- — gris ovatis apice truncato-emarginatis=Z. integrifolium hortul.,” but — this variety has been considered as identical with Michaux’s obtusiloba by Loudon. Linné also made a variety “ (6. Tulipifera caroliniana foliis productioribus magis angulosis,” which possibly may be the same as— Michaux’s variety acutiloba. As to the variety chinensis, this was discovered in China by Dr. sj inate aa MusGera @Vhist. nat., x11, 1809, Pl. VI. t Proceedings U, S, National Museum, Vol. x1, 1888, Pl. xx1, ~ eet, i] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 19 Shearer and described as a new species,* but has later been considered as merely a variety by Hemsley,t and it is very interesting, that we have here an Asiatic representative of Liriodendron, hitherto supposed to be confined to our country. Moore (l. c.) remarks about this form, that it differs from the typical one in having the leaves more deeply lobed and being glaucous underneath. According to the description, given by Forbes and Hemsley (I. ¢.), there has been observed a certain variation in the foliage of the same tree, since the leaves are either deeply lobed and the lobes very obtuse, or the lobes are very short and very acute. Theauthors, however, remark that these characters to- gether with the size of the flower, which was a little different from that of the typical torm, might possibly be sufficient to rank it as an inde- pendent species, but the leaves do not give any distinctive character and the flowers differ only insize. We find, however, very little about the general variation in the foliage of the recent species, for the only author who mentions it is Curtis,t who says: ‘¢They [the leaves] vary greatly in the division of their lobes.” In the figure of the tree, given by F. A. Michaux (l. ¢.), there is, however, a leaf with two pairs of lobes, one of which has a short tooth at its base, while, as was stated, the most com- mon form seems to be merely four-lobed ; Bigelow § mentions, that “in the large leaves the two lower lobes are furnished with a tooth or addi- tional lobe on their outside.” Finally Heer || has given a very interest- ing note on the foliage of the recent Lirtodendron as follows: Die untersten Blitter der Zweige haben beim lebenden Tulpenbaum haiifig keine seitlichen Lappen und sind vorn gegen die Ausbuchtung zugerundet, wiihrend die obern Zweigbliitter die bekannten grossen, vorn zugespitzten Seitenlappen haben und der mittlere Lappen zu beiden Seiten der Ausrandung in spitzen Ecken endet. Von _den ungelappten, grundstiindigen Blittern zu diesen scharf gelappten obern finden sich zahlreiche Uebergiinge. Ich habe Taf. xxi, Fig. 1, ein zweiggrundstiindiges, ungelapptes Blatt abgebildet, welches den ungelappten der Kreideart sehr ahnlich sieht; an demselben Zweig stand weiter oben Fig. 2, bei welchem nur ganz schwache, seitliche Lappen vorhanden sind, wie bei L. Meekii primevum, wiihrend die meisten Blitter des Baumes die gewodhnliche, scharff gelappte Form zeigten. Der lebende Tulpenbaum zeigt daher dieselbe Polymorphie der Bliitter, wie die Kreideart und steht diesersehr nahe. Indessen sind die ungelappten Blitter der lebenden Art viel breiter und kiirzer, manche fast kreisrund, am Grunde nicht in den Stiel hinablau- fend; der mittlere Lappen istam Grund niemals verschmilert und die Lappen sind aussen in der Regel in eine Spitze auslaufend. It seems therefore that Heer has understood the recent Liriodendron perhaps better than any one else! If we now consider the figures on Plates Iv to Ix, all of which repre- sent different stages of growth of Liriodendron Tulipifera, collected along *Moore: Description of some new Phanerog, coll. by Dr. Shearer, at Kiukiang, China. (Journ. of Bot. n. s. Iv, 1875, p. 225). tF. B. Forbes and W. B. Hemsley: An enumeration of all the plants known from China proper, Formosa, Hainan, Corea, etc. (Journ. of Linn, Society, xxi, No. 150 1886, p. 25). t Wm. Curtis: Botanical Magazine vu, 1794, p. 275. § I. Bigelow: American Medical Botany 1818, p. 109, || Oswald Heer; Flora fossilis arctica y1, 1882, p, 89, 20 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. the shore of thePotomac and in the Smithsonian Park, we must wonder not a littlethat systematic authors have mentioned so few of these forms. We see here the most ‘ insensible gradations” from the entire to the deeply-lobed leaves. We see the orbicular form in Fig. 5, the obcordate in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the approximately bilobed in Figs. 16,31, and 41, and the large variation in the upper margin of these small ane more or less notched, as tor instance in Figs. 11, 13, 16, ete., or almost horizon- tal, as in Fig. 17, and, farther, how mbes is a weal but quite distinct, attenuation of the blade into the petiole, as in Figs.6 and 7. And if we examine the other forms with the lobes more or less developed, we shall find quite a large number of variations from Figs. 11, 15, and 17, to the more distinctly lobed leaves, as Figs. 18, 19, and 20, and finally the large leaves, Figs. 2, 3, and 4. We find here another kind of varia- tion, in regard to the depth of the sinuses, merely shallow in Figs. 24 and 25, or very deep as in Figs. 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30. And farther, as stated in the description of the small leaves, the upper margin varies very much in regard to its sinus, deep as in Figs. 22, 24, 39, and 40, or ina much smaller degree asin Figs. 3, 23, 25, 27, and 30. Finally, it must be remarked that the sinus at the base of the blade shows quite a large variation in its depth, but I have not found a case in the larger leaves where the blade tapered into the petiole. As to the varieties, I have obtained rich material from a single tree cultivated in the United States Botanical Garden under the name of “integrifolia,” and I suppose this corresponds to Michaux’s variety “‘ obtusiloba.” Leaves from this tree are figured on Plate vii, igs. 32 to 37, and these also differ among themselves, ranging from the small, obcordate leaf (Fig. 37) to the more obtuse one, Fig. 36, with the upper margin almost horizontal in contrast with the leaf, Fig. 37, where a deep depression is to be observed. The approximately roundish form, Fig. 33, Was the most common on this tree, of which, however, several leaves, as Fig. 32, showed two distinct teeth at the upper margin, corresponding to the upper lobes of the normally developed leaves; and moreover IL observed not a few with an incipient dentation at the base and at the middle part of the blade, as shown in Fig. 34. The base showed here — the same kind of variation as mentioned above in the typical forms. The other variety, “‘acutiloba” Michaux, is unknown to me, but it is pos- sible that the small leaf, Fig. 23, and the larger ones, Figs. 26 to 30, show a similar form. They represent, however, not a variety, but merely a young state of the typical tree. The small leaf, figured on Plate v1, Fig. 23, has been taken from a plant, 1 foot high, of which the age was almost two years, and all the leaves on this specimen had this same shape. The larger leaves, Figs. 26 to 30, belonged to a mere shrub, no more than 5 feet high, of which the leaves had either the same deeply lobed form, or, as shown in Fig. 31, the almost obcordate outline. It is to be supposed that this form may not be constant, and as the shrub gets older and attains a larger size the leaves will gradually acquire the 4 Me cscan PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 21 1890. normal shape. This is, however, only a supposition, but as mentioned above, the leaf shown in Fig. 23 was from a very young plant, of which I observed many in the same locality, all of which were similar. If we look now at Plate 1x, which represents a part of the foliage of a shoot of the year and developed in the axil of the large leaf, Fig. 38, we shall see, as stated in the explanation of the plates, that Vig. 41 is the first and oldest one of this branch, after which followed a nearly normal four-lobed one, only a little smaller than usual; after this (Fig. 40), some- what irregular, and still later two normal ones, both of the same shape as Fig. 39, which was the next youngest; the youngest leaf of this branch had again the same shape as that in Fig. 41; in short, the old- est and the youngest leaf on the same branch showed an entirely dif- ferent form from the intermediate ones, of which the form has been taken as the normal one for our Liriodendron Tulipifera, viz: *‘the four- lobed leaf.” It is to be pointed out that instead of the four-lobed leaves it is not uncommon to find leaves with six or even eight lobes, like teeth, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The fact that the oldest and youngest leaf on the same branch can differ so much from the other ones seems to be almost constant for the full-grown tree and especially on the lateral branches; it was at least the case with a very large number of branches, which I examined for that purpose. And if we examine very young specimens of our Liriodendron, only five months old, we shall certainly see a still greater variation in the young foliage. In some of these not less than five different forms were to be observed in six leaves! The first leaf after the cotyledons showed the shape as given on Plate v, Fig. 10, after this followed another one like Fig. 11, after this two, like Fig. 12, and then two four-lobed ones, the youngest of which showed the form as in Fig. 25, while the preceding was almost like Fig. 23. In general the first four or even five leaves on the very young Tulip tree have the same curious form as the oldest and youngest on the branches of the full-grown tree. This kind of variation in the foliage of many other trees and even in herbs is not uncommon, and it may certainly be considered as a constant character for many plants. What then is the principal character of the recent Liriodendron-leaf, and what characters are to be looked for by the paleobotanists, when identifying fossil leaves, supposed to belong to the genus Liriodendron ? There is nothing more striking in the leaf than the notch at its apex, which, as we have seen in the plates, is to be observed in all the leaves, excepting Fig. 5, both large and small, whether they are lobed or not. And if the paleobotanists do not find a completely preserved leaf, or _ atleast the apex of it, then it will certainly be a question, whether or ; not they have the true Lériodendron before them, for I do not see any essential difference in the lobes alone nor in the partial nervation, which should be so characteristic as to guide the observer in identifying a fossil Liriodendron, if he had not the summit of the leaf. The lobes, considered by themselves, are not very different from those of many 22 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. other plants, as for instance, species of Acer and Aralia, especially if the palmate nervaticn of these is not to be seen distinctly, which a small part of a lobe might not be able to show. And as to the smaller leaves, the obcordate ones, these are, when they occur as fossils, even more misleading. Leaves with the apex emarginate and of an obcordate form occur so often in the other families as the only typical form of the leaf or leaflet, that it would be more natural for the paleobotanist to think of such families rather than of such a genus as the Liriodendron. And their nervation is, in proportion to their size, rather indistinct and far from characteristic; they are regularly feather-veined. But, still, as will be shown later, several fossil leaves of this obcor- date shape have been identified as belonging to Liriodendron, whether correctly or not is another question, but why should the ancient types not show at least a similar kind of variation, as does the recent one? There is a peculiar circumstance connected with Dr. Newberry’s Livri- odendron oblongifolium, L. quercifolium, and L. simplex (l. ¢.). As the author remarks, the leaves of these three species are proportionally longer than those of the recent species. This seems to be characteristic of several of the other ancient forms, and is a point of great interest, especially because I believe, we may trace it in the recent leaf. There is, namely, in the leaf of Lirtodendron Tulipifera a short point in the middle of the notch which is an elongation of the midrib, and I have observed this feature in all the leaves I have examined, of both old and young trees. This prolongation of the midrib might then show a rudiment of a longer midrib, that is, the leaf may formerly have been longer and then for some reason have decreased to its present size. It might, however, be objected to this supposition that it very often oc- curs, that such a point is to be found in leaves, and especially very commonly in the obcordate leaflets of many Leguminosw, where we are not entitled to presume a reduction in length of the leaf. Iam well aware of this, but there is another fact that must be considered, namely, that the nervation of the leaflets, pointed and obcordate or with the apex of the blade notched as in Liriodendron, in Hematoxylon, Colutea, and others, is somewhat different from that of such forms. of the recent Tulip-tree. For even if the Liriodendron-leaves and the Leguminose-leaflets are feather-veined, and generally show the same relatively coarse reticulation, yet while the nerves of the Leguminose leaflets are almost parallel to each other, this is not always the case with LTiriodendron, Just beneath the upper margin of the leaf of Lirioden- dron Tulipifera is to be observed one pair of very short and rather indistinct ribs, and these proceed almost horizontally from the midrib, while the other ones, at least in the smaller leaves, form an acute angle with the midrib. Might this pair of ribs not have shown an additional pair of lobes, when the leaf was longer, and are they not to be supposed to have always been present in the elongated midrib? This would at — least be a great help to the correct understanding of the long leaves ~ ll : VOL. XIII, («RRS PROCKEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 23 of the supposed Liriodendron oblongifolium, quercifolium, simplex, and others. Now as regards the fossil leaves, belonging to the genus Lirioden- dron, all of them have been found either in the Cretaceous or in the Tertiary formation. They represent certainly several quite well- distinguished forms, but whether they represent a corresponding num- ber of species is rather doubtful, at least, if we will compare them with the numerous variations, which, as stated above, occur even on the same tree, the only recent species of our flora. These supposed species are: Liriodendron acuminatum Lesqx. LTiriodendron Celakovskii Veleusk. Tiriodendron cruciforme Lesqx. Liriodendron Gardneri Sap. Liriodendron giganteum Lesqx. Liriodendron Hauerit Ettings. Tiriodendron laraniense Ward. LTiriodendron Meekii Heer. Liriodendion Meekti, var. genuina. Liriodendron Meekii, var. Marcouana. Liriodendron Meekii, var. mucronulata. Liriodendron Meckii, var. obcordata. Liriodendron Meekii, var. primeva. Liriodendron oblongifolium Newb. Liriodendron pinnatifidum Lesqx. Liriodendron Procaccinii, Ung. Liriodendron Procaccinti, var. A, Helvetica. Liriodendron Procaccinii, var. B, acutiloba. Liriodendron Procaccinii, var. C, obtusiloba. Liriodendron Procaccinii, var. C, (1) subattenuata. Tiriodendron Procacecinii, var. C, (2) rotundata. Liriodendron Procaccinii, var. D, incisa. Liriodendron quercifolium Newb. Liriodendron semialatum Lesqx. Liriodendron simplex Newb. besides the Tertiary, considered as identical with our recent Lirioden- dron Tulipifera L. We have here fourteen species, with, in all, eleven varieties enumer- ated of a genus, of which but one is still existing, properly indigenous in North America and China. We shall see later that, while some authors have not hesitated to consider the different forms as species, others have preferred to describe several of them as merely vari- eties. The geographical distribution of the Tulip-tree was certainly wide in the Cretaceous age, when it existed as far north as Greenland, and in the Tertiary formation it occurred in several parts of Europe from Iceland as far south as Italy. It is not strange then that a genus, scattered throughout many lands during two geological epochs, Should have been represented by different forms, even specifically distinct. On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that there is very often to be observed a certain difference in the same plant when we compare its representatives from different countries with varied 24 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. climates. I recall for instance the American variety of Castanea vesca, the variety populifolia of Betula alba, the variety Canadensis of Taxus baccata, and others, of which the typical forms are indigenous 1n Europe; and even among weeds we have several examples of that kind of vari- ation, influenced by differences in climate and soil; as, for example, Alisma Plantago var. Americana, Veronica Americana but slightly dif- ferent from the European species beccabunga, the American varieties sinuata and integrifolia of Lycopus Huropeus, and the numerous varieties of the Graminec from the most widely separate countries the world over. And if the plant shows also a liability to variation in its foliage, as does our Tulip-tree, might not such kind of variation be brought about in a somewhat different manner, depending on climatological or terrestrial conditions? I do not think it unnatural to suppose so. But a variation in this manner or as tle above mentioned of a more proper kind will not be considered as anything but a simple variation, at least not until the changes of the specific characters have increased so much after a very long space of time that the former variety becomes a species, a new type. Andin the same manner the varieties might be supposed to belong to the original type, so that a number of apparently distinct forms must be reduced to one. Do not the numerous fossil Liriodendron, Sassafras, Liquidambar, Aralia, etc., favor that suppo- sition? There is, if we will now regard tie fossil leaves of Liriodendron, a great analogy with those of the living species, and the agreement is so striking, that it seems rather hard to distinguish most of them as true species, especially so when we are familiar with the recent forms. Therefore has Heer in his “ Flora fossilis arctica,” in the chapter en- titled “‘ Flora der Atanekerdluk”* preferred to consider some above- enumerated forms as merely varieties of the species LZ. Meekii, and of that reason, as he says (I. ¢.) : Ich bringe diese Formen zu einer Art, weil 1) so unmerkliche Ueberginge zwischen demselben stattfinden, dass keine sichern Grenzen zu ziehen sind; 2) dieselben Formen in der obern Kreide von Nebraska und Kansas vorkommen wie in Grénland, wie ein Blick Tafel xxi Fig, 3-6 zeigt, wo ich diese amerikanischen Blitter zur Vergleichung mit denen Grénlands abgebildet habe; 3) auch der lebende Tulpen- baum uns einen iihnlichen Formenkreis von Bliittern zeigt, ete., ete. We can not but agree entirely with him, when we regard the series of leaves figured in his Flora fossilis arctica (l.¢.) on Plates XVII, XXII, XXUI, and xLy. Among these leaves is Dr. Newberry’s species primevum, and it seems very curious that this author should so dif- fer from Heer, since he says (l. ¢., p. 4) not only that this species is quite different from Heer’s LZ. Meekii, but even that there are no connecting links between them. It is now to be remarked, that the mentioned leaves, figured by Heer, are from widely separated localities, namely the variety primeva from the Disco island in Greenland and from Kansas, the variety genuina from Nebraska, while the two others,t * Oswald Heer: Flora fossilis arctica, vr, Pars 11, 1882. t Ibid., (l.c.), Plate xxu1, Figs. 12 and 18. ce | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 25 considered as identical with this, are found in the lower Atanekerdluk in Greenland. All the other varieties are either from this locality or from Asuk and Isunguak in Greenland, but nevertheless Heer did not find any reason for separating them, on the contrary, he found “ insensi- ble gradations” between them, and it seems that it is especially in re- gard to the understanding of the intergrading forms that Dr. Newberry does not agree with Heer. What then, is the difference between Dr. Newberry’s two leaves of his species LZ. primevum and L. Meekii, both from Nebraska, when compared with those called LZ. Meekit var. primeva and genuina of Heer obtained from Greenland? I do not think there is any difter- ence in the size as far as concerns the variety genuina, and in the other one, the variety primeva, the leaf from Greenland is somewhat defective, but shows, nevertheless, the emarginate summit and a little more than the half part of the blade, and this leaf does not differ more from Dr. Newberry’s drawing than most of the variations I have fig- ured from the living tree. Both of them show a somewhat rounded base, as if there was a tendency toward forming a basal lobe, and at the superior margin there is a distinct and roundish lobe. The nerva- tion is entirely the same. The two forms primceva and genuina are by Heer united with the species Meekii, and it seems to be done so with the best reason; I would merely object to consider them as two differ- ent varieties, since the only difference is to be found in the number of lobes, there being two pairs in genwina and only one, or rather one pair of distinct lobes and another pair very obtuse, forming an expansion at the base of the blade of primeva. Do we not find a similar variation among some of the leaves from the living tree? I will merely call attention to a leaf, Plate vi, Figs. 19 and compare it with another one, Plate v, Fig. 11. It seems to me that we have here a very good analogy in regard to this question. If weexamine the leaf on Plate v, Fig. 17, which is from the same young tree as the first one, Fig. 19, we must certainly wonder that Dr. Newberry was unable to find any inter- grading forms. If we now consider the other varieties of LZ. Meekii, figured by Heer (J. c.), in his Plates Xx1I, XXIII, and XLv, we shall then again find a great mutual agreement. These leaves are almost entire or approxi- mately obcordate, especially the variety obcordata, Plate xxi, Fig. 4 (i. ¢.). The difference between these forms is very slight and limited, —s almost wholly, to the relative proportions of size. The variety obcor- data shows this characteristic shape, while the leaves of MJarcouana are longer and narrower, with the base of the blade tapering into the petiole. The third one, mucronulata, seems to be closely allied to the variety Marcouana, but shows a small point at the end of the midrib, a character, which has also been shown, however, in the leaf, Fig. 5, Plate XxiI (I. ¢.), of Marcowana. This point seems to be analogous to the 26 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. rudimentary projongation of the midrib, as I have mentioned above and figured in the leaves of the living tree. It seems, then, as if we have the same fact here, that the leaves show an original longer-leaved type. But, owing to the shape of the notch in these three varieties, whatever this is, more or less deeply and sharply sinuate, Heer did not consider this circumstance as being of any essential importance, since he united a form as Fig. 13a on Plate xv (l. ¢.) of Marcouwana with an- other one, Fig. 3 on Plate xxut (Ul. ¢.), of the same variety, and he has — certainly considered these two as identical with the best reason. For if we look at the small leaves, Figs. 6, 10, and 16 on Plate vy, all borne on living trees, we shall find the same manner of variation. But I hardly consider these three forms as “varieties,” in consequence of the numerous gradation forms, which I have illustrated, and will again call attention to some of these figures. In regard to the relative proportions of length and breadth there is a series of gradations from Figs. 35 and 36 to Figs. 16 and 41, and we can see the same in re- gard to the depth of the notch at the apex of these leaves. I do not think it would be too hazardous to suppose Heer’s varieties as merely forms, belonging to trees or branches of some different age, either very young or perhaps more mature. But Dr. Newberry objects even here, because Heer has regarded his LZ. primevum as identical with such obeor- date leaves of L. Meekii, as the last mentioned three varieties. Dr. New- berry remarks (l.¢., p. 4), that ‘indeed the probabilities are against it, since no intermediate forms have been found, and none of the panduri- form leaves of L. Meekit have been obtained from Greenland, where obovate, entire or emarginate leaves similar to those given the above names (Phyllites obcordatus and Leguminosites Marcouanus) do occur, and also many of the emarginate, oblong-ovoid, or lanceolate leaves, which I have called Liriodendron simplex.” It is now to be remembered, as mentioned before, that such obcordate leaves may occur, and indeed do commonly occur, together with leaves — of the typical form on the same tree. I consider it rather as acci- dental that none of the panduriform leaves of L. Meekii have yet been discovered in Greenland, and it is strange that Doctor Newberry does not see any gradation forms in the Greenlandish leaves of L. Meekii, figured by Heer on Plate xx11, Figs. 12 and 13, and farther on Plate XVI, Fig. 4e (l. ¢.). Massalongo is another author with the same view in regard to the variation or rather the occurrence of different forms of a fossil Lirio- dendron species. We seein the Plates of his “Flora Senigalliese” * a series of leaves of a species which he has referred to L. Procaccinii Ung. This species, which was first described by Unger,t is character- ized as follows: “ Liriodendron foliis trilobis, lobo medio maximo trun- cato—emarginato, lobis lateralibus obtusis vel acutis integerrimis, nervis * Massalongo: Flora Fossile del Senigalliese, 1859, p. 311. tFr. Unger: Genera et species plantarum fossilium, 1350, p. 443. a —— a a “i ae eee al PROCEEDINGS OF TILE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 27 secundariis pinnatis subsimplicibus.” Four varieties of this species have been enumerated by Massalongo: A. L. Procaceinii v. helvetica. B. L. Procaccinii v. acutiloba. C. L. Procaccinii v. obtusiloba, (a) subattenuata, (2) rotundata. D. L. Procaccinii v. incisa. The variety helvetica was first considered as a good species (L. helvet- icum) by Heer,* but after seeing the figures of L. Procaccinii, he agreed perfectly with Massalongo in referring it as a variety of this. If we now turn to the drawings of this variety,t given by Heer, we shall see a very striking agreement with our recent species; indeed, it is rather difficult to find any essential differences. But the leaf, figured by Heer (Fig. 6) shows, moreover, that the blade tapers into the petiole in a somewhat larger degree than we find in the recent species, and this seems to be characteristic of some of the other varieties of LZ. Pro- caccinii. There is, however, in Heer’s Uhrwelt der Schweiz (1579) a drawing of a leaf (Fig. 223), which has been identified as L. Procaccinii, where there is a distinct sinus at the inferior margin of the leaf instead of, as mentioned above, the blade tapered into the petiole. Heev’s re- mark{ about this leaf trom Iceland, collected by Japetus Steenstrup, is very interesting. He calls attention to the presence of five lobes, but does not think it correct, however, to separate it from the leaves of LI. Procaccinii, collected by Senegaglia and Eriz, even if these do not show more than three lobes. He mentions the fact that the leaves of our recent Tulip-tree very often show five lobes or sometimes no lobes at all, therefore he does not consider the number of lobes as a charac- ter of much importance. Now, in regard to the systematic position of this leaf from Iceland, Heer has remarked not only that there is'a great accordance between this and the other leaves of the same species from the continent, but even that these are clearly allied to the living spe- cies. There is another leaf considered as identic with L. Procaccinii, and figured by Heer in his Flora fossilis arctica,§ of which the margin seems to have been entire, without lobation, and if the identification be correct, since the fossil is very poor, Z. Procaccinii has then shown the same variation as the recent, with the lobes wanting, and I should then compare this form with the leaves figured on Plate vit, Figs. 33, 36, and 37. In regard to the other varieties of L. Procaccinii, described in Flora del Senigalliese, we see here on Plate vir, Fig. 23, a leaf of acutiloba, the lobes of which are certainly very acute, but does not seem to differ from the variety Helvetica in any other respect, and might possibly cor- respond to Michaux’s acutiloba of the recent species, at least, as a sim- * Oswald Heer: Flora Tertiaria Helvetiz, U1, 1859, p. 195. tIbid., Vol. 1, Plate cv, Figs. 6 and 6), and Flora Fossilis Arctica I, 1868, Plate * XXVI, Fig. 5. ¢ Ibid., Flora Tert. Helv. 111, 1859, p. 319. § Ibid., Vol. 1, 1868, Plate xxv1, Fig. 7b. 28 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON—HOLM. ilar form, though with the exception that the blade tapers distinctly into the petiole in the leaf figured by Massalongo. And the next variety, obtusiloba, figured on Plate xxx1x, Figs. 3 and 51. ¢., shows again the same kind of variation which occurs so often in the foliage of L. Tulipi- fera, with the lobes more or less obtuse, an approach to the variety ob- tusiloba described by Michaux. The two subvarieties subattenuata and rotundata (Plate Xxx1x, Figs. 3 and 5 I. c.) are distinguished by their blades tapering into the petiole or rot. The last variety, incisa (Plate XXxxIXx, Figs. 4 and 6 I. ¢.), shows a rather deep notch, but that is the only difference, and this seems to correspond to the leaves I have figured on Plates vi, Fig. 26, and rx, Fig. 40. Furthermore, Ettingshausen * has described a species Liriodendron Hauerii, from a leaf of which, however, only the lower part is preserved and shows that the blade tapers into the petiole, and that there are two pairs of relatively strong lateral ribs, but without any lobes, since the margin of the leaf is en- tirely wanting. The author sees, nevertheless, in this poorly preserved fossil a difference not only from L. Tulipifera, but also from L. Procac- cinti. Another species is L. Gardneri Sap., which has been mentioned by Saporta,t and this leaf does not seem to differ in any degree from the recent, at least not from the leaves figured on Plate vu, Figs. 26, 27, 29, 30. Saporta compares this form with the above-mentioned variety chinensis, recently discovered in China. It is very interesting to see this leaf of L. Gardneri figured together with three other leaves, but representing L. Procaccinii from Iceland, Briz, and Meximieux, since these four leaves illustrate, although in a small degree, the variation in the foliage of our living Tulip-tree. The same author has also, together with Marion, in their ‘Recherches sur les végétaux fossiles de Mexi- mieux,”{ described leaves of L. Procaccinii, some of which represent quite large leaves, especially Figs. 1 and 2 (l. ¢.), but unfortunately very defective, so that the lobes are not very distinct, but seem, however, to have been somewhat obtuse. The two leaves, Fig. 3 and 5 (I. ¢.), are, on the contrary, preserved very well, and show two very obtusely lobed leaves, and here is to be observed the rudimentary prolongation of the midrib. The last fossil European species of Liriodendron, L. Celakovskii, has been described by Velenovsky in his ‘Flora der Boehmischen Kreideformation,”§ though with little success, since, according to the figure, it may never have belonged to any species of Liriodendron. It seems, therefore, quite curious to see the following remark of Velenovsky, concerning this leaf: ‘Von dem lebenden Amerikanischen L. Tulipi- fera L. unterscheidet sich L. Celakovskii durch die form, obwohl der Habitus und die Nervation in héchsten Grade uebereinstimmt,” because * Constantin von Ettingshausen: Die fossile Flora des Tertiiir-Beckens von Bilin, ) II, 1869, Plate x11, Figs. 10 and 10 b. +G. de Saporta: Origine Paléontologique des arbres cultivés ou utilisés par Vhomme, ~ 1888, p. 266, Fig. 1. ; t Archives du Muséum Whistoire naturelle de Lyon, I, 1872, Pl. XXxtil, p. 271° § J. Velenovsky : Flora der Boehm. Kreideform. in Beitriige zur Paleontologie des_ Oesterreich-Ungarns und des Orient, 11, 1883. | a= eee ran | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 29 the nervation of this leaf is so entirely different from what we have seen of the recent and fossil spevies of Liriodendron, since the leaf, figured by Velenovsky, shows a typical palmate nervation, which is never to be ob- served in the true geuus. It is a regular three-lobed leaf, of which the middle lobe is a little emarginate. These fossil leaves of the European and Greenland Tulip-tree, which we have considered, have exhibited the same kind of variation in the leaves or foliage as our recent species. But it seems, as I have pointed out above, that the leaves of L. Procaccinii have been usually attenu- ated a little at the base, rather than showing the roundish form, which is the most frequent in the recent type, and this character might prob. ably be sufficient in distinguishing them as specifically differing from, although closely allied to, our recent species. Another character is, as has been observed by Heer, that some fruits found together with the leaves of the variety Helvetica, were much smaller and differed in several other respects from those of the recent type. We will now examine the American representatives of the ancestral forms of Liriodendron. Several contributions have been published upon these ancient types by Lesquereux, Newberry, and Ward, and several species have been enumerated by these authors as belonging to this genus. Léo Lesque- reux has described L. intermedium,* L. giganteum, L. acuminatum, L. cruciforme, L. semialatum, and L. pinnatifidum, of which the last five have been mentioned in his ‘* Report on the recent additions of fossil plants to the Museum collections.”+| The author, unfortunately, has figured only two of these six species, but his descriptions are suffi- ciently clear to give a correct idea of the shape of these leaves. The first species, L. intermedium (l. ¢. Pl. xx, Fig. 5), is a large leaf which seems to have been deeply four-lobed, with the characteristic notch at its apex, but the inferior part of the blade, as well as the outer portion of the lobes, are entirely wanting. It probably represented a form analogous to that shown on Plate vu, Figs. 26 to 30, but appar- ently with narrower lobes. The other figure, given by Lesquereux in his Cretaceous Flora, is of L. giganteum (l. e. Pl. xxi, Fig. 2), which shows only a mere lateral lobe of a very large leaf. He mentions, how- ever, in his Report (/. ¢.) that a beautiful entirely preserved leaf has been found of this species, of which the distance between the lower pair of lobes is indicated as being 20°". The lower lobes are oblong, obtuse, and very broad (6), while the superior lobes are shorter, slightly turned upwards, and joining the lower ones in an obtuse sinus at a short distance of 2°" from the midrib. This description shows a form entirely differing from all those hitherto mentioned, and combines as a parallel the leaves figured on Plate vil, Figs. 26 to 30, with the very obtusely lobed form figured on Plate vii, Figs. 32 to 34. *Léo Lesquerenx: Contributions to the fossil flora of the Western Territories. Part 1. The Cretaceous Flora, 1874, p. 93. t Bulletin of the Mus. of Compar. Zoology at Harvard College, vir, No. 6, 1881, p. 227. 30 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON JIOLM. The next species, J. acuminatum, is a small-leaved form, of which the two pairs of lobes were only 1°" broad, linear, and acuminate, all curved upwards. It might represent a true species, if it did not be- long to a young tree, for instance of ZL. intermedium, of which, as mentioned, the lobes were very narrow with a deep sinus, and there is a possibility that the lobes, or at least the upper one, have been di- rected upwards. | fg, [ay 15 4 ans 's ab, Was! a Dy, OLY mS Lu sen. ae ox ref ) \] Th or. et BEN Wa: a py he DENI {7 oY CWO ETS ae ww velia Waealace Sat LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA. Drawn from nature by the author. PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XII! PL. V U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON 1 ULIPIFERA. PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. Vi U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM <\ (1? = TULIPIFERA. LEAVES OF LIRIOCDENDRON by the author. = =). s F ‘ * ¢ 5 rt - ‘ Ld ’ o i PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. Vil U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM iB 5S OY PN KT F oS ee aa Waae Pans ihe ey ees 2S L) a nay vy a bee ARAL POLY gs 7 a2 ef A S19 LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA. Drawn from nature by the author. wa PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. VIIE > On Sl S, 2 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM Drawn from nature by the author. LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA. U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. IX MEK ROU HD ro Eps Wats ¢ ON » CS oS LEAVES OF LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA. Drawn from nature by the author. SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U.S. FISH COM- MISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. [Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner of Fisheries. | ‘No. XIL—NEW FISHES COLLECTED OFF THE COAST OF ALASKA AND THE ADJACENT REGION SOUTHWARD. BY TARLETON H. BEAN, Ichthyologisi, U. S. Fish Commission. The fishes herewith described were obtained by the U. 8S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross during the summer of 1888, chiefly in August, in the waters of Alaska. Hight of the genera are among the common forms of the Atlantic. Four genera are apparently new to science. Chalinura serrula, new species. Three individuals were trawled August 29, 1888, at station 2859, north Jatitude 55° 20’, west longitude 136° 20’, in a depth of 1,569 fathoms, east of Prince of Wales Island. The type of the description is 123 inches long. The head is contained nearly 54 times in the total Bcth, The eye is somewhat shorter than the snout and equals one- fifth length of head. A median serrated keel on the nose. The max- ila is two-fifths as long as the head and extends to below the end of ‘the eye. Cheeks and opercles scaly. The barbel equals the snout in length and two njntis of the head. The mandible is about one-half as long as the head. A row of five pores on its under surface and six pores on the edge of the suborbitals. ~ The branchiostegal membrane is narrowly free from the isthmus. The first gill-opening is restricted, asin Macrurus. The gill-rakers are small tubercles, eleven below the angle of the first arch and only one or two a bove the angle. ~ The pectoral equals the post-orbital part of the head in length. The ventralis about as long as the head. The longest dorsal spine is strongly ‘serrated and nearly equals the head without the snout. The dorsals a e separated by an interspace two fifths as long as the head. BGs D. ii, 9-76 (2); scales, 7 or 8-130-17. Body brown; head, abdomen, and inside of mouth purple; the pur- ple areas less marked in the type specimen, which is 125 inches long. 3 Proceedings of National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 795. 97 a3 38 NEW ALASKAN FISHES—BEAN. Antimora microlepis, new species. Two examples of this Antimora were taken August 31, 1888, at a depth of 876 fathoms in north latitude 51° 23’, west longitude 130° 34’y station 2860, off Cape St. James, Queen Charlotte Islands. The one from which the illustration was made is 93 inches loug to the base of the caudal, 102 inches in total. The eye is nearly equal to the snout in length, and is about one-fourth as long as the head, which is nearly one-fourth of the, length, including the caudal. The depth is contained 53 times in the total without caudal, and equals two-thirds of the length of the head. The maxilla reaches nearly to below the end of the eye. The barbel is very slender and about one-half as long. as the eye. Gill-rakers short, slender, 4 + 11 on first arch. The longest ray of the first dorsal is about one-half as long as the head. The anal is deeply emarginate; it begins under the twentieth ray of the second dorsal. The second ray of the ventral is six-sevenths as long as the head. D.4or 5,51; A. 41. The scales are very small and absent from the individuals before me. I count about nine impressions between the origin of the second dorsal and the lateral line, and about one hundred and thirty in the lateral line. Color violaceous, deeper on the opercles and branchiostegal mem- brane and on the inside of the mouth. Lycodes brevipes, new species. Many specimens were trawled, July 31, 1888, at station 2848, in north latitude 55° 10’, west longitude 160° 18’, at a depth of 110 fathoms, between Unga and Nagai islands. The eye is as long as the snout and one-quarter as long as the head, which is one-fifth of total length. The depth of body equals one-haif length ofhead. The pectoral equals one-ninth of the totallength. Ven- trals minute, scarcely more than one-third length of eye. *Head naked. Body covered with large scales except immediately behind pectoral. Dorsal and anal fins minutely scaled. Lateral line single, abruptly de- curved and becoming obsolete over about the tenth anal ray. Dorsal origin nearly over middle of pectoral. Anal origin under the eighteenth ray of the dorsal. D. ca, 85; A. ca. 74; P. 21. A narrow light band across the nape and from nine to eleven across the back extending downward about to median line and becoming ob- scure in adults. Dorsal and anal with a narrow dark margin. Bothrocara, new genus Lycodide. This genus resembles Maynea, but the vomer and palate are toothless. Weak teeth in the jaws in narrow bands. The lower jaw is barely in- cluded. Pseudobranchix present. Branchiostegals six. Gill-mem- branes narrowly attached to the isthmus. Large pores along the jaws | a \ go PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 39 ‘and extending back to the opercle. Scales about as in Maynea, not ‘evident on anterior part of the body in my specimens. Ventrals want- Brie No pyloric cceca. Intestine short. Vent at the end of the first third of length. Dorsal beginning over base of pectoral, continuous with anal, the rays high. ’ Bothrocara mollis, new species. A single example, 54 inches long, was trawled August 31, 1888, at tation 2860, off Cape St. James, Queen Charlotte Islands, in 876 fathoms. The eye is as long as the snout and three-elevenths as long as the head. Length of the head is contained 5} times in the total length; the depth 9k times. The maxilla reaches nearly to below middle of eye. The ‘longest dorsal ray equals the orbit in length. A space as long as the ‘head will include the first eighteen dorsal rays. The anal begins under ‘the fifteenth ray of the dorsal; the longest ray is half as long as the longest dorsal ray. The pectoral extends to beneath the twelfth ray of the dorsal. E Color, uniform light brown. a Maynea pusilla, new species. 4 4 The specimen described was obtained July 31, 1888, at station 2348, “north latitude 55° 10’, west longitude 160° 18’, at a depth of 110 fathoms. - The length of the type is 6} inches. The depth is one-ninth of the total length; head one sixth of the same length. The eye equals 14 times the length of the snout and one-third the length of the head. The maxilla extends to below the front of the pupil. The low dorsal begins nearly over the axil of the pectoral. The pectoral is nearly two- ‘thirds as long as the head. The vent is as far from the end of the head as the dorsal origin from the tip of the snout. D.ca 95; A.ca8l1; Ye Color, light brown. Dorsal and anal with a narrow dark margin. Maynea brunnea, new species. A single large example, 18 inches long, was obtained May 8, 1888, at _ Station 2839, in north latitude 33° 08’, west longitude 118° 40’, off San - Clemente Island, Southern California, at a depth of 414 fathoms. my. 105; A. ca. 95; P.17. _ The eye equals width of interorbital space and is three-fourths length " of snout and one-fifth head. The maxilla extends to below the middle ofthe pupil. Vomer and palate with villiform teeth in broad bands ; intermaxilla and mandible with broad bands of teeth, the outer row not greatly enlarged. _ The length of the head is contained 42 times in total length. The depth equals two-thirds length ot head. a 40 NEW ALASKAN FISHES—BEAN. Dorsal and anal finely scaled almost to their margins. The upper lateral line begins in front of the upper axil of pectoral and extends to above the third anal ray. The lower line begins under about the seventeenth ray of the dorsal and continues to the root of the caudal, Color, brown; margins of dorsal and anal bluish. Poroclinus, new genus, Blenniide. Body elongate, moderately compressed, covered with small scales; lateral line obsolete. Head moderately long; snout short; eyes large; interorbital space narrow. Mouth small, lower jaw slightly included; teeth on vomer and palate; narrow bands of teeth in jaws, the outer series enlarged. Gill openings slightly prolonged forward below, nar- rowly attached to the isthmus anteriorly. Dorsal composed of many sharp, flexible spines, diminished in length anteriorly. Caudal long, pointed. Anal with three spines and many rays. Pectorals large, the middle rays longest. Ventrals jugular, with one spine and three rays. Intestine short; pyloric cceca one or two; no air bladder. Poroclinus rothrocki, new species. A single individual, 7 inches long, was taken August 4, 1888, at sta- tion 2852, north latitude 55° 15’, west longitude 159° 37’, at a depth of 58 fathoms, between Nagai and Big Koniushi Islands. ows wD: LEA. LE, 442 OV. beaks The eye is a little longer than the snout, and about one-fourth length of head. The maxilla extends a little beyond front of eye. The length of the head is contained 64 times in total without caudal; the depth 11 times. The dorsal origin is distant from tip of snout a space equal to length of head. The pectoral is about two-thirds as long as the head, and is distant from the vent a space equal to its own length. The ventral equals two-thirds depth of body. The caudal is nearly as long as the head. Ten narrow pale bands on the sides extending downward about to the median line. Caudal with a double crescent-shaped pale marking. General color, light yellowish brown. Dedicated to Dr. J. T. Roth- rock, professor of botany, University of Pennsylvania. Careproctus spectrum, new species. Twenty-six specimens were obtained, July 31, 1888, at station 2848, in north latitude 55°10’, west longitude 160° 18’, 110 fathoms, between Unga and Nagai Islands. The example figured and diagnosed is 3,9; inches long. The ven- tral disk is small, two-thirds as long as the eye, which is one-third as long as the head. The head is one-fourth of the total length to base of caudal. The mouth is large, the maxilla extending to about below the - - de ee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 41 middle of the eye. The greatest depth is about equal to the length of the head. The pectoral reaches to above the anal origin. The dorsal begins over the axil of the pectoral. D.52; A.47. Color along back of some examples light brown, elsewhere uniformly pale. Icelus scutiger, new species. Three individuals were collected, August 9, 1888, at station 2853, in north latitude 56°, west longitude 154° 20’, depth 159 fathoms, off Trinity Islands. D. IX, 19; A. 18; V. 1,3; lateral line 41. The eye is twice as long as the snout and two-fifths as long as the head. The head is one-third as long as the total without caudal. The maxilla extends to below the middle of the eye, and is broadly ex- panded behind. The interorbital space is extremely narrow, less than one fourth the length of the eye. The depth equals one-fifth of the total without caudal. The pectoral extends to above the sixth ray of the anal. The pre-operculum has a weak, simple spine hooked upward, and three weak ones pointing backward and downward. Teeth on vomer and palate. The head has minute spiny scales most abundant on the upper half. All of the back above the lateral line is densely covered with small spiny seales. The lateral line is made up of raised tubes. There are a few rough scales under the lateral line in the second half of the body. The branchiostegal membranes are broadly united and well freed from the isthmus. Slit behind fourth gill obsolete. The spinous dorsal is very high, its longest spine two-thirds as long as the head. About four large, dark blotches across the back and sev- eral smaller ones between them. The type is 34 inches long. Icelus euryops, new species. Three examples were obtained August 9, 1888, off Trinity Islands, at Station 2853, with Icelus scutiger. D. IX, 23; A. 18; V.1,3; lateral line, 43. The eye is about twice as long as the snout and two-fifths as long as the head. The head is one-third of the total length to base of caudal. The maxilla scarcely extends to below the middle of the eye. The in- terorbital space is about one-fourth length of eye. The depth of body is contained 52 times in total without caudal. The pectoral extends to above the second ray of anal. The preopercle is armed as in Icelus scu- tiger. Vomer and palate well toothed. The head is scaled as in J. scutiger. The lateral line is composed of raised tubes. A single series of spiny scales on the back along the bases of the dorsals. Branchiostegal membranes broadly united, free from the isthmus. Slit behind last gill obsolete. ?* 42 NEW ALASKAN FISHES—BEAN, The spinous dorsal is low, its longest spine less than one-third length of head. Four dark bands across the back, the first over the end of the spinous dorsal, two on the soft dorsal and one at the base of the caudal. General color, light brown. Dasycottus, new genus. Related to Cottunculus, which it resembles in shape. Head large, with large bony tubercles and numerous filaments. Mouth wide; _ jaws equal, or lower jaw slightly projecting. Teeth minute, in villiform bands in the jaws. Vomerines in two patches, separated by an inter- space. Palate toothless. Preopercle with two spines at its angle and two rudimentary ones on each edge of its lower limb. Gills 34, no slit behind the last. Gull-rakers short, tubercular, in moderate number. Gill-membranes free from theisthinus. Pseudobranchie present. Skin smooth, except on nape and along dorsal base, where it bears a few small, bony tubercles. Spinous dorsal well developed and separated from the soft dorsal by adeep notch. Pectorals moderately long, their rays procurrent below. Ventrals with a spine and three rays. Caudal rounded, Dasycottus setiger, new species. Four individuals were trawled August 10, 1888, at station 2855, north latitude 579, west longitude 153° 18’, at a depth of 69 fathoms, off Sitkalidak Island. j D. 1X, 15; A.13; V.1, 3; pores in lateral line, 11 or 12. The depth equals about two-thirds length of head, which is nearly one-half of total length of base of caudal. The eye is nearly equal to the snout and is two-ninths of the length of head. The maxilla is ex- panded behind; its length equals that of the snout and eye combined; it extends to a little behind the middle of the eye. The pectoral extends to above the anal origin. The ventral is one- half as long as postorbital part of head. The longest dorsal spine is about equal to the eyeinlength. Spinous dorsal with two dusky bands extending down on the sides; soft dorsal with two bands. A similar one at caudal base and three narrow bands on second half of caudal. Pectoral indistinctly banded. Head speckled with brown dots. Malacocottus, new genus. Shape similar to that of Cottunculus. Head large; body tapering rapidly to the slender tail; mouth terminal; jaws subequal. Minute villiform teeta in broad bands on maxilla and mandible; vomer and palate toothless. Preoperculum armed with short, stout, simple spines. Bones of the skull thin. Gills 35; no slit behind the last. Gill-openings wide, the membranes broadly attached to the isthmus. Gill-rakers tu- bercular, in moderate number. Spinous dorsal low, separated by a deep bh Fr aad PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 43 notch from the soft dorsal. Pectorals procurrent in front. Ventrals small. Caudal rounded. Vent distant from the anal origin. Head and body naked. Lateral line consisting of a series of large pores. Malacocottus zonurus, new species. D. IX, 14; A. 11; V. I, 3; pores in Jateral line, about 14. The eye is about equal to the snout in length and is two-sevenths as long as the head. Interorbital space less than one-half length of eye. The maxilla extends to below the middle of the eye. The pectoral reaches to a vertical through the anal origin, or a little beyond. The ventral is scarcely as long as theeye. The depth equals length of head without snout. Spinous dorsal low; its base one-half as long as the head; its longest spine two-thirds as long as the eye. The beginning of the dorsal is immediately above the upper angle of the gill-opening. The least height of the tail is scarcely two-thirds iength of eye. Four spines on the preopercle, the largest less than one-half as long as the eye and with a supplementary spine at its base. A dark-brown saddle-shaped band over the end of the spinous dor- sal and two on the soft dorsal. A brown band at the base of the tail and three on the caudal. Pectoral with several indistinct dark bands intermingled with pale areas. Tips of pectoral in its lower half ex- serted, milky white. Seven examples were taken August 9, 1888, at station 2853, in north- latitude 56°, west longitude 154°, at a depth of 159 fathoms, off Trin- ity Islands. The type of the description and figure is 43 inches long. Hemitripterus marmoratus, new species. Two small examples, each about 23 inches long, were trawled at a depth of 69 fathoms August 10, 1888, at station 2855, off Sitkalidak Island, north latitude 57°, west longitude 153° 18/. D. XIV, 12; A.13; V.1,3; 44 tubes in lateral line. The eye is about as long as the snout and one-quarter as long as the head, which is three-eighths of the total without caudal. The depth is three-elevenths of the total without caudal. The pectoral reaches to the vertical through the anal origin. The ventral is scarcely lenger than the eye. The gill membrane is free from the isthmus. The max- illa reaches beyond the end of the eye. The first dorsal base is as long as the head without the snout; the first four species are less elevated and differentiated than is usual in the genus. Sides dark gray, intermingled with whitish reticulations. Psychrolutes zebra, new species. Many individuals were secured July 31, 1888, at station 2848, north latitude 55° 10’, west longitude 160° 18’, at a depth of 110 fathoms, be- tween Unga and Nagai Islands. 44 NEW ALASKAN FISHES—BEAN. The first dorsal contains nine weak spines and is entirely concealed under the skin. D. IX,15; A. 12; V. I, 3. The eye is nearly one- fourth as long as the head and about equals snout and also width of interorbital space. The maxilla extends to below middle of eye. The head is three-eighths of total length to base of candal. Depth equals head without snout. The pectoral reaches to above origin of anal. Ventral small, one-third length of head. Vent about midway between ventral and anal origin. The second dorsal begins nearly over the tip of the pectoral. Light chocolate-brown above, whitish below. Several narrow dark-brown bands across the first dorsal and a dark saddle over second dorsal. the markings extending down on sides. Pectoral with two, sometimes three, dark bands. A band at caudal base and several narrow bands on second half of caudal. Sebastolobus alascanus, new species. Several individuals were obtained August 9, 1888, at station 2853, off Trinity Islands, north latitude 56°, west longitude 154°, at a depth of 159 fathoms. The largest one is 4,55 inches long. D. XV, J, 9; A. Ill, 5; V.1,5; P. 20; lateral line 32 or 33. The lower five rays of the pectoral are lengthened and project beyond the membrane. The eye istwiceas long as the snout and two-fifths the length of the head. The maxilla extends nearly to below end of eye. The length of the head is contained 23 times in total length without caudal. The depth is one-quarter of total without caudal. The first dorsal spine is one-half as long as the second, one-quarter as long as the fourth, which is about one-third of length of head. The first anal spine is two-fifths of the second, which is one-fifth of total without cau- dal. A dark blotch on membranes between first and third dorsal spines, and a large one from sixth to eleventh spine. Chauliodus macotni, new species. An individual 32 inches long was trawled August 31, 1888, at station 2860, north latitude 51° 23’, west longitude 130° 34’, at a depth of 876 fathoms off Cape St. James, Queen Charlotte Islands. Do VisA. lis V. 73 P1335 sealesob. The eye is equal to the snout in length, and two-ninths of length of head. The longest mandibulary tooth is nearly one-half length of head. The head equals about one-sixth of total length without caudal. The dorsal begins over the fifth row of scales; its first ray equals two-ninths of total without caudal; its base equals one-third length of head. The adipose dorsal-base equals two-thirds anal base. The ventral is under the seventeenth row of scales; its length one-fifth of total without caudal. The anal base equals one-half length of head ; its longest ray nearly one-fourth length of head. Dedicated to Prof. John C. Macoun, of the Geological Survey of Canada, ie re PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 45 Labichthys gilli, new species. An example 18} inches long was taken, August 29, 1888, at station 2859, east of Prince of Wales Island, north latitude 55° 20’, west longi- tude 136° 20’, depth 1569 fathoms. The eye is one-half as long as the post-orbital part of head, and about two-thirds length of pectoral. The post-orbital part of the head is one- fourth length of upper jaw, and three-elevenths of lower jaw from angle of mouth. The dorsal begins nearly over the end of the pectoral. The vent is distant from the head a space equal to four times post-orbital part of head. The depth of body equals length of head without the snout, and about one-thirty-ninth of total. Dorsalrays very short. The longest anal ray equals one-fifth length of head. The lateral line is made up of a single series of large pores. This species resembles L. carinatus, but in that species the dorsal begins over the pectoral origin and the vent is close behind the pectorals. Color uniform black. The species is named for Dr. Theo, Gill, the discoverer of the genus La- bichthys. FURTHER NOTES ON THE GENUS XIPHOCOLAPTES OF LESSON. BY RosBeRT RipGway, Curator of the Department of Birds. 1. Xiphocolaptes procurvus CAB. Since my “Review” of this genus was printed (see these Proceed- ings, vol. XII, pp. 1-20), 1 have received through kindness of the au- thorities of the Boston Society of Natural History a mounted specimen belonging to the Lafresnaye collection (No. 2219) labeled ‘“Xiphocolap- tes procerus Caban., 8. A.” While this specimen certainly can not be identified with any of the species which I was able to characterize in my paper, I am unable to determine from Cabanis’s very brief descrip- tion whether it is really that species ornot. From the descritpion of YX. procerus it differs (1) in the wings and tail being not “lighter cinnamon brown than in X. promeropirhynchus,” and (2) streaks on the under parts not more indistinct than in that species. It agrees with the description, however, in having the bill much larger than in XY. promeropirhynchus as well as much paler in color (dull ivory-whitish instead of blackish), though other measurements are about the same. It may be described in detail as follows: ¢ : Most like X. promeropirhynchus, but bill very much deeper and dull ivory-whitish instead of blackish; general coloration much paler, with streaks on-pileum and under parts dull whitish instead of strong buff; chin and throat white very faintly tinged with buff instead of deep buff, and belly but very faintly spotted. Pileum and hind-neck dull light sepia, streaked with dull buffy whitish; back, scapulars, and wing- coverts dull raw-umber brown; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts bright russet, tinged with cinnamon-rufous; remiges and inner webs of greater and primary coverts chestnut-rufous, the terminal portion of inner webs of primaries (except innermost quills) dull brownish and edges of outer webs, toward base, washed with the color of the back; tail deep chestnut, lighter on outer feathers. Chin and throat plain buffy white; rest of under parts light raw-umber brown, each feather with a broad mesial streak (averaging about .08 of an inch wide on chest and breast) of buffy white, these streaks on the belly margined by very indistinct specks of a deeper hue than the ground-color; under Proceedings of the National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 796. 47 48 NOTES ON XIPHOCOLAPTES—RIDGWAY. tail coverts marked like the belly, but less distinctly, and the general color tinged with tawny. Bill dullivory-whitish, becoming grayish at base. Wing 5.60, tail 5.00, culmen 2.08 (exposed portion 1.85), depth of bill at angle of gonys .45, tarsus 1.20, middle toe 1.05. A mounted specimen in the American Museum of Natural History (Elliot collection, No. 5267, ‘“ Bogota”), labeled ‘* Yiphocolaptes promero- pirhynchus,” is somewhat similar to the above, but has the bill less deep and more extensively grayish basally, the ground-color of the pileum darker, the belly quite as distinctly spotted as in some specimens of X. promeropirhynchus, and only the upper portion of the throat plain whitish, the lower throat being broadly streaked with brown, like the chest. It is in some respects intermediate between X. promeropirhynchus and the above specimen, whatever it may be, but can not be referred to either; neither am I able to refer it to anything else. Its measurements are as follows: Wing 5.25, tail 5.10, culmen 2.05 (exposed portion 1.82‘, depth of bill at angle of gonys, .40, tarsus 1.22, middle toe 1.02. 2. Xiphocolaptes albicollis (LICHT.). Two mounted specimens in the American Museum of Natural History are very doubtfully referable to this species. One ofthem(No.5265)belongs to the Maximilian collection, and is labeled ‘“ Dendrocolaptes guttatus Licht. Fem. Brasilia. M. R. Mas.” Compared with lighter colored ex- amples of X. albicollis, this specimen agrees with the latter quite closely, , except in the ground-color of the pileum, which is distinctly deep! brown instead of blackish, and in the color of the bill, which is paler, or’ horn color instead of blackish or dusky. Its measurements are as fol- lows: Wing, 5.10; tail, 5.00; culmen, 1.95; depth of bill at angle of culmen, .37. The other specimen (No. 5266, ¢, Brazil), belonging to the Verreaux collection is very pale, the ground-color of the breast being a pale broccoli brown, deepening into isabella color on the flanks ; the ground color of the pileum is dusky brown, and the chin and throat are pure white. Wing, 5.00; tail, 5.20; culmen, 1.95; depth of bill at angle of gonys, od, It may be that the pale coloration of these specimens is partly due to their long exposure to light in museum cases. SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U.S. FISH COM- MISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS, {Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner of Fisheries. ] No. XII.—A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE FISHES COLLECTED BY THE STEAMER ALBATROSS ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA DURING THE YEAR 1889, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWELVE NEW GENERA AND NINETY-TWO NEW SPECIES. BY CHARLES H. GILBERT, _ Professor of Zoology, University of Indiana, The investigations of the Albatross during the year 1889 extended over the following regions: (1). The coast of California south of Point Conception, together with the outlying islands (stations 2891 to 2982). (2). The Revillagigedo Islands, Clarion, Socorro, and San Benedicto (stations 2991 to 2995). (3). The Gulf of California and the western coast of Lower Califor- nia (Stations 2996 to 3045). (4). The coasts of Oregon and Washington (stations 3046 to 3076). The shore-fishes of California, Oregon, and Washington were already well known, and the new discoveries from these regions were almost wholly from greater depths than 50 (from 50 to 1000) fathoms. From the Revillagigedos not more than a dozen species in all had been previously recorded. Of the sixty obtained from shallow water during our short stay not more than half are yet known from the neighboring mainland, the other half, including, together with new forms, a number of strays from the islands of the Western Pacific and from the Galapagos. The collections from the Gulf of California were obtained mainly along the shores and in the shallower waters of its northern portion ; the deeper waters of the Gulf having a bottom of blue mud singularly barren of life. The present paper deals only with the new forms obtained on the eruise, and will be followed by a more extended report. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XITI—No. 797. Proc. N. M. 90 4 49 50 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST—GILBERT. The following genera and species are here described as new: . Myetophum nannochir. . Myctophum mexicanum, . Myctophum protoculus, . Bathytroctes stomias. . Idiacanthus antrostomus. . Bathylagus pacificus. . Synodus lacertinus. . Etrumeus acuminatus. . Argentina sialis. Leuroglossus gen. noy. (Argentini- dae). . Leuroglossus stilbius. . Neoconger vermiformis. 2. Ophichthys nothochir. 3. Exoceetus xenopterus. . Melamphaés lugubris. . Melamphaés cristiceps. . Serranus equidens. . Pronotogrammus eos. . Micropogon megalops. . Cynoscion macdonaldi. . Pseudojulis adustus. . Pseudojulis melanotis. . Pseudojulis inornatus. . Halicheeres sellifer. . Thalassoma virens. . Thalassoma grammaticum. . Thalassoma socorroense. Calotomus gen, nov. (Labridz). . Calotomus xenodon. . Microspathodon cinereus. . Holacanthus clarionensis. . Gobius zebra. . Gobius dalli. . Microgobius cyclolepis. . Sebastichthys [goodei Eigenmann]. . Sebastichthys alutus. . Sebastichthys rupestris. }. Sebastichthys zacentrus. . Sebastichthys saxicola. . Sebastichthys diploproa. . Sebastichthys aurora. . Sebastichthys introniger. . Sebastichthys sinensis. . Scorpzena sierra. . Icelinus cavifrons. . Icelinus filamentosus. . Icelinus tenuis. . Icelinus fimbriatus. . Icelinus oculatus. Radulinus gen. nov. (Cottide). . Radulinus asprellus. Bathyagonus gen. nov. (Agonide). 49. O1; 92. Bathyagonus nigripinnis. Xenochirus gen. nov. (Agonide). . Xenochirus triacanthus. . Xenochirus pentacanthus. . Xenochirus latifrons. 3. Paraliparis rosaceus. . Gobiesox pinniger. . Gobiesox funebris. . Gobiesox humeralis. . Gobiesox eigenmanni. . Gobiesox papillifer. . Bathymaster hypoplectus. Gillellus gen. nov. (Leptoscopide). . Gillellus semicinctus. . Gillellus arenicolus. . Dactyloscopus lunaticus. . Labrosomus cremnobates. Cryptotrema gen. nov. (Blenniid). . Cryptotrema corallinum. Plectobranchus gen. nov. (Blenniidx), . Plectobranchus evides. Lucioblennius gen. nov. (Blenniidz). . Lucioblennius alepidotus. . Lycodes porifer. . Lycodopsis crotalinus. . Lycodopsis crassilabris. Aprodon gen. noy. (Lycodide). . Aprodon cortezianus. Lycodapus gen. nov. (Lycodide). . Lycodapus fierasfer. . Leptophidium pardale. . Leptophidium microlepis. . Leptophidium stigmatistium. . Leptophidium emmelas. 3. Ophidium galeoides. . Catetyx rubrirostris. . Neobythites stelliferoides. . Physiculus rastrelliger. . Physiculus nematopus. . Macrurus seaphopsis. . Macrurus stelgidolepis. . Macrurus liolepis. . Platophrys teniopterus. 85. . Citharichthys fragilis. . Ancylopsetta dendritica. . Hippoglossina bollmani. Citharichthys xanthostigma. Lioglossina gen. nov. (Pleuronec- tid). . Lioglossina tetrophthalmus. . Cynicoglossus bathybius. Halieutza spongiosa. Melichthys bispinosus, or cl PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 51 1. Myctophum nannochir sp. nov. Closely resembling M. engraulis in appearance, differing in the pos- terior insertion of both rayed and adipose dorsal, and in the color. Head 34 to 32 in length; depth 5. Hye large, longer than snout, 4 in head in young (3 inches long), 44 in head in adults (5 inches long). Interorbital space wide, 32 in head, the ethmoidal ridge prominent, continuous backwards with the low ridge on middle of occiput. Supraocular ridge prominent, expanded. Lower jaw included, the tip of mandible slightly projecting. Mouth rather large, the maxillary not reaching the anterior margin of preo- . perele, 14 in head. Maxillary slightly expanded at tip, its width less than half diameter of pupil. Gill-rakers long and slender, 5 by 18 on outer arch. Origin of dorsal nearer posterior margin of orbit than adipose fin, its base a trifle less than half head, the vent under its middle. Adi- pose fin wholly behind base of anal, which is contained 12 in length of head. Pectorals very short and narrow, with about nine rays, not reaching base of ventrals and less than one-third head. Ventrals in- serted well in advance of dorsal, their distance from tip of snout 24 in length of body. D. 12 or 13; A.15 0r16. Lat. 1. 35 or 36. Seales large, entire. Color: Grayish or blackish, the opercle jet-black. Caudal black at base, the fins otherwise more or less dusky (translucent in the young) ; a light area usually present on middle of ventrals. Commencing on branchiostegal membranes, the phosphorescent spots are arranged in two series near median ventral line, extending back to base of caudal. Four pairs of spots in advance of ventral, seven pairs between ven- trals and anal, the series diverging posteriorly and terminating in a spot above front of anal and immediately below lateral line. The se- ries begins again at front of anal, along base of which are six or seven pairs of spots; seven pairs along tail and four at base of lower caudal lobe. A spot at angle of preopercle, three just behind shoulder girdle, and four on sides midway between lateral line and ventral outline. No glandular spot in front of eye; a large one occupying back of tail and one below. Very abundant along the entire Pacific coast of the United States. Specimens were secured at Stations 2925, 2948, 3071, and 3072, in from 266 to 685 fathoms. 2. Myctophum mexicanum sp. noy. Body slender, the eye rather small, the snout comparatively acute. Depth, 5? in length; head, 35. Eye longer than snout, 4 to 44 in head; snout, 65; interorbital width, 5. Ethmoidal ridge low, ending above middle of eye; a shallow de- pression behind it on occiput, the latter without ridge and not con- 52 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST—GILBERT. spicucusly arched. Upper outline of snout gently rounded, not pro- jecting beyond mouth, the jaws equal. Maxillary slightly dilated at tip, not reaching preopercle, 12 in head; gill-rakers, 5+4 10. Front of dorsal midway between tip of snout and base of caudal, the vent under middle of dorsal base. Adipose dorsal inserted over . last anal ray. Ventrals reaching vent, inserted well in advance of dorsal, equidistant between front of orbit and last anal ray. Pec- torals minute, of three or four rays only, their length scarcely half diameter of orbit (possibly somewhat mutilated). D.12; A. 14. Lat. 1. 30 to 33. No phosphorescent spot in front of eye. A small glandular streak on back of tail and below. Spots arranged as follows: Three pairs on branchiostegal membranes, one on preopercle above its angle; four pairs behind shoulder girdle, the upper one on lateral line, the lower pair on breast; three other pairs on breast and another higher up on sides; six pairs between ventrals and front of anal, three of these near median line, the other three higher up on sides; six pairs along anal fin, the series here diverging posteriorly, the last pair on lateral line; six pairs of spots along under side of tail, and three along base of lower caudal lobe. This species has four pairs of spots located on the lateral line and separated by about equal distances. The general color is brownish, the opercles steely or blue-black, the base of caudal black, and an intense black bar on gular membrane immediately behind symphysis. Six specimens, the largest 2 inches long, from Stations 3008 and 3009, in from 306 to 857 fathoms. 3. Myctophum protoculus sp. nov. D.12; A. 13 o0r14. Lat. ]. 35 L. 23 in. Eye very large, placed anteriorly and superiorly, the snout very . bluntly rounded, projecting but little beyond the eye; length of snout about one-third diameter of orbit. Body rather deep, its depth 4 in length; head 33. Depth of head 14 in its length. Occipital region very convexly arched, without median crest. Interorbital space flat- tish, divided anteriorly by the very high ethmoidal ridge, posteriorly by the forward continuation of the occipital arch. Lower jaw included, the maxillary not expanded behind, 14 in head. Rami of lower jaw expanded, meeting along median line to form a raised crest. Gill rakers long and slender, thirteen on horizontal limb of anterior arch. Front of dorsal nearer tip of snout than base of caudal by a distance varying from a diameter of orbit to one-half that length. Length of dorsal base 14 in head. Front of anal midway between base of median caudal rays and base of pectorals. Ventrals inserted slightly in ad- vance of front of dorsal, the fin reaching front of anal. Pectorals very a PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 53 slender, with about ten rays, not reaching beyond base of ventrals, one- half head. Adipose dorsal slightly behind last anal ray. Seales all lost. Color: Blackish, iris bright silvery. A conspicuous silvery (phos- phorescent) spot in front of eye above nostril. A glandular white spot above each pectoral. No glandular masses on back or under side of caudal peduncle. Three pairs of spots on gill membranes, visible through the mandible; a series of four on each side following curve of shoulder girdle; two pairs on breast; a pair on base of ventrals more widely separated than those preceding; four pairs on belly, the lines then diverging and extending nearly to lateral line, each containing three spots; a pair on sides above base of ventrals, and one above mid- dle of abdomen; five pairs along base of anal, the series slightly diverging posteriorly and terminating in a sixth pair higher up on sides; five or six pairs along under side of tail and three or four along base of lower caudal lobe. Three specimens from station 3072, in 584 fathoms. 4. Bathytroctes stomias sp. nov. Differing from all species described in its very large mouth, the front of eye being over the middle of upper jaw. Body slender, the greatest depth at vertical of base of pectorals 52 iu length. Depth ot caudal peduncle one-half greatest depth; head 37 in length. Premaxillaries expanded anteriorly to form a triangular projection resembling that of Labidesthes, and overlapping the lower jaw. Mouth very large, the maxillary extending far behind the eye, its length nearly equalling the depth of body, 12 in head. Eye small, 64 in head; snout 32; interorbital width, 54. Teeth in jaws small, close-set, incurved, depressible, none of them en- larged; those in mandible in a wide band, in premaxillaries or maxilla- ries in a narrow band or a single irregular series. Teeth on vomer and palatines larger than those in jaws, in a single series. The palatines form a conspicuous projecting ridge on each side of roof of mouth. Top of head with a conspicuous deep lengthwise groove extending from nape forward to snout and half as wide as interorbital space. A large mucous canal, which runs along its rim posteriorly, opens above orbit. Gill rakers long and slender, the longest over two-thirds diam- eter of orbit, 5+ 13 in number. Dorsal beginning in advance of vent, the distance of its origin from base of caudal equaling one-third length. The length of its base equals its distance from rudimentary caudal rays, or about one-half head. Origin of anal slightly behind middle of dorsal, the length of its base 22 in head. Ventrals posteriorly inserted, their base twice as far distant from pectorals as from front of anal. Caudal forked, with many rudi- 54 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST—GILBERT. mentary rays above and below. The paired fins are so mutilated that nothing can be learned as to their shape or length. Seales large, nine in a series from ventrals forward to lateral line. fiat. 1.67; D. I, 175 A el ia eee oO. Color: Dark brownish, the fins blackish, head, mouth, gill-cavity, and peritoneum jet-black. One specimen, 13 inches long, from station 3074, in 877 fathoms. 5. Idiacanthus antrostomus sp. nov. Abdomen much dilated, abruptly constricted immediately behind the ventral fins, and much narrowed also anteriorly, the depth again in- creasing to occiput. Greatest depth immediately in front of ventrals, one-sixteenth of the total length; head one-twelfth. Maxillary reach- ing edge of gill cover. Teeth in a single series in each jaw, readily depressible, varying greatly in length. The teeth in the upper jaw are evidently arranged in groups of four or five, the anterior member of each group being very short, the others rapidly increasing backwands, the posterior tooth very long. In the mandible the lateral teeth are inserted at the extreme outer edge of the jaw, but the anterior teeth are inserted farther in- ward; thus the last of the anterior teeth are distinctly within the first of those on sides of jaw. PROCEEDINGS OF THE-NATIONAL -MUSEUM. 8d bbb. None of the dorsal spines filamentous. Postaxillary plates wanting. Dorsal series of plates more complete, extended posteriorly on back of caudal peduncle. c. Nasal tentacle broad and palmate, with narrow stem-like base. Nasal, two postocular, and occipital spines present. Interocular space about half pupil. Supraocular filament usually fimbriate. Head 2} in length. FIMBRIATUS. cc. Nasal tentacle simple, slender. Eye very large; interocular space very nar- row, about one-fourth pupil. Maxillary reaching posterior border of pupil. No postocular or occipital spines. Head 23 in length...-OCcULATUSs. ece. No nasal tentacle. Head small, one-third length. Interocular space 24 in pupil. Dorsal series of plates usually interrupted under posterior rays of soft dorsal, then continued on back of caudai peduncle. No postocular spine; nasal and occipital spines present...-...-.--.-... QUADRISERIATUS. 44. Icelinus filamentosus sp. nov. - Body shaped as in I. quadriseriatus but heavier, the depth 4? in length; caudal peduncle two-thirds diameter of orbit. Mouth small, maxillary not reaching vertical from middle of pupil, 22 in head. Teeth in broad bands on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Eye moderate, 32 in head. Interorbital space not narrow, grooved, its width more than half diameter of orbit. Preopercular spine strong, three-fourths diameter of orbit, with ashort terminal point and three or four strong upwardly directed barbs, curved slightly forwards. Below this three short simple Spines directed downwards, and downwards and forwards. Nasal spines strong; occiput with a broadly rounded ridge, ending behind in a rather blunt point. No pit behind eyes. No other spines ou head. Gill membranes broadly joined, free from isthmus. A simple slender filament at base of nasal spine, a conspicuous one on tip of maxillary, two on occipital ridge, three on preopercular margin, an inconspicuous one near base of opercular flap. A large black supraocular flap, about as long as diameter of pupil. Body armed essentially as in quadriseriatus ; the upper series of plates double throughout, beginning under third or fourth dorsal spine, and terminating under last dorsal ray, twenty-eight or thirty in each series. Thirty-six to thirty-seven plates in lateral line, their pos- terior borders occasionally with a slender white filament. Axil of pectoral with from two to six half-imbedded spinous plates. Skin otherwise smooth. Fins large, the spinous dorsal with the first two rays produced into long slender filaments, which reach beyond middle of soft dorsal, and are much longer than head. The membrane between these is not in- cised, and they are not separated from rest of fin. Dorsals not con- nected, the longest ray of soft dorsal nearly half head. Pectorals not long, 14 to 15 in head. Ventrals about one-fifth head. Head 2% in length; depth 4§ to 44. D, X-16 or17; A. 14o0r15. L. 9 inches. Color: Olivaceous above, white below; a distinct black blotch under spinous dorsal, one or two diffuse blotches under soft dorsal, and sev- . 86 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST—GILBERT. eral along lateral line. Below lateral line an irregular series of small pearly spots, most distinct anteriorly. A dark bar vertically crossing cheeks. Gill membranes dusky. Pectorals black at base and on lower rays, upper part white with two irregular cross-bars. Ventrals dusky. Anal white, margined with black. Caudal with a dusky cross-bar at base and tip, mesially white. Dorsals translucent, narrowly edged with black, and with narrow oblique, somewhat irregular, dusky cross-bars. Several specimens from stations 2893 and 2959, in 145 and 55 fathoms. 45. Icelinus tenuis sp. nov. Body slender, tapering into a very slender caudal peduncle, whose depth isless than one-third its length, and half diameter of orbit. Depth of body 53 to 54in length. Maxillary reaching slightly beyond middle of orbit, 2 in head. Bands of teeth narrower than usual, pres- ent on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Interorbital space narrow, halt diameter of pupil, slightly concave posteriorly, the ridges converging anteriorly and meeting above front of pupil. Eye large, longer than snout, 34 to 32 in head. Upper preopercular spine smaller, about as long as pupil, with a short terminal process, and two or three upwardly directed ones. Below this a simple spine directed backwards, and two directed downwards and forwards. Nasal spines strong. Two strong spines behind upper edge of orbit, and a single sharp one at end of occi- pital ridge. Occipital region gently concave; no pit behind eyes. No spine on opercle or suborbital, and no distinct spine on shoulder. A simple black flap on upper rim of orbit posteriorly. No other flaps on head, and usually none on plates of lateral line. Plates of lateral line as in related species, forty-one in number. Dor- sal series of plates arranged in a double row as usual, but very short, beginning under fifth dorsal spine and ending under first third of soft dorsal, its length varying from slightly longer than head to two-thirds its length, double throughout. Sides immediately behind axil of pec- torals with about fifteen plates, similar to those of lateral line, but smaller, scattered or showing a tendency to regular arrangement. First ray of spinous dorsal very slender, filamentous, varying in length, in adults reaching end of soft dorsal. The second spine is sometimes slightly produced, but is never long. The two dorsals are entirely dis- connected, the height of soft dorsal half or three-fifths length of head. Pectorals long in males, reaching much beyond front of anal, as long as head. Ventrals nearly three-fourths orbit. Head 3} to 32 in length; depth, 53 to 54. D. X-17 to19; A. 15 to 17. L. 53 inches. Color: Light olivaceous above, white below, the back with four black cross-bars, the first under spinous dorsal, the second and third under anterior and posterior parts of soft dorsal, the fourth at base of caudal. Back and sides, including head, with pearly dots and lines; those on upper parts frequently curved and margined with dark. Spinous dorsal with a small dark blotch: posteriorly, and some dusky mark- * ea | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 87 ings. Soft dorsal translucent, with broad oblique dusky bars. Caudal with the dusky basal bar continued on upper and lower rays at base. The basal half of fin translucent, its terminal portion with two or three blackish cross-bars. Anal black-edged in males. Ventrals black in males. Base and lower half of pectorals largely black in males, the terminal portion with pearly and dusky bars. Branchiostegal mem- branes black in males. A broad black bar below eye. Numerous specimens from stations 2893, 2946, 2959, 2977, and 2983, in from 45 to 150 fathoms. 46. Icelinus. fimbriatus sp. nov. Shape much as in J. quadriseriatus, the depth 43 in length. Depth of caudal peduncle two-thirds of orbit. Mouth larger, the maxillary reaching beyond middle of pupil, 24 to 24 in head. Teeth as usual. Nasal spines strong. Interorbital space narrow, grooved, half length of pupil. Eye 32 to 44 in head. Preopercular spine very heavy, slightly more than half orbit, with a terminal tooth, and three upwardly directed processes. Two blunt Spines behind eye, and another at end of occipital ridge. Three pre- opercular spines below the main one. No distinct spines on opercle or shoulder. A spine at lower angle of subopercle. Conspicuous palmate tentacles on nasal spines and above and behind eye. Besides these, a number of simple or divided filaments on eye- ball, occiput, preorbital, maxillary, preopercle, and along lateral line, the latter mostly in groups of three to five. Plates on sides as in related species, thirty-six to thirty-eight along lateral line, thirty-two in upper dorsal series. The dorsal series become single behind dorsal fin, double elsewhere, beginning between third and fourth dorsal spines. No plates in axil. None of the dorsal spines filamentous, the middle ones the longest, the soft rays still higher. Dorsal fins wholly separate. Ventrals small, about two-thirds diameter of orbit. Pectorals short, about half head. Head 24 to 22 in length. D. X-15 or 16; A.12. LL. 54 inches. Color : Olivaceous above, with about four irregular black bars, white below; middle of sides black, with larger or smaller roundish white spots. Lips black, crossed by narrow white streaks. Branchiostegal membranes blackish. Ventrals white, other fins all crossed with oblique or vertical black bars. Spinous dorsal largely black anteriorly and at tips of posterior spines. Pectorals largely black on basal portion of lower rays. Barbels white, except the supraocular, which are black. Specimens taken at stations 2893 and 2975, in 145 and 36 fathoms. 47. Icelinus oculatus sp. nov. Body elongate, depth 54 in length, tapering rapidly backwards to the very slender caudal peduncle, whose least depth is 25 in its length. Lower profile straight; head sharp anteriorly, the occipital ridges blunt, 88 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST—GILBERT. the included space gently concave, not pit-like. Interorbital space very narrow, slightly concave posteriorly, with a median ridge in front, very strongly expanding over front of eye. Interorbital width two-sevenths of pupil. Eyes very large, equaling snout, 32 in head. Mouth large, extending beyond vertical from pupil, 2+ in head. Teeth in rather narrow bands in jaws and on vomer and palatines. Preopercular spine rather small, in the single specimen known, bifid at tip and with two strong antler-like processes directed upwards. The number of these latter varies in all known species, and is probably nor- mally greater than two in this species. Below this, a weak spinous pro- jection directed backwards, and two stronger ones downwards and for- wards. A spinous point at lower angle of subopercle, none on occiput, shoulder, or opercle. Branchiostegal membranes and gill rakers as usual. Head long, 22 in length. D. X-16; A. 14. Lat.1.39. L. 54 inches. Armature of sides as usual, the dorsal series of plates unusually well developed, extending from opposite second dorsal spine to beyond second dorsal, where the series becomes single, those of the two sides closely approximated. No scattered plates behind pectorals. An elongate, simple, supraorbital flap, a filament in connection with nasal spine, two on occipital ridge, and one on maxillary ; a few filaments on plates of lateral line. None of the dorsal spines elevated; pectorals reaching slightly beyond origin of anal. Color: As in J. tenuis, but the light spots on upper parts of body not elongate, and not dark margined. No conspicuous dark bar below orbit. The anal fin is translucent in our specimen, a female. A single specimen from Station 2935, in 124 fathoms. Radulinus gen. nov. (Cottide). Spinous dorsal short, the soft dorsal and anal very long. Branch- iostegal membranes broadly united, posteriorly free from isthmus. No slit behind last gill. Broad bands of cardiform teeth on jaws, a single series on vomer, none on palatines. Preopercle with two short, simple spines. Ventrals, I, 3. Body very slender. Sides armed with a series of large, keeled, spinous plates along lateral line. Similar plates on head. Type, Radulinus asprellus sp. nov. 48. Radulinus asprellus sp. nov. Body very elongate, the greatest depth at occiput, 84 to 94 in length. 14 in width of head. Body subquadrate in cross-section, the upper angles being formed by the keel of lateral plates, tapering gently to the very slender flat caudal peduncle, everywhere as wide as, or wider than, deep. Mouth small, reaching front of pupil, 22 in head. Eyes large, closely approximated, the interorbital space very narrow, not grooved, less than one-fourth pupil; orbit 22 to 2? in head. eee ae PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 89 Preopercular spines two only, short, simple, the lower directed backwards, the upper backwards and upwards. Nasal spines long and strong, a depression behind them; head otherwise smooth. Occiput not ridged. A series of large, keeled, spinous plates along lateral line, running high on sides; their free edge is turned obliquely upwards, and armed with from‘ one to several long spines mesially, and shorter ones above and below; a row of minute spinous plates along upper edge of series anteriorly. The series along lateral line is continued forwards on top of head, meeting its fellow in a V shaped patch filling posterior portion of interorbital space. Similar plates on snout and opercle, the head and body otherwise naked. In cross-section, the plates mark an abrupt angle, the back being flat, the sides vertical. Head 44 to 41 in length; depth, 84 to9$; D. VIII to X-21 or 22; A. 23 or 24. Lat 1, 38 to 40. Length, 5 to 6 inches. Dorsal spines slender, the two fins well separated. Rays of soft dorsal and anal very slender, rather long. Caudal truncate or rounded, two-thirds head. Pectorals with eighteen or nineteen rays, the lower much shortened, but scarcely thickened, as long as head. Ventrals long and slender, with one spine and three well developed rays, reach- ing to or nearly to vent. Anal papilla very long in males, more than one-third head. Color: Light olivaceous, with a series of elongate, narrow, brown streaks along middle of sides, the latter also finely punctate with black. A dark streak in front of eye. Fins translucent, the dorsals, pectorals, and caudal, with some black spotting, which shows a ten- dency to form bars. Anal and ventrals white. Numerous specimens, from stations 3046, 3057, 3058, and 3059, in depths of from 43 to 77 fathoms. Bathyagonus gen. nov. (Agonide@). Spinous dorsal developed. Lower jaw the longer. Plates of body spinous. Gill membranes united to the isthmus, not forming a fold across it. Teeth well developed on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Pec- torals not notched, the upper rays the longest, the lower becoming regularly shortened. Bones of head thin and yielding, the system of mucous canals very strongly developed. Type, Bathyagonus nigripinnis sp. nov. 49. Bathyagonus nigripinnis sp. nov. Body exceedingly slender, depressed, everywhere as wide as or wider than deep. Snout wide, flattened, transversely depressed in front of eyes, its width more than twice its greatest depth. Eyes large, the orbit 22 in head. Interorbital space 34 in orbit, grooved, with a pair of ridges. 90 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST—GILBERT. Mouth somewhat oblique, the lower jaw distinctly projecting, the maxillary scarcely reaching front of orbit, equaling iength of snout, 34 in head. The snout shows a narrow bony ridge, but is otherwise covered with thin membrane. Teeth not strongly developed, in narrow bands in jaws, and on vomer and palatines. I Nasal spines small; a movable plate on tip of snout, bearing three small, backwardly-diverging spines. One supraocular spine, two on occipital ridge, two on paroccipital ridge, two ou preopercular margin, and one or two on bony bridge across cheeks. Two or three bony plates below this bridge, each with a central spine. The bony ridge, as well as mandible and horizontal limb of preoperculum, is deeply exca- vated below for mucous canals, and contains very large mucous pores. Ridges on head usually finely serrulate. Branchiostegal membranes very broadly joined to isthmus, without fold. Usually a single bony plate on the membranes mesially. . a ae Gye hae : x" > se sah) f eee i ee jee THE OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY ANGUIL- LIDZ. BY TuEopore Gitt, M. D., Ph. D. The diversities within the restricted Apodes (or those anguilliform fishes without developed intermaxillaries and with the “ vomer” pro- jecting and forming, with the supramaxillaries, the upper arcade of the mouth) are very great, but were not appreciated till Professor Cope considered them in his ‘* Observations on the Systematic Relations of the Fishes.”* That great naturalist was so impressed by them that he distributed them under two orders, the Enchelycephali,t embracing the Congride, Anguillide, and Murenesocide, and the Colocephali,t including the Murenide and Rataburide (=Moringuide), While I am not pre- pared yet to admit the “ orders” of Professor Cope, I retain the groups as suborders with modified characters, and the families appear not only to be justified, but, it seems to me, must be increased. A com- parison of the skulls of Anguilla, Conger, Murcnesox, Simenchelys, Synaphobranchus, Ophichthys, and Murena has convinced me of the ad- visability of recognizing for each of them family rank. The characters of the family Anguillide contrasting with one or otherof the other fam- ilies are now given in the order which I have heretofore employed for full descriptions of families of normal fishes. ANGUILLID. Synonyms as family names. < Pantoptéres, Duméril, Zool, Anal., pp. 111, 115, 1806. < Anguillidi, Rafinesque, Indice d Ittiolog. Siciliana, p. 37, 1810. < Pantopteria, Rafinesque, Analyse de la Nature, 23 fam., p. —, 1815. < Anguilliformes, Cuvier, Régne Animal [1° 6d.], t. 2, p. 229, 1817; 2° éd., t. 2, p. 348, 1829. < Anguilloides, Latreille, Fam. Nat., Régne An., p. 142, 1825. < Les Murénides, Risso, Hist. Nat. Europe mérid., t.3, p. 159, 1826. 168 OSTEOLOGY OF MURAZNIDZ—GILL. In the relations of the parietal and opercular as well as pterygoid bones the Mureenids differ from the Anguillids only in degree, and the preoperculum and pterygoid are manifest in the former, although less developed than in the latter. Both want the symplectic. The maxil- laries are developed, as Professor Cope later recognized.* The ‘in- ferior pharyngeal bones” are also well developed in the Murenids, and, although shifted from the fifth arch to the back of the fourth,7 they are evidently homologous with the inferior pharyngeal bones of the true eels and other fishes. ‘‘Other superior branchihyals” (than the fourth) are not ‘‘wanting or cartilaginous” for those of the first three arches are developed in due proportion. Professor Cope recently has again defined the Colocephali,t contrasting the group with the Hnchelycephali (or true eels) and Lyomerit by their having “ opercular bones, and one osseous branchial arch, ceratohyal,” the Enchelycephali having ‘five osseous branchial arches, with cerato- hyal.” But the five branchial arches of the Murenids in part at least are also ossified, as well as the ceratohyal (i. e. ceratobranchial), and the ele- ments are developed as explained in the full description of the family herewith given. Professor Cope in his first arrangement (Trans. Am. Phil. Soe., n. s., v. 14, p. 456) recognized only one family of Colocephali, the Murenida, but under the Enchelycephali he had a section (3.) distinguished by hav- ing “no pectoral fins; no metapterygoid; pterygoid a slender rod; ethmoid much wider,” and the section so distinguished was called the family “ Gymnothoracide.” It was later (Proc. Am. Phil. Soe., v. 21, p. 25) stated that the family Gymnothoracide was a synonym of Murenide. ‘‘Its presence out of place is probably the result of a clerical mistake in not eliminating it from a previous MS., written before the distinction between the orders Enchelycephali and Colocephali was recognized. As it was inserted under the latter head, its omission from the former was to be understood.” Professor Cope in his later “ observations” (Proc. A. A. A. S., 1871, 335, p. 1872) admitted two families in his order Colocephali, distin- guished as follows: “A glossohyal and osseous lateral branchihyals; four opercular bones; a scapular Cri (OCA SR CEE EEE RODE WR Cod ris Soot m one tO OMAR ache a2 = Rataburide. No glossohyal nor osseous branchihyals; three or fewer opercular bones; no scapu- PAvVATOR co. = RHE dics GS eerie Berl a einits = c\siaiee = eee erate Murenide. t Professor Cope later (Proc. Am. Phil. Soc., v. 21, p. 584, 1884) explained that “in the Colocephali all these elements (i. e. glossohyal, ‘ basihyals, and axial branchi- hyals,” etc.) are wanting excepting the fourth superior pharyngeal, which has the form of an antero-posteriorly placed dentigerous jaw, which opposes the lateral branchihyal of the fifth arch, or, as it is generally called, the inferior pharyngeal.” tAm. Nat., v. 23, p. 858, 1890. Pcan | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 169 from the Murenide, but not by the characters thus given. As already shown, the Murenide have osseous branchihyals and perfect skeletons, probably, never have fewer than four opercular bones; finally, if Myroconger belongs to the family, “a scapular arch” is at least some- times present. It is in fact represented by cartilage in the typical Mu- renide. Professors Jordan and Gilbert, in their ‘‘Synopsis of the Fishes of North America” (1882), have recognized the family Murenide with the same limits assigned to it by Cope. In their “Analysis of Families of Apodes” (p. 35), they have contrasted the Murenide in a section (a) characterized by “‘preopercle wanting ; lower pharyngeals wanting ; gill- openings very small,” with another section (b) distinguished by ‘ pre- opercle present; lower pharyngeals present.” Inasmuch as no such differences exist, the student would be at first thrown off the track in his attempt to identify a murznoid fish. The characters assigned must not be considered, however, to be the results of independent observations by the authors, for there is good reason to believe that they solely relied upon Professor Cope for the osteological characters men- tioned in their description of the family.* The limits of the family Murenide are well determined except in the case of the genus Myroconger. That genus has been referred to the Murenina by Dr. Giinther simply because it is engyschistous. When the extent to which fishes of other families vary in the extent of at least the last branchial slit is remembered, the value of such a char- acter may well be exaggerated. Nevertheless the genus Myroconger may be provisionally retained among the Murenids until its osteology or branchial appzratus is known. Inasmuch, however, as the total suppression of the pectorals is characteristic of the typical Murenide, and as Myroconger has well-developed pectorals “ about as long as the snout,” which itself is “of moderate length,” it may be well to isolate that genus as the representative of a peculiar subfamily (Myrocongrine) and to keep it in abeyance as a doubtful constituent of the family Murenide. Not less than twenty-six generic names have been proposed for the family. Many, if not most, of these are undoubtedly superfluous, but there is danger of going to an opposite extreme in reducing the number to three or four (including Myroconger), as has been done by Dr. Giin- ther. The course followed by Bleeker and Jordan seems to be the most judicious, and thirteen genera appear to have characters entitling them tosuch rank. A considerable range of variation is manifested by these genera judging from the external appearance, may be found to be co- ordinated with good osteological characteristics. *Professors Jordan and Gilbert, in another place (Syn. Fishes, N. A., p. 82), have frankly acknowledged that ‘‘the osteological characters here [there] and elsewhere in this work are mostly taken from Cope’s Contribution to the Ichthyology of the Lesser Antilles. Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., 1870.” 170 _ OSTEOLOGY OF MURANIDH—GILL,. x GENERA OF MURANIDZ. MYROCONGRINE. (Doubtfally murenoid.) 1. MyROCONGER Giinther Cat. Fishes B. M., v. 8, p. 93, 1870. Type UM. compressus Giinther. MURANINA. 1. MurznNa Linn. Type M. helena Linn. 2. SipERA Kawp, Cat. Ap. Fish, B. M., p. 70, 1856; Jordan § Gilbert, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., v. 6, p. 209, 1883. Type S. picta (Ahl). 3. PYTHONICHTHYS Poey, Repertorio Fis. Nat. de Cuba, v. 2, p. 264, 1868. Type P. sanguineus (Poey). 4. PRIODONTOPHIS Kaup, N.alihnl. Fische Hamburger Mus., 1859; Bleeker, Atlas Ich. Ind. Néerland., v. 4, p. 74, 1864. Type P. ocellatus Ag. . EuRYMycTERA Kaup, Cat. Ap. Fish. B. M., p. 72, 1856. Type L. schismatorhynchus (Bleeker). 6. ENCHELYCORE Kaup, Cat. Apod. Fish B. M., p. 73, 1856. Type £. nigricans (Bonnaterre). 7. STROPHIODON McClelland, Calcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., v. 5, p. 215? 1844; Bleeker, Atlas Ich. Ind. Néerland., v. 4, p. 108, 1864. Type S. sathete Ham. Buch. 8. THYRSOIDEA Kaup, Cat. Apod. Fish B. M., p. 73, 1856; Bleeker, Atlas Ich. Ind. Néerland., v. 4, p. 110, 1864. Type T. macrurus Bleeker. 9. RHINOMURENA Garman, Bull. Essex Inst., v. 20, p. 114, 1888. Type R. quesita Gaminte 10. Ecurpna Forster, ‘‘ Echirid. h. n. 81,” Walbaum, Artedi Gen. Pisc., p. 695, 17.92% Bleeker, Atlas tch. Ind. Néerland., p. 77, 1864 = Pwacilophis Kaup, Cat. Apod. Fish B. M., p. 98, 1856. Type E. nebulosa (Ah)). 11. MURZNOBLENNA Lacépéde, Hist. Nat. Poissons, v. 5, p. 652, 1803; Jordan, Proc, U.S. Nat. Mus., v. 5, pp. 575, 576, 1883 = Gulu Blealver, Giinther et al (not Kaup). Type W. olivacea Lacépéde. - 12. CHANNOMUR/ENA, Richardson, Ich. Erebus & Terror, p. 96, 1847. Type C. vitiata Richardson. On * The name Gymnomurena has been used for another genus, viz: GYMNOMURZNA Lacépéde. Hist. Nat. Poissons, v. 5, p. 648, 1803; Kaup, Cat. Apod. Fish B. M., p. 103, 1856; Jordan § Gilbert, Pepe! U.S. Nat. Mus., v. 5, p. 574, 1883. Type G. zebra (Shaw). The differences between this ‘‘ genus” and Lchidna appear to be due chiefly to age, as Bleeker has shown. ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DICK CISSEL (SPIZA AMERI- CANA) FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. BY Hucs M. Smiru, Assistant, U. S. Fish Commission. While it is a matter of no great rarity for certain of the larger birds inhabiting a particular region to become scarce, or locally extinct, be- cause of the direct persecution and slaughter carried on by man or on account of the cutting away of forests and other similar procedures, instances of the disappearance of small birds from a locality which they have regularly frequented are by no means common, especially when this disappearance is independent of the agency of man. Such is the case of the Dick Cissel in the vicinity of Washington. At one time an abundant summer visitant, it is now a veritable rara avis. Speaking of this subject in their “Avifauna Columbiana,” Coues and Prentiss say: This bird used to arrive regularly about the first of May, and leave toward the _ end of September, meanwhile being very abundant. * * * Now, however, the © bird appears to have forsaken us, few if any having been heard of for the past few years. * * * Whatever the cause, it is one of the most remarkable changes in the bird fauna of the immediate vicinity of the city. This was in 1883. At the present time there can be no doubt that the species is nothing more than the most accidental straggler, since only one bird has been observed during the past fifteen years, notwith- standing the activity of the local collectors in searching for the species. The late Professor Baird stated a short time before his death that he remembered when the Dick Cissel nested commonly in the Smithsonian Grounds, and he was accustomed to observe the birds daily at the proper season as he passed to and from his work in the Institution. Through the courtesy of Mr. Ridgway, the Curator of the Department of Birds, it has been possible to prepare the following list, showing all Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 806. 171 LZ DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DICK CISSEL—SMITH. the specimens from the District that found their way to the Smith- sonian Institution: ; Museum number. Date. Sex. Collector. CRS hae (re Q | J. C. McGuire. May 25,1859} 9 C. Drexler. May 17, i860} o¢ D. W. Prentiss. May 10,1861 | ¢ | Elliott Cones. Bee ee Boe fof J C. MeGuire. BesScrcee es ee ---- | C. Drexler. June, 1856...| ..-. | Elliott Coues. May 13, 1859 |...--- Do Solow ee lade ces D. W. Prentiss. Jan, 25,1860] ¢ Do May 10,1861} ¢ Do May, 1860...| o Do EU oe enees Q Do Of these thirteen specimens, only the first four are now in the museum collection, all the others having probably been exchanged many years ago. The only other specimen extant, so far as known, is a female in the possession of the writer, taken by Dr. T. C. Smith in 1861. It will thus be seen that no specimens of this species have been ob- tained for nearly thirty years. During the first half of that period the bird was still a regular sojourner with us, Mr. Ridgway having found it not uncommon on Columbia Heights about 1872 or 1873, and in 1874 he observed a male on the Virginia side of the Potomac River above the Aqueduct Bridge. He has seen none since that time and believes, as the result of his ‘observations, that the species does not now breed within 40 miles of Washington. The most recent and, in fact, the only other record of the bird’s oc- currence was in May, 1887, when Mr. H. W. Henshaw saw a male in a field beyond Soldiers’ Home, a locality which the species formerly fre- quented. Mr. Ridgway’s intimate knowledge of the habits of the dick cissel in the Mississippi Valley leads him to state that its occurrence in abun- dance in 1860 is almost as much of a mystery asits absence in 1890, in- somuch as it is a bird of the prairies and extensive natural meadows, such as clover fields—topographical conditions not existing in the vicin- ity of Washington. DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF BAT, ATALAPHA SEMOTA. BY HARRISON ALLEN, M. D. I have lately received from the National Museum a number of exam- ples of a bat which bears the manuscript label: “ Atalapha semota, Sandwich Islands.” Mr. Frederick W. True informs me that these specimens were so named by himself, but that no description of them has as yet appeared. A careful examination of the material (which consists of one perfect adult specimen, one mutilated specimen in alcohol, seven skins and crania) leads me to confirm the opinion of Mr. True. I propose herewith to describe the species as follows: Atalapha semota True. Auricle.—Internal basal lobe extends back as far as a point near the posterior margin of the tragus. Internal ridge rudimental. External basal lobe semicircular, thin membranous, not revolute. External ridge conspicuous and extends nearly to the tip of the auricle, parallel with the broad membranous hem. The entire auricle lies close to the head, i. ¢., the fold between the head and the auricle is small. Coloration.—Fur, much as in other species of the genus. Dorsum, crown, nape, back of neck, and chest with long, soft fur with brown-ash tips; shafts at apical half, white; basal half, black. A band of warm- sepia lies across the neck and shoulders. Loin with long rusty-brown tips to the shafts, whose apical half is obscurely pallid and basal half black. Over the interfemoral membrane and the wing membrane near it, the fur is of a deep russet-brown or rusty red. The membrane, for the most part, is uniformly clothed. The marginal third in three ex- amples is sparsely furnished with hair. The cheeks and lips are covered with black hair. The ears are likewise hairy on the posterior surface as far as the black border. The skin over the masseter muscle and thence under the mandible is of a dull whitish color. The hairs of the neck and chest have gray tips and warm-sepia sub-tips; shafts with apical half a dull white; basal half, black. The side of the trunk is covered with longer hair, of which the tips are for the most part a dirty whitish-buff, and is thus Proceedings National Museum, Yo, XILI—No, 807, ; We 174 NEW SPECIES OF BAT—ALLEN. characteristic in appearance. This color extends from a short distance upon the neck on a line with the prebrachium. The pubis is furnished with shorter and more thinly distributed hair, which is obscurely bicol- ored, the shafts being dusky brown, the tips ashy. The hair on the wing membrane is as in A. cinerea. Skeleton.—The facial portion of frontal bone is greatly inflated, so as to form a swelling in the orbit. The small lachrymal process, which is present in A. cinerea, is absent here. In other respects the parts are as in A. cinerea and A. noveboracensis. Teeth the same as in these species. The fifth metacarpal bone lacks one-seventh of being as long as the fore-arm; the fourth metacarpal bone is as long as the fore-arm. The fourth metacarpal bone is not concealed when the third and the fifth metacarpals are approxinated. The wing membrane is attached to the epitrochlea, thus leaving the olecranon and the epicondyle free dorsad. Width of prebrachium at the elbow 14 less than width of membrane from the elbow downward. Dimensions.—The manal formula is as follows: Fourth interspace, 34™ third interspace, 13"; difference between third and fourth inter- spaces, 21™"; fore-arm, 40". This may be compared with advantage to the manal formula in A. noveboracensis: Fourth interspace, 33°"; third interspace, 10™"; dif- ference between third and fourth interspaces, 23""; forearm, 37™". The manal formula of A. cinerea is as follows: Fourth interspace, 40""; third interspace, 134°"; difference between third and fourth in- terspaces, 274™"; fore-arm, 49°". Measurements. 4 Y Miliimeters. | Millimeters. 12 GAN oon sebeaenn sounds Gade yea” 19 | Third digit: TNE Raah ee see coMoSH eee acasenotes ace 32 Metacarpal ....5..2 6---ssssniseee 52 AMIEL Se hi DSoos ooo kta cceecem sees 8 First phalanx !.-25 2-2 2230 see 18 Psiapoe. so ene s eee stews ee A Second phalanx .............-.. 20 WMD <2 3 Re pea Se Enea. aa caso o sass 20 | Fourth digit: [NRIs aG pegs Saco Man oot 2a9 shoo ed 18 Metacarpal.-- .-cosssc-t ieee 47 Calcaneum........ Saad ogabsSecesie 18 First phalanx. .<2. 2-52 -eeeeees 114 An ereeeeee. ocruecete so csepecmes ee 46 Second phalanx .-....-s-eseeeee 14 WORG-a EM eae aoe ce ieee == one ele = ete 40 | Fifth digit: g First digit: Metacarpal:. ...... ..2o veeumeee 40 Metacanpalesoncash>-emnenaea ses 4 First phalanx 2.2.22. 25.aeeeeee 9 LOD FEUTG C1 121 beens See SE 5 Second phalanx ...... -... soi... 8 Second phalanx-...--.. ....-..... 2 Second digit: Meétacarpal f: S022 23238 35.2 5222 51 Kirst phalanx 2 5.\' io. 2--vessseere 6 Hasp.—Sandwich Islands. Mr. Valdemar Knudsen.* * Having been requested to revise the proofs of this article, owing to the absence of the author, I venture to add a few notes regarding the specimens upon which the species is based, With one exception, all were obtained by Mr, Valdemar Knudsen, a former resident of the Sandwich Islands, and for many years a valued correspond~ y —= = | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 175 Dr. J. E. Gray (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1862, 143) asserts that Ata- lapha (Lasiurus) grayi, Tomes, is found inthe SandwichIslands. Mr. A. Murray (Geographical Distribution of the Mammalia, 1866), apparently on this authority, places the species in the islands named. Dr. G. E. Dobson (Cat. of Chirop. in Brit. Mus.) concludes that A. gray is a variety of A. cinerea, and does not refer any examples to localities beyond Amer- ica. Mr. Tomes in his original description (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857, 40) states that two of the type-specimens of A. grayi came from Chili) while three were without locality. It remains uncertain, therefore, whether A. semota is the same as A. grayi as identified by Gray. ent of the Smithsonian Institution. One specimen was collected by Mr. Charles N. Spencer, at the request of Mr. F. P. Hastings, vice-consul-general at Honolulu. Both collectors agree that the species is very rare and difficult to obtain. Mr. Spencer re- marks that its native name is Olepe, and that it is the only species in the islands. The specimens which have labels giving the localities definitely are from the island of Kauai, and it remains therefore to be ascertained whether the species occurs on the other Hawaiian islands. The specimens mentioned by Dr. Allen are the following: No. Locality. Collector. Nature of specimen. foost sandwich Islands: .-. 2-2 .ccc~scess-ss Wire SURG liver eseseee | Alcoholic. ae Kauai, Sandwich Islands -....-....... C. N. Spencer .-..-.--- | Skin; body in alcohol. aso Sant wiGhislanaseoccccecucce c= srrens V. Knudsen........-..| Skin and skull. SU cal RS ea en doe oe Do. paGdde rs =<). = GO) ee Se bee OCC RUD EEO OOCSCOSEC Seaere COP o.ncecenaes ete San. POGtO anne GOp sco seces seten coe eee cesecaebsewe GON wecucieeeeeees Do. oes pace } Waimea, Kauai, Sandwich Islands....|.-.... doieemennedaena= Skin and skull. SANE |, [OS IEG Reco SS cea o psec eoUsosereue een ObSecOoeronosceenee Skin. F. W. TRUE. ‘ig / ON THE SNAKES OF THE GENUS CHARINA. BY LEONHARD STEJNEGER, Curator of the Department of Reptiles and Batrachians. Within the faunal area of North America, as itis usually understood, only two genera of boid snakes are known to occur, viz, Charina and Lichanura, which have been referred by Professor Cope to two distinct families, the former to the Charinida, the latter to the Boide proper. The osteological characters which separate these families are as follows: Charinide: Coronoid bone and postorbitals absent. Boide: Coronoid bone and postorbitals present. Externally the two genera representing these families in our fauna may be distinguished as follows: a', Frontal plate ey VALE Clo 2 aweaysloe oatealoebicmies cise ccs se aice deena Charina. a. Frontal plate absent ...-....-- Vemcan cea dediseesensnekie Tichanura. The genus Charina was inatihatenl by ‘ H. Gray, in 1849, for a Cali- fornia specimen in the British Museum, which he regarded as Tortrix botte of Blainville. Three years later Baird and Girard, in describing the reptiles brought home by the famous “ United States Exploring Ex- pedition ” from our western coast, established the genus Wenona for two specimens which they regarded as types of two different species, viz, W. plumbea and W. isabella. These were afterwards described in greater detail and figured by Girard in the herpetological part of the exploring expedition (pl. vii). Finally, Jan, in 1862, after examining the type > and only known specimen of Blainville’s 7. botte, expressed the opin- ion that the specimen so called and described by Gray represented an- other species and genus, for which reason he named the genus repre- sented by Blainville’s species Pseudoeryx. In spite of this statement by so high an authority, subsequent writers, who consider T. botte and W, plumbea generically distinct, have continued to call the former Charina botte. Noteworthy among these is Bocourt, who very forcibly points out the characters of the alleged two genera, though it is plain that Gray’s Charina botte, if tested by Bocourt’s own characters, is referable to W. plumbea rather than to the true 7. botte. As to the value of the species described, opinions have varied greatly- Cooper and Suckley (in the P. R. R. Rep., xu, ili, p. 303 (1860), ex- pressed doubt as to the distinctness of W. plumbea and isabella, the lat- - ter stating expressly that ‘‘ specimens appear to unite the characters of both species.” The following year Cope (Proc. Phila. Acad., 1861, _ p. 305) also expressed as his opinion that both species are probably identical, and since then their identity seems to have been accepted Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIITI—No. 808. Proc. N. M. 90——12 177 178 SNAKES OF GENUS CHARINA—STEJNEGER. without further questioning. On the same occasion Cope even went so far as to doubt the specific distinctness of W. plumbea and T. botte, or as they were then for the first time called, Charina plumbea and Ch. botte. Later on he seems to have reversed his opinion and recognized - their distinctness, as in his Check-list of North American Batrachia and Reptilia (1875), page 43, he enumerates both, assigning to Ch. botte as habitat the “ Lower Californian region,” while Ch. plumbea is stated to inhabit the “ Pacific region.” Whether the omission of Ch. plumbea, which he himself has stated to occur in Guaymas, Sonora, (Proc. Phil. Acad., 1861, p. 305), in his Catalogue of Batrachia and Reptilia of Central America and Mexico (1887), page 64, is due to his considering the two species identical is not clear, since Ch. plumbea is not mentioned in the synonymy of Ch. botte. However, in describing Ch. brachyops (Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., x1, 1888, p. 88), he considers them specifically identical with but little doubt. Garman has been equally uncertain as to the status of these forms. At first (Rept. Batr. N. Am., I, Ophid., p. 7) he included both under the name of Charina botte, the diagnosis of which is evidently made up from descriptions of both, but in the appendix (p. 131) he admits a Ch. botte var. plum- bea, the typical form with locality “ California to Mexico,” the variety ranging through “California to Puget Sound.” Still later (List N. Am. Rept. and Batr., 1884, pp. 21, 22), he enumerates them as dis- tinct species. As such they are also treated in Yarrow’s Check List of North American Reptilia and Batrachia (1882), page 19. Only one specimen of Ch. bottce seems to have been collected up to the present day, viz, the type which is preserved in the Paris Museum. Besides the original description and figures by Blainville, it has been described both by Jan and by Bocourt and figured by the former. The latter sums up the essential differences which distinguish Wenona plumbea from Charina botte, as he calls them, in the following manner: (1) Nasals more developed and meeting on the top of the muzzle, thus taking the place of the internasals; (2) five prefrontals instead of only four; (3) eye separated from the supralabials by two suboculars; (4) scales of body somewhat smaller, forming forty-five longitudinal rows instead of thirty-nine only. These characters are evidently drawn up from two specimens only, the type of Ch. bottw and the specimen of Ch. plumbea which the Paris Museum received from the Smithsonian Institution, without regard to the variations of the latter shown in the descriptions and figures pre- viously published. Having nineteen specimens in fair condition before me, I am able to throw some light on the individual variation of these snakes and to make some remarks which may not be without interest, Before discussing the differences between Ch. botiw and plumbea it may be well to investigate those of Ch. plumbea and isabella. As exhibited by the type specimens the characters separating isabella from plumbea were thought to be as follows: (1), two large prefrontals with an addi- tional small scale wedged in between them posteriorly, instead of four well developed ones; (2) no suborbitals, fourth and fifth labial being erty PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 179 in contact with the eye against two suborbital, and no labials in con- tact with eye. From the table which I present below it will be seen that in the whole series no two specimens are alike as far as the plates of the head are concerned. There is hardly an individual with both halves of the head alike, the differences between them in some eases being so great that one side of the head would belong to one genus, the other to another, were we to accept the generic distinctions between Charina and Wenona, as set forth by Bocourt. Out of twenty specimens, six have four prefrontal plates like the types of plumbea (and botte), while eleven (including Bocourt’s specimens) have five such plates, one has seven, one (isabelia type) three, and one two. These facts seem to dis- pose of the first distinction between plumbea and isabella, as well as of the second between plumbea and botte. As to the upper labials being in contact with the eye, or this organ being surrounded by a ring of small scales, I may state that in the type of plumbea and eight more specimens the latter condition prevails, while in isabella and ten other specimens some of the labials come in contact with the eye. How valueless this character is, however, may be understood from the fact that in one specimen three labials on both sides are in contact; in another two on one side and three on the other; in five including the type, two labials touch the eye on both sides, and in two only one labial on each side, while, more conclusive still, one specimen, so far as labials are concerned, is typical Ch. plumbea on one side and equally typical Ch. isabella on the other; No. 4497 b is about similarly situated, though in this only one labial is in contact on one side, and none on the other. This breaks down very effectually the second bar- rier between isabella and plumbea as well as the third between plumbea and botte. From the above I think it is safe to conclude that Ch. isabella is only an individual variation of Ch. plumbea. Two of the distinctions between the latter and Ch. botte, as tabu- lated by Bocourt, have already been shown to be due to individual variation. A glance at our table will demonstrate that the first char- acter assigned to botte as peculiar, viz, the presence of internasals, is shared by No. 12581, which is otherwise a tolerably average plumbea, and the numerous indications of the anterior nasal breaking up into a prenasal proper and an internasal, as shown, for instance, on the right side of the type of plumbea, proves conclusively to my mind that this character is entirely unreliable. There remains now the number of scale rows of the body, which in the type of botte are said to be 39. In this particular we have no con- necting link as yet between the two species. The commonest number of scale rows in plumbea are 45, though several specimens have 43, and afew 47 to 49. Whether this gap will be filled up remains to be seen, . but until this happens Ch. bottw seems entitled to recognition upon this - character alone. 180 SNAKES OF GENUS CHARINA—STEJNEGER. The specimen with 49 scale rows (No. 4497b) is in many respects a remarkable one, and I have been very much tempted to describe it as a distinct species, for not only is the number of its scale rows excess- ively large, but the relation between rostral and anterior nostrals is entirely unique, inasmuch as the former entirely separates the two latter, being in contact with the prefrontals, thus destroying what has been considered even a good generic character of Charina. This spec- imen also has the lowest number of urosteges, but taking into account the enormous variability which has been demonstrated above, I think there can be no doubt but that this specimen only represents an ex- treme individual variation. Since the above was set in type, five more specimens have come to hand. They are collected by Prof. O. B. Johnson, at Seattle, Wash., and are in many respects very interesting. In the first place, three of them are very large, showing that all the rest of the specimens ex- amined are young ones; in the second place, they bear out the con- clusions based on the previous material as given above, and demonstrat- ing still further the enormous individual variation of the cephatic plates, in one specimen the frontal even being divided longitudinally. On the other hand, they establish more firmly 43 scale rows as the minimum of Ch. plumbea, They have been included in the table given below. Quite recently Professor Cope, in these Proceedings (Vol. xt, 1888, p. 88, pl. xxxvi, fig. 2), has described Ch. brachyops as a new species with the following diagnosis: ‘ Prenasal separated from internasal; post- nasal joining preocular, no loreal; prefrontal entering orbit; one super- ciliary ; superior labials 8 to 9.” As to the labials, 9 seems to be the usual number; sometimes as many as 11 are found, and exceptionally only 8, so that the character derived from them is not diagnostic. Neither is the first character as- signed to the new species peculiar to it, for we have seen that it is one of the features ascribed to the type of Ch. botte, and it is also found in our No. 12581. One superciliary is the commonest number in Ch. plumbea, and is also found in Ch. botte. Even the absence of a loreal is not very unusual in Ch. plumbea, in the type specimen of which it is wanting on both sides, while in the type of Ch. isabella it is only absent on one side, but in those cases which have come under my observation the loreal has disappeared by being fused with one of the prefrontals, which are thus interposed between the posterior nasal and the anteorbital, while in the type of Ch. brachyops the loreal seems to be absorbed by the anteorbital, thus bringing the latter into direct contact with the pos- terior nasal. The last diagnostic mark of the new species is ‘ pre- frontal entering orbit.” There is no approach to this character in any other of the Charinae before me, though it is doubtful if it is of more value than the “ labials entering the orbit” in differentiating Ch. botte or isabella. In addition to these characters the muzzle seems rather depressed as well as narrow, and the eye seems to be somewhat larger than in Ch. plumbea, but too great stress can not be laid on these charac- Boa PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 181 ters, as the type specimen has dried somewhat out of shape from having been placed in too strong alcohol. The figures accompanying the orig- inal description are extremely poor, that representing the top of the head (fig. 2 a) being particularly inaccurate, inasmuch as the rostral and superciliary are drawn nearly twice their comparative size. On the whole, the status of the new species is about the same as that of Ch. botte. They should be recognized until conclusively proven to be only individual variations of the same species. With this proviso, therefore, we distinguish at present three species, as follows: WR IRC ALOIONS csi e = ate a aie Na erate Saye eee cate wie Mane nicer cea boee see Charina botte. a* 43 scale rows, or more. b' Posterior nasal not in contact with anteorbital; prefrontal not entering OUD Sashes cf as os Seen nins oe ee uaoee aisce Doe aes Charina plumbea. b? Posterior nasal in contact with anteorbital; prefrontal entering orbit. = Charina brachyops. The synonymy of the genus and the supposed three species would stand thus: Charina GRAY. 1849, —Charina J. E. Gray, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., p. 113 (type Ch. botte GRay = Ch. plumbea? ). 1852.— Wenona BatRD and GIRARD, Proc. Philada. Acad., 1852, p. 176 (type W. plumbea). 1862.—Pseudoeryx JAN, Arch. f. Naturg., XXVIII, i, p. 242 (type Tortrix botte BLAINV.). 1862.— Wenonia JAN, Arch. f. Naturg., XXVIII, i, p. 242 (emend.). Charina bottz (BLAINV.). 1835.—Tortrix bo:tw BLAINVILLE, Nouv. Ann. Mus. @’Hist. Nat., Iv, p. 289, pl. 26, figs. 1, la, 1b.—Pseudoeryx botte JAN, Arch. f. Naturg., XXVIII, i, 1862, p. 246.—JAN & SORDELLI, Iconogr. Oph., Texte, 2 livr., 1865, p. 67 (3 livr., pl. ii, fig. 1).— Charina botte BocouRT, Miss. Scientif. Mexique, Zool., m1, livr. 8, 1882, p. 511.—Copgr, Cat. Batr. Rept. C. Am. Mex., 16887, p. 64.—GarRMAN, N. Am. Rept., Ophid., 1883, p. 7 (part only). Charina plumbea (B. & G.). 1849.—? Charina botiw J. E. Gray, Cat. Spec. Snakes Brit. Mus., p. 113 (nec BLAINV.). 1852.— Wenona plumbea BAIRD & GIRARD, Proc. Philada. Acad., 1852, p. 176.—Tid., Cat. N. Am. Rept., 1, Serp., 1853, p. 139.—GiraRD, U.S. Expl. Exp., Herpetol., 1858, p. 112, Atlas, pl. vii, figs. 1-7.—CooprErR, Rep. Expl. Sury. P. R. R., Xu, iii, 1860, p. 303.—JaNn, Arch. f. Naturg., XXVIII, i, 1862, p. 247.—JAN & SORDELLI, Iconogr. Oph., Texte, 2 livr., 1865, p. 69 (3 livr., pl. ii, fig. 2).—Bocourt, Miss. Scientif. Mexique, Zool., 111, livr. 8, 1882, p. 512, pl. xxx, figs. 7-7¢.— Charina plumbea Cope, Proc. Philada. Acad., 1861, p. 305.—Jd, ibid., 1883, pp. 21, 23.—YarrRow, Check List N. Am. Rept. Batr., 1883, p. 142.—TowNnsrEnp, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, 1887, p. 240. 1852.— Wenona isabella BAIRD & GIRARD, Proc. Philada. Acad., 1852, p. 176.—Jid., Cat. N. Am. Rept., 1, Serp., 1853, p. 140.-GiraRpD, U. 8. Expl. Exp., Herpetol., 1858, p. 113, Atlas, pl. vii, figs. 8-14. 1883.—Charina botte var. plumbea GARMAN, N. Am. Rept., Ophid., 1853, p. 131. Charina brachyops CopE. 1888.—Charina brachyops Corr, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., x1, 1888, p. 88, pl. xxxvi, figs. 2a-f. OF GENUS CHARINA—STEJNEGER. SNAKES 182 ‘od Aq, *posny ‘joud ‘Ue puv ‘seu “yuy ‘pesny ‘jord ‘jue pus ‘seu “juy *pasny ‘juorjoid “que pus ‘svat jue ‘pepralp soesejsoin Moy W *<][BAIPNALS MOT paprlatp [emo * peprarp $050]S80.1N MOV *posny sjejzaoijead “ysod pue juy ‘opyeqns. 4, Jo eddy, ‘pesny ‘joid ‘jue puv ‘sea’ 1y ‘Joo JOU Op ‘seu "yUy ‘maqunjd 4 jo od Sz, “JSUT ‘SUJIUIG OY} ULOIy p9ara00yy ‘yone ‘puny jo edXq, “q)0ne ‘aads odAy, Avin ‘7 ‘f qinoovog 2 uee a ll nN ANANTH OOSO of i] ANCHO Fy tee oS ONG cROReN o i) oOnnNnna oo mo co oosesocoe *‘SyIVULSyy ‘oK0 TIAL qoVYWO UL S|VIQUT I so oe oe ale ror HOO } N NO ret So ‘S[R}JIGIOGNyY | of OD OD CV OI I OD CD OD CI OD ON SH OD OD nN i on on “‘S[R}IG.I0}SOg | nr of} TaD CN CN At eral oi of} rc mendes a “s[eyiqaovaidug [vg ‘seXey odeg |--"-7-urereyy |*""* F2SCT "SO ial “"=* @C19T "SO 7" TST9T "S01 a OSTaS Sri “"** 6PI9T SO “> 8FI9T S$. 1! 666L'S “0 ie SSfc S-i “**" 68210 S*° 0 “*"* T8ge “SO ---- sdohyoviq ‘YO tees 0g soe--0G teeters og aacee s----0g veeeeeeess-og seeeeeee es og tees -0G vee eeeeeee oq teeeeeeees oq wel SOS6" See <0 Oe "eS DLGEY Syl)" Me reels ca ale FORE 6) | eon ees mG ** RaQLOPY Spl!) serra OL ee 66h Sey ses 2 OGe 5 TOOT EASE alee ape it Se GGd6 Sept er eee ee hae ae rads eh sO bal ee meee mea E His” CORT ell | one see OL oe eo slivg |-7-~"-paqunjpd ‘yO esas en qug [ota sie ashe stivq |*-~"* ~~~ "4022090 "YD ‘ON pur 2 mnesn yy seroeds I G Pano ai inact Saal VELA a een is I Ons laeaiee PSC Ol cum |HG Paes arenes hae jeg ‘Avg ypjoquinyy |** es plaqmory, |""""~ 98EP'S" Galo Oe |paealee C84) SOA NER ae | eareeeee Pe .cis es Sie Sani (1) Opry (ake Opec cea Wee Pp Ma Py ay Mage eg Cog Tay ae op GalelOle | Peale gg | €0¢ | & Sa ge Sa eB eee oO Dir eae sini Oe oa ir 0-2 pPaclak 9€ | 006 | &F Sd ee ang oat) Osean opel a Pe ner SO Drak T ORs esenel 1& | 906 | &F voerecoseorocs TERA ‘OT}}BAg |-""""" MOSUGOL tT |0 | | 0-1] #8 | 018 | SF veeveeeeoseseso-pmnog yosng |" dxq ‘[dxq Tot PON EPaa ete © (MPSsicv0G, a(R. alee eemrins Sa okeba rce a arr op I OES Ser OSM LIS Wl kGp ee Waseca “77° [BQ ‘O80, | ~ 27777 uoesInT T Pa eet eat ee | 80Z | SP --- moSarg ‘Kote A Avge uyor | --~~- -ortpueg G OM eGo ele Ler ean ale cial RS) Zien eagle ag = AN Teo ‘exR'yT epseq |--"-- MBYsSuOH Gale 0) sey aE & | SOL | SF are eter as [eg ‘o1piserg |" OSpliqMory, Gaile O alae 480ml S Ge OU Ge al Shai ann cee YSUA\ ‘MOODRIIOIG “FA | Seppug T (| lee 66 1606 96P oe cee eo ee ae 1&0 ‘olpiserg |** OSplaqmory, I (HP NE 16 | 104 | SF Ra se aa ee Se wose1Q |°~~* Aqtoq. MeN I (Se Mele | pee NS I) ei ig lege pac aC epeaon |*77 77 ABA Spy IT OP esa site 68 | 906 | SF gals Sine ss Sec Rr at tae ee ata teal AjLoUNA yy it 0 {L | GT! €€ | 60¢ | SF peice emcieniairie 180) Pas ya@uler is Tedae T Om ras gO LE | 902 | SF aries SPP Sing punog joong |°-~* dxq ‘[dxq (4 OFS Sa ae: G26 le SCPAS Ra serine Sem Se LOR RUT EH (0h ey st | eee am eee ae € Oh ke cea Se AT Sees fie geicegs seanec WALID yee oe SOE So T |% |% |T | 08 | cos | 68 ig = ReRSe eres TELULOT UG) 1 | peel e}}0q 7 mM B |B 7. 5 Fiabe 8 ele|ebe|2| 2) & Seal veel lie | tee S FR | es ae ale S ] ee eee eal if) a iS) ? = | > | s © ® 4 “ApRLOOT 10}09T[90 Bl) e | @ ele coals ua w ON THE NORTH AMERICAN LIZARDS OF THE GENUS BARISSIA OF GRAY. BY LEONHARD STEJNEGER. Curator of the Department of Reptiles and Batrachians. Barissia imbricata (WIEGM.). Since Professor Baird, in 1858, described his Gerrhonotus olivaceus very littie has been done with a view to determine its relation to the other species of the genus. Cope (Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 1, pp. 46, 90) recognizes it as a separate species peculiar to the Pacific region, and Yarrow (Bull. U. 8S. Nat. Mus., No. 24, p. 46) and Garman (List. N. Am. Rept. and Batr., p. 13) follow his example, the former identifying two [or, correctly, three] specimens in the National Museum (No. 7087) from Mexico as this species, thus including the latter country within the range of the species. Boulenger (Cal. Liz. Brit. Mus., 11, p. 2738) in- cludes it among the synonyms of Gerrhonotus ceruleus, though with a query, a most remarkable proceeding, since the original description of Professor Baird clearly indicates it as a member of the Barissia group, whether this name be taken in a generic sense, or not, as will be seen from the following quotation: No single frontal [= ‘‘no azygos prefrontal”]. A series of three pairs of plates between the vertical [= “‘frontal”] androstral * * * 39 transverse rows of scales on back from head to tail. 12 longitudinal rows above; the 6 central strongly cari- nated. - No’mention is made of ‘‘ projecting scales above the ear”, a character which Professor Baird would most probably have noted had it occured in his specimens. Applying this description to Boulenger’s own synop- sis of the species of the genus Gerrhonotus (tom. cit., p. 267), it will be seen that it falls within the characters assigned to G. imbricatus. An examination of Baird’s type also proves most conclusively that G. oliva- ceus is a synonym of Barissia imbricata.* _ The specimens in hand, Professor Baird’s types (U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 3096), and three from Orizaba, collected by Sumichrast (No. 7087) agree in every respect inter se, as well as with Wiegmann’s, Bocourt’s, and Boulenger’s descriptions of the typical @. imbricatus. In the arrange- ment of the cephalic shields, in the carination and numbers of dorsal *Garman in his “ List” (1. ¢c.) places G@. olivaceus in the genus Barissia, retaining imbricatus in Gerrhonotus. I can see no good reason for this, inasmuch as the latter species seems to be the type of the genus Barissia. Preceedings National Museum, Vol. XITI—No. 809. 183 184 LIZARDS OF GENUS BARISSIA—STEJNEGER. rows, in proportions and coloration there seems to be no essential dis- agreement, in proof of which I have appended below a table of some of the characters which can be expressed in a statement of taat kind. The alleged locality of the types can hardly be accepted as an objec- tion to this identification. In Yarrow’s catalogue of the specimen’s in the U. S. National Museum (Bull. No. 24, p. 46) the locality is given as “San Diego, Cal.,” and Cope (ll. ce.) also attributes B. olivacea to south- ern California. I doubt very much the correctness of this for various reasons. In the first place the locality given in the original description is only “near San Diego,” and this is also the way it is written in the Museum record-book, and I think it is impossible to say with certainty now whether this San Diego is the city located in southern California or ove of the several other places of the same name in the neighborhood of which the gentlemen connected with the U. S. and Mexican Bound- ary Commission collected specimens for the Smithsonian Institution. It is true that “Cal.” is interpolated after San Diego in the report of the Boundary Survey, but that may have been nothing more than an “ editorial” correction made without consulting the records. Even if “San Diego, Cal.” had been intended originaily, it does not follow that the specimens were collected very “near” that place. The locality of G. webbii described only a few lines above G. olivaceus is also given as “near San Diego, Cal.,” but if we turn to the original record in the Museum register we will find that No. 3078 was collected “ From San Diego to El Paso,” a distance of more than six hundred miles, as the crow flies. Specimens examined. re ae ee f= 3 Sa\Be a |ig 2 - = fa] ao 45 2 = = Date ee Se(Se/gEloe| 8) ek |e] 2 ationa’ P Saleadlqaml|oa|/ & |] 0°] 8] & 5 | 4 Wasenin Locality. Collector. | 5 é ae 5 2 = E e |e : eh = Fi vee SS\SzlSs(28/8/8/el213le oO B= zPlae) elo | & a E | Flas |b"j)alaldida)e)e mm.|mm.|mm.| mm.) mm,| mm 3096 a yrneee San Diego.” | A. Schott -.. 8| 14; 40) 12) 100; 2 35 | 57] 25) 32 3096b See LO Biro iter aioe terse Gomeeae 8 14} 38 12 80 17 27.| 438 20} 25 7087 a Orizaba, Mex ..-.-.. Sumichrast .| 8] 14} 39| 12)112| 27 | 37) 63) 28 \cne. 7087 b BAS Ree See ere Boe Gok es5 8] 14] 39] 12} 93| 22] 32] 50) 24) 38 MOSHE NOUV.) oeO vee cee Semel ieee do 62242. 8; 14] 41 12) 45) Il} 16) 24°) Seer Barissia levicollis, sp. nov. DIAGNOSIS.—No azygos prefrontal; three pairs of shields between the frontal and the rostral; prefrontals not in contact with loreal; no pro- jecting scales above the ear; one large upper postorbital and two mi- nute lower ones ; forty-six transverse rows of dorsal scales between the head and the base of the tail, and sixteen longitudinal rows; head shields swollen. Has.—‘ Mexican boundary.” Type.—U. 8S. Nat. Mus., No. 9362. ‘ OES | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 185 Description of type spectmen.—Head narrow, snout long, pointed ; head shields swollen ; two pairs of internasals, the posterior in contact with an- terior supraocular; one pair of prefrontals; nasal separated from rostral; @ supranasal; a postnasal; a loreal, pentagonal, not higher than wide, and separated from prefrontals; a preorbital; two suborbitals, the posterior very long; one very large upper postorbital and two minute lower ones; ten and twelve supralabials; sides of neck covered with granular scales; lateral fold, commencing below the ear opening; nuchal scales not keeled, in ten longitudinal rows; dorsal scales of medium size, in sixteen longitudinal rows, the four median obtusely keeled, the next two on each side with the keels still less pronounced and the remainder smooth ; forty-six transverse dorsal rows; ventrals smaller than dorsals, in twelve longitudinal rows; [tail reproduced]. © Color {in alcohol) above uniform “ tawny-olive” with interrupted transverse bands of black dots on the sides, the scales with the dots being margined posteriorly, more or less distinctly, with whitish; under side dull pale clay-color, with irregular black dots on flanks and throat. Dimensions of type. Millimeters. MLOAISTOULELONVGDUS bocce access s coc ee acc fee Sseiccslne cece avweiece nee casas ommee 121 romisnoul lor earrOPeNINO ss. s-cicccc ce nocics cle ncissclcsseesiace sve! tvicineslernisleveinialetete 27 HENTRESNO UD LOMOLELIIMN Ds socec onc < sicleuicre oulantmiseo cae dice. saidaws oatidcn eines noe anene 38 LG MPU Sa astO) OTOMer seit nicciser teres neces cate aeisia se acta wmicteiete = Seite stemcete oe 67 ane nesta bimOte head ssceicc: «2% alco Seer. aetee mel oais cee oanin = > oeemecleceibcerme scan ee 18 PES TeSM EEN Treen ee ree ae oe Siete lees, 3, Sivas Sis pe mS Peyalm a eval nyc isla Sine a mini boteale a are aie 27 TELE 31 Ure 0 SCR i ee eR a RE IR Sees Ete a ng aie oe eae 34 Unfortunately, the exact locality where the type of this species was collected is not known; all that the record book contains is ‘‘ Mexican Boundary.” It was evidently obtained by one of the surveying parties of the United States and Mexican Boundary, but the original number having become obliterated, it was re-entered in 1877 and the original label—or what remained of it—destroyed. The present species belongs to the same group as the foregoing, having “three pairs of shields between the frontal and the.rostral,” or in other words, ‘two pairs of internasal scuta.” It differs from B. im- bricata, however, in the greater number of dorsal rows, both longitudi- nal and transverse; in the obsolete carination of the dorsal scales ; in the exclusion of the ioreal from the prefrontals; in the smaller size and greater number of the temporals, and in the narrower and more elon- gated shape of the head. It has the sixteen longitudinal rows of dorsals in common with B. planifrons BocourtT, but the head shields are swollen and the other characters which separate it from B. imbricata also distinguish it from B. planifrons. B. rudicollis is still farther re- moved by the low number of the transverse dorsal rows, the strong carination of the nuchal shields, and the contact of the nasal with the rostral. , . ~' > 4 wy + re Ved e: ‘ oy ss set 54 | 4 +. ; ; * Sigs : ~. Sor 4 a 4 7 AD SE i z { asters im, Po 2 4 Wid : F , eee Lats ed I ~niotsgee £ ‘ ibuhp ee Oxia e oO: 2 1 Dion eae aa ; 224 ag Bey ; ; ; mat : : i $ ro pa » nn , =) (A oa oe T3 me 5 1 iret Oe eae vats pa e Sine +7 ; i 1 : i ; . et tedua r yaa P 2 ? a : ae ig , ‘hein Ki y i ef tt an fai Amare ‘ ys Pr r , fa éd ? i. ¥ he e > » > Z 4 % %G Pieramdire, atte ele alsiid SAE Stam Bas pk 44s fee ‘ “Ot : ee . . % Vid} wiki: seis ta! erecta Ye ¢23 tes preted om Se ; = GEG ed beni} PIG arias * RAS ere ee Bet. 2 i wre he : We Seas tif iy) Py REO fe aetsnats “ands ccs hace wiciipe: oatp hs ides geen bik tes’. FATE See Fe A a x . 5 z . SRaaee ere” 8 ihe, A COLLECTION OF STONE IMPLEMENTS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ee S. V. PRoupFIT, Department of the Interior. (With plates x—xIv.) The collection of stone implements from the District of Columbia and its environs, which is herewith presented to the Smithsonian Institution as an addition to the donation of December 22, 1887, is the result of personal work in the field. It was not made with a premedi- tated donative intent, but has grown by degrees until the collector no longer feels justified in claiming or exercising the right of sole owner- ship therein. In the hands of the Institution it will not only be ac- cessible to others who are interested in such matters, but will probably draw to it further contributions from the same area, and thus serve a better purpose than it possibly could in private possession. The collection is fairly typical of the aboriginal work as it is now found in the fields of the District. The greater part of the large stone imple- ments had found its way into public and private collections long before this one began, hence the number of polished implements now offered is comparatively small. Yet, while this is true, a sufficient number of these implements have been found to fairly exhibit the degree of skill attained by the Potomac Indian in this class of work. A tribute here to the handicraft of this people is not misplaced. The material with which they wrought was the most obdurate and refractory of all substances found available to any considerable degree among the American Indians. Quartz, quartzite, and argillite for the greater part were used from necessity, no better material being within reach. The first two are very hard, and in the hand of the work- man full of unpleasant surprises. A long, slender flake, such as might be easily driven off from a mass of flint or obsidian, could be but with great difficulty produced from the bowlder or pebble of the Potomac grav- els. The argillite, though softer, is not susceptible of receiving or retain- ing any high degree of finish. Notwithstanding these obstacles the material was treated with such patience, care, and skill, that the work of this region, not only in matters of utility but in points of finish compares favorably with that of any other. Proceedings United States National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 810. : 187 188 STONE IMPLEMENTS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA—PROUDFIT. In gathering these relics special care has been taken to preserve an accurate record of each addition to the collection, so that, if it were desired, every piece might be replaced in the very field from which it was obtained; and in order that the record and catalogue may be better understood and perpetuated, as against the ultimate result of the growth of the city and continued cultivation of the fields, a map has been prepared and is submitted herewith, whereon are marked the various fields from which the collection was made. The map will also serve to show the location of all Indian village sites and aboriginal workshops in the District, and from what part of each contributing village site the collection was gathered. Thus it will be seen by con- sulting the map (Plate x,) that the eastern shore of the Anacostia, or Eastern Branch of the Potomac, is dotted with wigwam-like marks to indicate a village site, while but three fields on the stream are marked from which relies have been taken; one at Anacostia marked A, and two at Bennings marked B and C. The village is old Na- cotchtanke, which stretched along the whole eastern shore from the mouth of the stream up to Bladensburg. While many places along the eastern shore of the Anacostia, are equally rich in relics as the three indicated, the ease with which the latter are reached from the city ac- counts for their marked prominence in this collection. Again, it will be noticed that a village site is laid down along the eastern bank of the Potomac, from a short distance above Georgetown to the Little Falls, while but two fields, D and E, are there marked as having contributed to the collection. In this case the other fields were not available to the collector, being either covered with a heavy sod, or so closely cultivated that no room was left for the antiquarian. A small village is marked on the Virginia shore of the Potomac, over- looking Chain Bridge and Little Falls; another at the foot of Analos- tan Island, on the same side of the stream; and still another a little farther down, at the southern end of the Long Bridge (Namaraugh quena) ; one at the mouth of Four Mile Run; and one at Falls Church, on the same stream. It should not be understood that any one of these sites or fields has been exhausted by the collector. The ground covered by the village sites has been but partially under search, and the search even where it has extended has not been prosecuted closely enough to appreciably diminish the amount of relics, except in the matter of large stone im- plements, such as would strike the attention of those cultivating the fields, and so find their own way into public and private collections. In fact, the amount of material that may yet be gathered from these village sites is only emphasized by the present collection, which in effect is substantially confined to the fields at Bennings. With each plowing of the fields a fresh supply of relics is turned up for the collector, and how long this will hold good may be indicated in the following observation: The new bridge across the Anacostia at the U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. X ‘A { ey SMT LYFOWN. A, i COOWL awe 25] ash) « II [wsja}a) Ul K A\ A z fle x (AS 7B Sane é \ /, 1 el | EI | ue » ~ =| Sten iT / A = a , \ Faces M/ a aw , , é S500 i ; E és “al = ‘\ 4 : NN [= ‘ Doocyo = ce tele es q ¥ i) a } a Wiese . A I <= { B Lnce iN. So . ——. Vf A Frnver fos Ne a _ \._ "eee S. HE DisTRICT OF COLUMBIA, SHOWING ANC ENT VILLAGE SITES, ETC. MAP OF T “VO | «=. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 189 eastern end of Pennsylvania avenue leads directly into one of the old camps of Nacotchtanke. In preparing the grade for the eastern ap- proach to the bridge, the sarface soil was removed from at least two acres of thiscamp. The field, a level sandy plain, was first plowed, the loose soil taken up and deposited on the grade, and the process repeated. Each time the shovel followed the plow nearly everything turned up by the latter was removed from the field. On one side of the field, however, the work was not carried out to include the full area first laid bare, but was confined within lesser limits, and, the same thing occurring again, two low terraces were formed, each but a little more than the depth of one plowing. Thus: the upper terrace is the original surface of the field, the next lower the result of the first plowing, and the foot of this terrace the result of the last plowing. The whole depth of the excavation at this point was a little over two feet. An examination showed that the upper terrace carried a large number of relics common to the locality, bits of worked quartz, quartzite, arrow- heads, etc., the second an equal quantity of the same material, while _ the bottom, though in less degree, still furnished a considerable num- _ ber of implements, fragments, and chips. To illustrate the amount of material on the surface of the ground, - attention is directed to Exhibit No. 146,563, a tray of 107 pieces picked - up in two hours’ work, April 20, 1888, from the field marked A: A pol- ished ax, arrowheads, knives, scraps of pottery, etc.; all the odds and ends of the old village life. In studying the distribution of stone implements in the District it should be remembered that an Indian village of the Potomac was not a compact assemblage of houses, but scattered dwellings along a water- course, with the intervening spaces usually under cultivation. In some instances, however, a cluster of houses might be found at such points as afforded more than the ordinary riparian advantages, but usually the dwellings were comparatively isolated. Again, the establishment of temporary hunting and fishing stations is to be taken into consid- eration. An examination of any cultivated field that lies along the Potomac or Anacostia will furnish more or less evidence of temporary occupation. The difference between these places and village sites is _ readily discernible in the character of the remains, as wellas in the quantity. The former show flakes, and chips of stone, with here and there an implement of the knife and arrowhead type, while the latter, with its ever-present pottery, seems to have left its mark on every - Stone inthe field. The wreck of an old village can never be mistaken for the camp-ground of a single season. In addition to the implements found in the vicinity. of villages and hunting camps, the occasional arrowhead lost in the chase, and the greater number spent in battle, should not be overlooked. After an engagement with the Mannahocks, it is related by Capt. John Smith that “‘ we contented Mosco (a friendly Moraughtacund) in » 190 STONE IMPLEMENTS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA—PROUDFIT. helping him to gather up their arrowes, which were an armefull, whereof he gloried not a little.”* In passing over the fields of the district, the frequent occurrence of a few chips of quartz, or quartzite, at places which do not otherwise show any signs of occupation, calls to mind another statement by Smith concerning the readiness with which the Potomac Indian prepared an arrowhead for use. ; His arrowhead he quickly maketh with a little bone, which he ever weareth at his bracer, of any splint of a stone or glasse in the forme of a hart; and these they glew to theend of their arrows.* The term “arrowhead,” as generally used, is applied to an implement with a range of usefulness much wider than is suggested by the word itself. It is a conventionalism, descriptive as to form, but not as to use. Wherever a sharp, cutting edge or point is required, either as the tip of an arrow or the blade of a knife, the general form is the same. By its wedge-shaped butt, or barbed shank, the point is easily secured in place to serve the purpose of the hour. In the evolution of the arrowhead, invention confined itself mainly to metaods of hafting, and in this direction much ingenuity is displayed in the variations of shank and base. It may be said with truth that the arr)»whead, considered in its use as a projectile, reached its perfec- tion in the hands of primitive man, so far as form goes, and that only in the matter of material was the point of the English archer’s arrow superior to that of the American Indian. That it was only after protracted use of the simpler forms that the perfected arrow point was secured, goes without argument, but that we can show the stages of this evolution is another and more doubtful matter. The reason for this lies in the fact that the most highly finished arrowhead must of necessity pass through the ruder forms in the proc- ess of manufacture, so that if work on the modern arrowhead is sus- pended before the implement is finished, we have an archaic type of the same implement. The remains of an old village site will illustrate this statement. From the chipped pebble without definite form, to the rudely ovate point, and from that stage to the thin blade, all may be found mingled together. Here rudeness in form is no evidence of an- tiquity, it being but a necessary incident in the production of the im- plement in any age. Catalogue No. 146651, U.S. National Museum, a tray of eighteen quartz pieces, with flakes and chips, from the fields at Bennings, will serve as an illustration. The course of any chipped implement, whether arrowhead or knife, from the rock in mass to completion is the same. At each stage of successive chippings the stone assumes the familiar forms which have often been mistaken for completed implements of a rude type and great *Smith’s Works, vol. 2, p. 427, Arber’s ed, “[bid., vol. i,>p. Gs. we bee PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 191 antiquity. To secure a knife of the larger variety the employment of a stone of considerable size is necessary to allow for the waste in work- ing, and this fact should not be overlooked in determining the true character of certain forms of primitive work found in the district and elsewhere. In confirmation of these conclusions, attention is asked to Nos. 146589 to 146616, forty-five pieces from various fields of the district and vicinity. Also Catalogue Nos. 146572-146604, U.S. National Museum, a tray of thirty-four pieces from the same fields. These three exhibits comprise the various materials commonly em- ployed for chipped implements, and in each substance the methods of treatment, as discovered from the unfinished implements, serve to em- phasize the primal forms of the knife or arrowhead as it emerges from the pebble or rock in mass. In many eases the untouched crust of the pebble shows here and there on the face of the unfinished piece; in _ some the work is only begun; in others it is nearly finished; in most cases abandonment of the original intention is suggested, if not actually apparent. But on the other hand, many of these apparently unfinished pieces are as well calculated in their present form, if not better, to serve certain purposes than if more finely wrought; so that the separa- tion of the finished from the unfinished implements can not be effected with any great degree of exactness, a rough and jagged point of stone, set in the knotted end of a club adds more to the savage effectiveness of the weapon than a polished stone would, though formed for the same purpose. But the same jagged point with a few well-directed touches can be reduced to a cutting tool, capable of many uses, yet it is quite as much a finished piece in the first form as in the last. This again sug- gests the futility of accepting form as indicative of antiquity in the line of chipped stone implements, especially when it is seen that the ruder forms are constantly repeated and perpetuated in the latest efforts of the stone worker. ; The persistent survival of essentially primitive types, under the press- ure of changed conditions, also adds an element of confusion to the labor of classification. In the Ray collection from the Hupa Reservation,* jasper knives are Shown that were foundin actual use in 1885. The form of the blade is identical with the leaf-shaped knife of the Potomac. The hafting is effected by setting the butt of the blade in the slit end of a short pine stick and the liberal use of pitch. In some instances the handle is formed of two pieces lashed together, and in one specimen of this kind the lashing used is ordinary cotton twine. The aboriginal conception of the implement remains unchanged, though the bit of cottonstring unites it to the present with startling effect. A suggestion the reverse of this is found in a curious thing set down in Smith’s account of the relations existing between the Jamestown col- *Prof, Otis T. Mason, Smithsonian Report, 1885, | Part 1, pages 205-239. ¢ 192 STONE IMPLEMENTS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA—PROUDFIT. ony and the people of Powhatan. Inquiry being made as to Smith’s in- tended movements he answered : We sent him word we intended no such thing (an invasion) but only to goe to Pow- hatan (the country) to seek stones to make hatchets; except his men shot at us, as Paspahegh had told us they would; which if they did shoote but one arrowe, we would destroye them, etc. Now did Smith tell the truth? Did the colony in fact make stone implements in exchange forthe products of the Indian fields, or did he merely assign a cause for hisintended trip which would appear reason- able to the Indians? Whatever the truth may have been. it is to be hoped that the statement proved more satisfactory to the Indian then than it does to the archeologist now. This much however of valuable suggestion is found in the Smith in- cident. The Indians of the Powhatan Confederacy were accustomed to frequent certain places for the purpose of obtaining suitable material for their tools and weapons, and the fact was well known to the colo- nists. In short, the place thus indefinitely designated by Smith may be accepted as ahistoric “ workshop,” for the practice of reducing the rough mateiial to at least primary forms at the place where it was found seems to have heen generally followed. Workshops were established where abundance of material was found in conjunction with special conveniences for working it, such as near- ness to water, etc. The materials most available were quartz and quartz- ite, and these were to be had from the gravel beds of the valley. That the pebble, or small bowlder, was used instead of the rock in massis easily to be seen from any series of chipped implements made of these materials. It does not follow, however, that surface pebbles were used. The Indian well knew that the stone fresh from the ground worked bet- ter than the sun-baked stone, and it is quite probable that he took pains to secure the former, though absolute proof of such practice in the Dis- trict is yet wanting.* A place possessing all the requisites for an Indian workshop is found on Piney Branch, a small stream that enters Rock Creek on the out- skirts of Mount Pleasant. On the north side of the branch, and just be- low where it is crossed by Fourteenth street road, Blagden’s hill rises abruptly from the bed of the stream, a steep gravelly hill, with its sides and summit well covered by native forest trees. Here, over a space of several acres, lie scattered the chips, flakes, and chipped stones left by the native workman as the arrow-head and knife grew under the deft touch of a practiced hand. The ground in places is literally covered with this work. Some stones show but a single fracture, while others are fashioned into the rude subovate forms, so familiar on the village site. One of the most common forms is the split pebble with its outer face worked at the edges and the center untouched ; and another not *This paper was written before Mr. Holmes’s exploration of the Piney Branch work- shop. (See ‘‘The Anthropologist,” Vol. 3, No. 1, p. 1; also, Vol. 2, July, 1889, pp. 241-246.) eer PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 193 infrequently found is the ‘‘ domestic hand-ax,”* a pebble with one end roughly chipped to an ax-like edge. These rude forms, together with the chips and flakes, make up for the most part the great mass of re- mains, but here and there occur the butts and tips, and occasionally a perfect specimen of the leaf-shaped knife. (See Figs. Plates Ix-xrv.) No pottery is found, and but three arrow-heads have thus far rewarded the search of the writer. (Cat. No. 146571, U.S. Nat. Mus.) These were found at the foot of the hill and are made of argillite, while the other work is in quartzite, the pebbles of which in main constitute the gravel beds of the hill. On the level at the top of the hill may be seen small patches of ground littered with the smaller chips, among which have been found quite a number of the tips and butts of knives. A deep ravine with a small stream atthe bottom cuts the hill about midway, and in the bed of this stream, as well as that of the branch, the debris occurs in abundance. The sides of the ravine furnish an exposure in places of several feet, and from the face of this exposure the writer has taken chipped stones . that were under four feet of soil and gravel. The same thing and under like conditions may be observed along the bank of the branch where it has been cut away by the action of the water. At the foot of many of the trees standing on the hill-side are consid- erable accumulations of chips, with worked and unworked stones, that have drifted down the hill till intercepted by the base of the tree. These. observations have been confined to the remains and the con- ditions under which they are found on the north bank of Piney Branch and below the Fourteenth-street road; but similar work, though in less quantity, is found on that part of the hill above the road, as well as on the south side of the branch and opposite Blagden’s hill. Along the banks of Rock Creek, below Piney Branch, other workshops have been located, though not covering so large an area or showing an equal amount of work in the same space. One of these, however, on the west side of the creek and just above Oak Hill Cemetery, will doubtless make as good returns under the same exploration as the larger shop on the Piney Branch. The grading on the east side of the creek during the past year has so modified the original topography of that bank and the adjacent hills that but little remains now to be seen of places that once furnished considerable evidence of aboriginal work in stone. The collection from Piney Branch is made up of unfinished imple- ments, forty pieces; butts and tips of knives, thirty-one pieces; rude implements, cores, etc., twenty-seven pieces; and a box of flakes and chips. (See catalogue.) The work from this place should be compared with that from the village sites. The wonderful similarity of corre- sponding series (a similarity which renders the substitution of one for *See Abbott’s Stone Age in New Jersey. P roe, N, M, 90——13 194 STONE IMPLEMENTS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA—PROUDFIT. the other a matter not to be detected by the expert) can not fail to sug- gest how small a place mere form has in settling the antiquity of a chipped stone implement. ARROW-HEADS. An effort toward the classification of the arrow-heads found on the village sites has been made, and though it is only tentative and based upon arbitrary conventionalities in form, it may be useful in calling at- tention to the many variations possible in so small a matter as the method of attaching the point to the shaft, or the blade to the handle. The classification is made upon the base line of the arrow-head and the form of the butt or shank. The forms, however, frequently blend, and vary from one shape to another, with such slight shades of difference that an attempt to classify them on any basis of form would be worse than idle. : Some beautiful pieces in quartz and quartzite areshown. Long slen- der tips, with symmetrical edges, and carefully wrought shank. Imported material, flint, jasper, and chalcedony, occasionally appears ° in the collection. : AXES, CELTS, ETC. A few fine specimens are submitted; the most are, however, not worthy of special mention, though the whole collection in this class is perhaps a fair illustration of the handicraft of the Potomac Indian. Special attention is asked to the descriptive catalogue herewith. POTTERY. One box of sherds from the fields at Benning’s comprises the exhibit of pottery. The long continued cultivation of the ground has grad- ually reduced the pottery to such small fragments that the shape and size of the original vessel can but rarely be determined. But from the small pieces now obtainable, the material used, the method of temper- ing the clay, and taste in decorative art, may be readily learned. SOAP-STONE VESSELS. The last four numbers in the catalogue are from a soap-stone work- shop located on Four-Mile Run,.and about one mile below Falls Church. A considerable amount of the material was found at this place, but the greater portion of it showed but slight evidences of artificial handling. The supply was doubtless from a point a short distance above the work- shop, where in late years the stone has been quarried to some extent, No indications of aboriginal mining however remain at present. ; : \ | he v j 7 a PL. XI VOL. Xill 5] PROCEEDINGS U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM RUDE CHIPPED IMPLEMENTS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ») size (Half natural U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS VOL. XIll PL. XII RUDE CHIPPED IMPLEMENTS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. (Half natural size.) U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. XIII PALEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. (Half natural size.) Say . rh = iac™ ~f = + an = 7 - } ee - =e 4 : 4 — ~i we — : * Peery. x ; 5 a t + . a 7 ‘ . : PL. XIV PROCEEDINGS VOL. XiIll U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PALEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (Half natural size.) NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OF A YOUNG CRAB-EATER (ELACATE CANADA), FROM THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK. BY A, Ke Riser, VE. <:, Department of Agriculture. Although the adult Crab-eater, Cobia, Ling, or Coal-fish, as the spe- cies is variously designated, has been well known for a long time, the young, strange to say, has escaped notice until recently. During the summer of 1887, Dr. Tarleton H. Bean made a study of the fishes of Great Egg Harbor Bay, New Jersey, and among various things dis- covered was the long-sought young of this species. In the report on the collection (Bull. U. 8. Fish Com., vii, 1888, 144) he describes two individuals which were captured August 2 and August 23. The most striking difference between the adult and young fish, irre- spective of size, is the shape of the caudal fin, which in the former is deeply forked and in the latter uniformly rounded. In June, 1876, nearly eleven years before Dr. Bean captured these specimens, the writer received a young fish of this species, measuring 95™™ in length, from a fisherman who caught it in a minnow seine abont 1 mile north of the village of Sing Sing, New York, in the broad and shallow cove formed by tbe expansion of the Croton River as it enters the Hudson. The occurrence of this fish in the lower Hudson River, taken in connection with the many austral forms of mammals, birds, reptiles, batrachians, insects, and plants which grow along its banks, shows how decidedly southern are the fauna and flora of the southern portion of New York State. The river seems to be about the Aeakcw limit of its distribution, although adults are occasionatly taken off Cape Cod, and once a speci- men was captured in Boston Harbor. The species inhabits the warmer portions of both oceans and extends north along our eastern coast regularly to the Chesapeake. Nothing could be learned of the habits of the young fish further than it was alone, as were Dr. Bean’s specimens, So, presumably, they must soon sep. arate and lead a solitary life, as the adults are said to do. The Crab- eater is very voracious, feeding extensively on crabs and the smaller fish, hunting its prey much after the manner of the pike. Specimens are taken that measure 14 meters (5 feet) in length, and weigh nearly 10 kilograms (20 pounds); hence the Crab-eater is entitled to prominence as a food-fish, not only on account of the delicate flavor of its flesh, but also for its suitable size. . 2 Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 811, 198 j q ‘ « \ * ake e ett h Fic b ‘ Ac > “ “ ¢ = ? ~ ier iia , inst = . u : < ‘ei eth stl ¢ vs +3 Me ‘ = 7 med rs ry a agte?. & ‘ me fetid i} My ty . ° ets i * Sea, For = if ech " zg : ‘ a? . ™ eaete Rib, . WF : ets Fs ¢ fi et ala ist seu BS a ; ii Paks ae ie es aot ‘3 tere, So ‘ ‘ . OBSERVATIONS ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE BOTTLENOSE PORPOISE. BY FREDERICK W. TRUE, Curator of the Department of Mammals. In the spring of 1886 I was requested by Professor Baird to investi- gate and report upon the porpoise fishery carried on at Hatteras, North Carolina. Some account of the fishery, in its industrial aspects, has already been published in the Bulletin of the U.S. Fish Commission.* I now desire to supplement that account by recording some observations which I made regarding the habits and structure of the porpoises themselves. I reached the station in the middle of May and found that the fish- ing season was nearly atits close. Nevertheless active operations were still in progress, and several large hauls were made during my stay. I was hospitably entertained by Colonel Wainwright, who was in charge of the fishery, and from him as well as from the fishermen I gathered many interesting facts. The species captured at Hatteras is Tursiops tursio (Bonnaterre), To the fishermen it is known simply as the porpoise.t The species is common along the entire Atlantic coast of the United States from Maine to Florida, and along the Gulf coast at least as far as Texas. It enters the Chesapeake Bay, and I have been informed that it occasionally ascends the Potomac River as far as Glymont, a fishing station on the Maryland shore, about 18 miles below Washington. I have never seen it myself, however, beyond Fortress Monroe, at the entrance of the bay. For several days after my arrival at Hatteras no porpoises were taken and I began to fear that the season was closed. On the 14th of May, however, a schoo] approached from the south, and the nets being cast, forty porpoises were taken. Of these twenty-six were males and fourteen females. The majority were full-grown individuals, and the smallest in the school had well-developed teeth. The largest individ- ual measured 9 feet 10 inches in astraight line, and the smallest, 6 feet 7 inches. “Vol, V,:p; 3. t Prof. Van Beneden, in his recent work on the Natural History of the Dolphins of Europe, states that the English call this species the ‘‘ Bottlenose whale.” This is, I believe, erroneous. The name Bottlenose whale is applied to Hyperoodon. (Hist. Nat. Delphinides des mers d’Europe, 1889, p. 178. Extr. Mém. Couron. de l’Acad. roy. de Belgique, xLuI.) Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XITI—No. 812. 197 198 BOTTLENOSE PORPOISE—TRUE. I measured the total length of eleven individuals of this school, in- cluding the two already mentioned, as they lay together on the beach; also, in eight cases, the length of the pectoral fin, or flipper, in a straight line along its center. The dimensions were as follows: Total Length length. ot flipper. Feet. In. In. 1 8 2 | 13 2 6 7 108 - 3 8 11 14 4 9 5 144 5 8 10 | 143 Gi) ok 4 | 12 ts 8 7 14 8 9 0 144 9 9 2] 10 9 9 11 9 10 | i | The average length in this school was about 9 feet. On the next day a second haul was made and twenty porpoises were captured. Of these ten were males and ten females. The largest in- dividual measured 9 feet 4 inches in a straight line, and the smallest 5 feet 4 inches. The majority, however, as in the previous haul, were about 9 feet.in length. The nets were run out a second time on the same day, and the catch consisted of seventeen porpoises, of which nine were males and eight females. After this time no more porpoises came sufficiently near the beach to enable the fishermen to encircle them with their nets, until May 19. Two hauls were made on that day. As a-result of the first, fourteen porpoises were captured, of which six were males and eight females. I measured the total length of each, with the following result: Sex. ees Ft. In. dH) Wemaler.22sse5555 3 a 24 Male. 22328: seman 4 5 3.) Pemale <3. sc... 5 8 4. Male: Sa 2— peer 6 2 5 Malo a oee voprcte cee 6 4 6. eMal6vccc 228528 7 2 iq Memale case. mecec i 9 8 | Female ........... 7 10 94 “Hoemale:-azetee. 8 0 10 Female. se. 22. cee 8 1 L)|Remaleas. Soc. 8 3 12) Female :. =.2..-5. 8 6 i3:,| Males occcececaeeae 9 2 14: Male 2 Secemenceae 9 3 > . a or = a -? 4 feta. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 199 All the females except the two smallest ones were in milk. In the first two individuals included in this table the teeth had not cut through the gums. When the nets were run out a second time on the same day sixty- six porpoises were taken, of which thirty-one were males and thirty- five females. These were mostly full-grown animals, having a length of about 8 feet. The largest measured 8 feet 5 inches, and the smallest 5 feet 3 inches. In the latter the teeth had pierced the gums. Nineof the females were in milk. I have summed up in the following table the number of males and females taken in each haul, and the size of the largest and smallest in- dividuals : ] | Date of haul. | Total No. Males. Females. | Largest. Smallest. so: = = |- : | Fe. In. |-FAQ In IMctynt 4) aocamay-ostes 40 26 14 9 10 6 7 May i5: First haul ..... 20 | 10 | 1 a 4 5 4 Second haul ... 17 9 3 | | May 19: | First hanl ..--. 14 6 8 | 9 3 | 3 7 Second haul.... 66 31 | 35| 8 Bil ive 3 es | _—S——— Total <.....-=- 157 $2 | 73 | Upon examining the figures in this table one is led to remark, first, — the nearly equal division between the two sexes of the individuals in each group except the first; and, secondly, the great disparity in size and age among the individuals of each group. In considering the bearing of these facts it should be remembered that the observations were made at the close of what the fishermen believe to be a northward migration. At such a time it is to be sup- posed that all the individuals, whether young or old, male or female, which had remained behind from various causes, would move north- ward together. The usual composition of the various herds or ‘‘ schools” might be disturbed. The fishermen were of the opinion that such was the case. They stated that earlier in the season the schools were more homogeneous as regards age and sex, and that they had encircled some which were composed entirely, or almost entirely, of old males, and others of young males. They were of the opinion that the porpoises migrated northward in the spring and southward in the fall. They Stated, however, that a few remained in the vicinity of Hatteras through- out the summer. Colonel Wainwright informed me that the foetuses found in the females captured in September were small, and that he had noticed a gradual increase in size as the season advanced. I do not doubt the correctness of this observation, but it appears to be true also that the 200 BOTTLENOSE PORPOISE—TRUE. foetuses found at any specific date, as well as the young, vary consid- erably in size. Several of the females captured during my stay at Hatteras contained large foetuses, but they were not all of the same size. Two fetal skulls which I obtained on the same day measure 240 and 163 millimeters in length respectively. We have also noted above that the young individuals in the schools examined varied greatly in size. From these facts it would appear that although the birth of the young may be said in general terms to take place in spring, the breeding season extends over a considerable period. It is a well-known fact that among the terrestrial mammalia the southern representatives of those species which have an extensive range north and south breed earlier in the year than the northern representatives. Analogically it seems probable that the porpoises which habitually resort to the most southerly localities in autumn breed earliest in spring, while those that remain in more northerly parts during the winter breed later. If this supposition is correct, it accounts perhaps for the disparity in age of the individuals in the different schools. One can readily imagine that during a migration individuals from different localities would meet and journey together, and that the young in quite different stages of development might be found in the same school. The nursing females, as well as the gravid ones, are recognizable by the increased size of the abdominal region, due to the enlargement of the great milk glands. The largest porpoise taken at the Hatteras fishery was 12 feet in length and yielded 24 gallons of oil. The average yield in winter is about 8 gallons, but the amount falls to 3 or 4 gallons later in the season. My attention having been drawn to the question of the correlation between the condition of the teeth, the navel, and the hairs on the lip in young individuals, I made some special observations in the case of the five youngest porpoises captured May 19. The results obtained were as follows: (1) Female.—Length, 3 feet 74 inches. Color dark; lips dark. The lower portion of the shafts of the hairs were present, and projected slightly above the skin. No teeth had pierced the gums. -The navel was indicated by a simple, distinct fissure about 1 inch long; its lateral margins were not raised above the surrounding integument. (2) Male.—Length, 4 feet 54 inches. Color light. The hairs had dropped out, leaving conspicuous depressions in the skin. No teeth visible. Umbilical fissure open, but only about one-fourth of an inch in length. . (3) Female.—Length, 5 feet 8 inches. Color light. Depressions marking the position of the hairs less conspicuous than in the last in- dividual. Umbilical fissure obliterated. The teeth had pierced the gums, and protruded about a quarter of an inch; their crowns were sharp pointed. el we | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 201 (4) Male.—Length, 6 feet 2 inches. Hair-pits shallow, but distinct. Umbilical fissure obliterated. Teeth about one-half inch above the gums. (5) Male.—-Length, 6 feet 4 inches. MHair-pits still discernible and encircled with white. Umbilical fissure obliterated. Teeth about one- half inch above the gums. It should be remarked that even in the largest individuals in this school the hair-pits were traceable. ; In this species, when the mouth is shut, the teeth of the upper jaw fit into shallow pits in the integument of the lower jaw, situated just outside the lower tooth-row. ; The color of the skin was, on the whole, remarkably uniform in all the individuals observed. The upper surfaces were of a clear, purplish lead-gray. This color faded out gradually, and was finally merged in . the pure white of the under parts. I noticed, however, some minor variations in the disposition of the two colors. My observations were made chiefly upon the individuals taken in the second haul on May 19. In some of these the white of the belly stopped abruptly opposite the eye, and narrow bands of slate-color, or plumbeous gray, coursed the breast from a point between the pectorals to the junction of their pos- terior margin with the body. On the sides of the head the dark color generally extends downward to the level of a line drawn between the corner of the mouth and the anterior base of the pectoral fin. If the lips are dark the boundary of the dark color of the head falls below the corner of the mouth. ellipse. To produce these different effects, the lateral and lower parts of the iris remain nearly or quite Fic. fie pied con. Stationary, while the superior portion is either drawn tracted; b, Pupil di: upward or allowed to drop downward. et: These porpoises appear to be subject to disease and to encounter various accidents. Colonel Wainwright informed me that one porpoise taken at the fishery had a piece of cable lying across the mouth near the last tooth. There were evidences that it had originally been of considerable length and had trailed along the sides. In certain individuals some shot was found, and in one a portion of the sword of a sword-fish. Among the porpoises which I examined, one had a deformed dorsal fin, and in another the end of the pectoral fin was twisted out of its natural plane and much thickened. All the porpoises were marked with fresh scratches and the scars of earlier ones. The males bore more of these marks than the females. One female had a diseased jaw ; the skin of this part was tumid and bark-like, and of a white color. Many individuals have, besides scratches, certain smooth, circular, white blotches on the skin, which are apparently. due to disease of parasitic origin. Certain of the porpoises which appear in the spring are called “ tas- sel-fins” by the fishermen. I discovered that these were individuals which bore on their fins a greater or less number of parasitic cirriped crustaceans of the genus Xenobalanus. The specimens which I col- lected are not now at hand, and I can not therefore stiate positively to what species they belonged. They appeared, however, to be Xenobal- anus globicipitis of Steenstrup. Three or four of the porpoises taken May 19 were accompanied by these parasites. The fishermen informed me that the parasites were first seen in May or at the end of April, but did not know whether they could be found on the porpoises in summer. None are seen, however, when the fishing is resumed in the autumn. x — VOL. mut] 1890. / PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 203 ‘The number of porpoises taken at Hatteras during the season of 1884~’85 was as follows: INDVeMmborl ao tOtal seamen cs cat cae meric scoms aca Seeclceas 246 DSC eni Dero ae Set eee eens oa eh aeiesa le omcwics dined asciseee 89 JANUATY cee seciecees es Bree erste cea n sceis os oethiiewk ose ces 36 OUnMAR pees see se oe eiciniapsineee 6 ciaieieso sma! aGensciccl= = 111 Miexrchigeeeareteretae tec io Sra t seas wae cisco Wawnucdsioe onic eislamte 219 PANS EM eee tee er cna oceans ects sate teen Gaines ccc vis evan eeian anes 264 ; Le ats | # < is ' 5 - : { .! 2 j ’ \ S¢ " j 4 Z Pe Aras : ‘ ~ a he ip ‘ ey - ' 3 , nd ts Peay) 7* ® - 4 , . “a . - 3 x < = é ‘ Se Le & :” a= 4 . * : +4 r i ‘ / Pun x Jf ae he inte J : + ’ 2 aed dy eae he Pay Th. 14? i ; ae on ee eae | > Se -. eae ye ee as ives tests} = Ot Nae ed SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U.S, FISH COM- MISSIONS STEAMER ALBATROSS. {Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner of Fisheries. ] No. XVII.—DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW WEST AMERICAN LAND, FRESH- WATER, AND MARINE SHELLS, WITH NOTES AND COMMENTS. { BY RoBert E. C. STEARNS, Adjunct Curator of the Depariment of Mollusks. (With Plates xv-XxvII.) The forms described below are a part of the collections in the Depart- ment of Mollusks, U.S. National Museum, and have been received from various sources as indicated in the deséription in each instance. Those from Dr. C. Hart Merriam were either collected by him personally or by collectors employed by him in connection with the biological explora- tions of the Department of Agriculture, under his supervision. Others were received from the Hon. Marshall McDonald, U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries. The latter are a part of the Albatross collections during the year 1887-’88 made by Prof. Leslie A. Lee and his assistants; and again the collection made in 1855 by the English naturalist, Thomas Bridges, has its representative, contributed by him to the Stearns collec- tion many years ago. The Museum is further indebted, directly or indirectly, to other col- lectors whose names appear in connection with the descriptions. For the purposes of comparison figures of certain species contained in the National collections that have not heretofore been figured, or properly figured, are given, with comments thereon, such as naturally arise in the course of a critical examination of related material or forms, the publication of which may be of some service to students of conchology throughout the country who reside at a distance from libraries and museums. Proceedings National Museum, Vol, XIII—No. 813, 205 206 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. ~ Order PULMONATA. Suborder GEOPHILA. Family HELICID&. Genus HELIX Linné. Group Arionta Leach. Helix (Arionta) coloradoensis sp. nov. Plate xv, Figs. 6, 7, 8. Shell orbicular, moderately depressed, whorls slightly elevated, apex obtuse, number of whorls four to four-and-a-half, rounded. Umbilicus narrow, showing the penultimate whorl, though partially covered by the reflection of the lip at the point of junction with the base of the shell. Aperture obliquely ovate, nearly circular, and almost as broad as high. Lip slightly thickened and reflected, or simple, varying in this respect ; more reflected and aperture more effuse at the columella. Parietal wall in the heavier examples calloused, the callous connecting with the inner edges of the outer lip above and below. Shell rather fragile, thin, translucent; surface smooth and shiny, and sculptured with fine incremental lines. Color pale horn to white, and otherwise. marked by a single narrow revolving reddish-brown band just above the periphery, which in some specimens is obscure or absent. In some individuals certain faint scars upon the upper whorls imply an occa- sionally hirsute character. Millimeters. Maximum diameter ‘of largest. 2-26 cous c-eeeeen shone Minimum diameter of largest... 2. : 22-2. 2ccceetse ee -ne- 13. 25 Altitude of largest... =e sre wiswre he aaa AoheRaee Rie Ogee Maximum diameter of creative adaith. eee ods Hs Minimum diameter of smallest sdalt. EE ere Se ee aR IT) Altitude of smallest adult - mp So oe He OTD HaBitatT.—Grand Cafion of tine tame Gppoaite the Kaibab pla- ‘teau, at an elevation of 3,500 feet. (Mus. No. 104100.) The above, while exhibiting a facies or aspect of its own, is never- theless suggestive of H. Remondi Gabb, Mazatlan, in the Mexican State of Sinaloa, and also from the high mesas or table-lands in the neigh- borhood of Mulege, Lower California. H. Carpenteri Newcomb, which is a synonym of H. Remondi, is credited by the author to “ Tulare Val- ley,” and has been found in other localities in California. A glance at the map will show how widely separated geographically, H. Colorado- ensis is from its nearest allies, and this discovery of Dr. Merriam’s extends the distribution of the west coast type of Helices farther to the eastward than heretofore, and adds an area of great extent to that previously known, ren] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 207 Helix (Arionta) magdalenensis sp. nov. Plate xv, Figs. 11, 12, 13. Shell orbicular, much depressed, apex whorls but very slightly elevated, suture well defined. Whorls three and a half to four, flattened above, slightly obtusely angulated on the periphery, and rounded below. Umbilicus open, showing the whorls; upper line of the mouth more or less slanted downward where it joins the body whorl, varying in this character in different specimens. Aperture broader than high, ovate, somewhat oblique, slightly effuse, and thickened and reflected a little at the edge, more so in the umbilical region, where it partially overhangs the umbilicus. In some examples a thin deposit of callus on the parietal wall suggests a continuous peristome. Surface sculptured by the ordinary lines of growth, which vary in prominence in different individuals. Color, dingy whitish, the specimens, nine in number, being dead, with an obscure, narrow, reddish-brown band just above the periphery. Dimensions. Miliimeters. Maximum diameter of larcest=-- 2-2 sos--.5. conn ~s sce wann 13 Mimimum diameter of largest....<....-..---.-...--.~----- 10 ' Altitude of largest -- Sh to pe oatete a Strasse Sar OSU Maximum diameter of ‘pivalléat. Pee isoses 2G ee tee orieees LOSDO ideas eek duyalibaias «2 ees, a voce whine 8) Altitude of smallest... Bm nee Pt ARS fs Ate iat HO Ne Se RON OU HABITAT. 1 en State of hone mee on the line of the Sonora, New Mexico and Arizona Railroad, which terminates on the Gulf of California at Guaymas. It was dgiaeted by Mr. V. Bailey among rocks on the top of a mountain at an elevation of 1,000 feet above the town. (U:S. National Museum, No. 104094.) This species in its principal features, indicates a relationship with its geographical congener, H. Rowelli, Newcomb, which has been found in the Salt River Mountains, 7 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona (Pilsbry). H. Lohri Gabb, which is regarded as asynonym of Rowell, collected by its author on the tabie-lands of Lower California near Mulege, and it has also been credited to Chihuahua, Mexico, and farther eastward to “Texas,” upon what authority I am not aware. The relationship of H. magdalenensis to Rowelli is like that of the Californian snails H. exa- ata to H. arrosa, of the small forms of H. jfidelis to H. mormonum, or of H. Stearnsiana to H. Kellettii, etc. Its dimensions are in every way less than those of Rowelli+ Lohri. The helicoid forms described herein belong to the Arionta group, and _may be regarded as the southern geographical aspect or an extreme or extra-limital expression thereof. I agree in the main if not altogether with Mr. Pilsbry in his remarks as contained in the paragraph under the head Lysinoé in the Proceedings Academy Natural Sciences of Phil- eta, 1889, page 193,* criticising the generic terms, etc., heretofore Sef Nomenclature and check- list of N, A, land shells, ~ 208 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. applied to the helicoids of the Pacific slope, but I do not perceive the propriety of substituting the generic name Lysinoé, H. & A. Ad., 1855, any more than Aglaia Albers 1860, for Arionta Leach 1820. As for Helminthoglypta, Micrarionta, Huparypha, ete., as applied to the West coast snails, there is nothing in them more or less than a beggarly threshing of beaten straw, not a grain of wheat, or in other words pro- priety or advantage in their use, neither should Ampelita, which is illus- trated by the African H. sepulchralis, be applied to any of the West American species, as it has been to Rovwelli, on insufficient and superfi- cial grounds. Family PUPIDA Genus HOLOSPIRA, Von Martens. Holospira semisculpta sp. nov. Plate xv, Figs. 1, 4. Shell dextral, elongately cylindrical, pupiform, largest in the middle, tapering above and below, with fourteen to fifteen whorls; whorls some- what convex; sutures distinct, though but slightly impressed. The up- per two or two and a half whorls which form the apex are smooth, slightly tortuous, papillose. The succeeding four to five whorls are finely obliquely plicated; the middle whorls, four to five in number, are nearly or quite smooth, the sculpture when apparent being inconspic- uous. The lower three or three and a half whorls are marked by sharp, thin, and rather obliquely curved lire, which increase in number or closeness as the mouth is approached. The termination of the basal whorl projects considerably, is sharply angulated above on the project- ing portion, which is also obtusely angulated on the under side. Aper- ture continuous, moderately effuse roundly ovate, and flatly rimmed. Umbilicus a simple chink. Shell of adelicate pinkish white, with a tint of faint purple on some of the upper whorls. Dimensions: Longitude 22 to 234™™, greatest diameter 53 to 6™™, number of specimens three (Mus. No. 102310). This well characterized and very pretty species was obtained by Mr. T. W. Stanton, who detected it July 27, 1889, in a canon above San Carlos, Chihuahua, Mexico, attached in a dormant condition to limestone cliffs. [Since the above was written I have come across a specimen of H. Coahuilensis W. G. B., quite unsatisfactorily described by said author; the example is somewhat imperfect, but sug- gests a geographical if not a more intimate relationship with H. semi- . sculptu herein described ; the latter may prove to be a variety of Mr. Binney’s shell. ] Holospira arizonensis sp. nov. Plate xv, Figs. 2, 3. ' Shell dextral, elongately cylindrical, pupiform, dingy white to pale - horn color, translucent. Number of whorls twelve to thirteen. Slightly convex, the sutures distinctly defined, The upper or six or seven =- 7 i ll PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 209 Z ‘ whorls rather abruptly tapering towards the obtuse apex, which has a slightly twisted and rather a papillose aspect. The last whorl is curved under and constricted back of the mouth, forming an umbilical notch. The apex and following whorl are smooth; the three or four succeeding whorls sharply and somewhat obliquely plicated longitud- inally, the median and following whorls becoming somewhat obscurely sculptured other than by distinct growth.lines. The basal whorl is strongly sculptured below, and back of the mouth, and obtusely angulated underneath. Aperture ovate, slightly angulated anteriorly, somewhat effuse, rimmed and projecting. The dimensions of two ex- amples are as follows: Millimeters. TUR C sn osha So Daroare a fla okiccom en tasyhaed s sagen eos 122 ATE RID DE Oa race res le eine ord hae ag sc es ia a Se gee lee 13 eu pesbUMOhGe kbs Sone nee ce onic b eo ue Bane Se eevee 4 Greatest diameter........- foe 5) Ae 4 HABITAT—Dos Cabezas, Arizona, where the above two specimens and numerous fragments were found in a cave in November, 1889, by V. Bailey, and contributed to the U, S. National Museum (No. 104392) by Dr. C. Hart Merriam. Among the species of this group that are geographically related is H. Kemondi Gabb, described from Arivechi, Province of Sonora, Mexico, a form sharply sculptured throughout, and in minor features also differ- ent; H. Pfeiffert Menke, collected by Remond at Hermosillo, in the same province, with the previously named species; and H. (Celocentrum) irregulare of Gabb from the high table-lands back of Mulege, in the peninsula of Lower California. All of these are separable at a glance from arizonensis. M. M. Fischer and Crosse, in the “ Mission Scientifique au Mexique et dans ’ Amerique Central,”* point out the geographical as weil as conchological and malacologic relations and characteristics of the group Holospira, and furnish a résumé of the species thus fart made known. Their distribution geographically considered is decidedly Mexican and semitropical, and the relations of the shells when the shell characters are considered, as well as certain of the anatomical details, indicate a closer affinity with the Pupide than with the Cylindrellae. That there should be what we may be permitted to call outlying posts, and areas exterior to the territory of Mexico, where this general form is repre- sented, may reasonably be expected, for the distribution of life is gov- erned by physical conditions, not by political lines. Quoting from the - authorities above cited, we find the number of species in this group up to the date of the foregoing publication to be thirteen, supposing the species described to be valid and notsynonymous. The names and dis- tribution of these is as follows: 4 (1) H. Pfeifferi Menke, Tehuacan, in the province of Puebla, and : variety (6, C. and F.) Hermosillo, in the province of Sonora. ~ * Septieme partie. iI 1873. Proc. N. M. 90-——14 210 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS., (2) H. Remondi Gabb, near ictks valley of Sahuaripa, i in the prov- ince of Sonora; also a variety (7, C. ©. and F. ) of same. (3) H. teres Menke, province of Puebla; special habitat not stated ; of this there is also’a variety (6, C. and F.). (4) H. goniostoma Pfr., Mexico; special habitat not given. (5) H. Piloceret Pfr. The typical form was found in the neighbor- hood of Cuautla de las Amilpas, province of Puebla, and a variety (f, C. and F.); no other locality given than ‘ Mexico.” (6) H. Tryont Pfr., Matamoras de Izucar, State of Puebla, and a va- riety of same (/, C. and I’.). (7) H. Gealei H. Adams, Putla, in the State of Oajaca. (8) H. Coahuilensis W. G. Binney, Cienga Grande, State of Coahuila (9) H. cretacea Pfr., ‘‘ Mexico.” (10) H. imbricata Martens, habitat as given “ ? Mexico,” is in all prob- ability correct; ‘‘V’ensemble de ses charactéres” are, according to Crosse and Fischer, cuihcient to indicate its geographical relations. (11) H. microstoma Pfr., ? Mexico. ‘The remarks as to habitat in con- nection with the previous species may be applied to this with equal propriety. . (12) H. Goldfussi Menke, ‘‘ Texas, on the Blanco,” W. G. Binney. (13) H. Roemeri Pfr., ‘New Braunfels and Howard Springs, Texas, W. G. Binney. Of the varieties given by Crosse and Fischer, distinguished as ‘“ 6” of the species Pfeifferi, Remondt, teres, Pilocerei, and Tryont, the number of the whorls, size, and sculptural development are, in the main, the basis of varietal distinction. To these may be added another characteristic more or less mutable, the extent of the projection of the basal whorl at its termination from the body of the shell. This varies considerably as a comparison of many individuals willshow. The other characters are, we may assume, equally unstable or nearly so, and a large or extensive geographical series would without doubt connect the admitted species and so-called varieties by so gradual a blending of one into the other as to efface the present lines of demarkation. The authors above quoted suggest that H. Tryoni may prove to be a variety of H. Pilocerei ; the latter is largely represented in the national collection, as well as Tryoni ; a comparison of these hardly sustains the suggestion. Dr. Palmer found somewhere in his rambles in Arizona, Mexico, or New Mexico, a somewhat dwarfed and rather solid form of Holospira, that with the ex- ception of size and solidity may be regarded as H. Piloceret (Mus. No. 29303), and itis so named in the collection. ¥ A comparison of individuals shows that the shape of the mouth, the strength of the sculpture, the projection of the basal whorl at its termi- nation, and size, are all variable factors more or less coincident with proximity or remoteness of habitat, or in other words with geographical relations. ee a VOL, Xi, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. Zieh To the above enumeration and list must be added: (14) H. Hlizabethe Pilsbry, detected in the “ Village of Amula, be- tween Tixtla and Chilopa, State of Guerrero, Southwestern Mexico,” : a form which in its general features much resembles H. Gealei, and may prove to be a geographical variety thereof. (15) H. semisculpta Stearns, near San Carlos, Chihuahua, Mexico. (16) H. arizonensis Stearns, Dos Cabezas, Arizona. Order CTENOBRANCHIATA. Suborder SrreProponta. Superfamily TASNIOGLOSSA. Family STREPOMATID Haldeman. Genus GONIOBASIS Lea. Melania (? Goniobasis) acutifilosa sp. nov. Plate xv, Fig. 9. Shell slender, elongated; whorls rounded, convex; sutures much impressed. Spire eroded above the fourth whorl. Surface sculptured with strong thread-like revolving keels alternating with broad channels; of these keels there are usually six on the body whorl, sometimes more, and generally three only on the preceding whorls, of which the upper two are rather the most prominent and are usually interrupted and regularly broken up, producing an evenly crenulated chain. Fol- lowing the wind of the shell and just below the sutures, the whorls broadly slope to the succeeding keel, which gives the shell a turrited outline. Surface of shell a very dark horn color, blackish; aperture small, ovate, inside lighter colored than the surface, the substance of the shell being thin and partially translucent, the keels showing through on the inside of the mouth, when held up to the light. Dimen- sions of largest: Longitudinal, 16.50; latitudinal, 7.50™™. The foregoing description is based on an examination of some three dozen specimens. HABITAT.—Eagle Lake, California, where this well characterized and interesting form was detected by Mr. Henry W. Henshaw, in June, 1877. (U.S. National Museum collection, No. 60596.) The above species has the slender habit of other related West Ameri- can forms, such as silicula Gould (= Shastaénsis Lea), and nigrina, rubi- ginosa, and Bairdiana, of Lea. Its sculpture relations are nearer to oceata Hinds, but that is a robust and more ventricose shell, closely spirally sculptured over and throughout, and lacking the broad sub- - sutural slope and differing in other minor features as well as in the character of the aperture, which in Hinds’s species is much the largest and more effuse, 212 ‘ WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. The occurrence of the above in the region where Mr. Henshaw found it is not simply interesting in itself, through adding a new locality as well as a new species to what was previously known, but the altitude of Eagle Lake, 5,115 feet above the sea, being considered, is an important point in the matter of the hypsometrical distribution of the group to which the form herein described is allied, and is, so far as I can learn, the highest elevation at which any American species has as yet been detected. The character of the habitatisin another aspect peculiar. The basin of the Jake, according to Mr. Henshaw, is composed of a dark- colored lava or scoriaceous matter, and the color of the shell, it would seem, is quite in harmony with this feature of its environment. As to the generic and malacological relations of those West American forms which Mr. Tryon has included in his monograph of the Strepoma- tide, but little, if anything, is known. Whether their proper place is with the true Melanians or with the Hast North American Goniobasis remains to beshown. It may be found that they constitute, and upon reasonably satisfactory characters, a separate though collateral group. The species above described is therefore placed here provisionally. Family CAPULID&. Genus CAPULUS. Cyclothyca, Subgenus nov. Shell small, spiral, few whorled; spire short, and body whorl large and transversely elongated or produced. Aperture oblong, ovate, more or less oblique, very large, continuous and effuse. Surface spirally ribbed and marked with longitudinal growth lines. Example C. cor- rugata as follows: Cyclothyca corrugata sp. nov. ~ 3 Plate xv, Figs. 5, 10. Shell subspiral, transversely much elongated or produced; number of whorls two to two and a half, rapidly enlarging. Apex rounded, smooth or nearly so, subvitreous and shiny. Aperture ovate, effuse and continuous, obliquely expanded and much prolonged. Surface of principal whorl ornamented with ten to fifteen revolving ribs, of which the upper or principal ones, seven or eight in number, are the more prominent; otherwise sculptured by more or less conspicuous subsidi- ary longitudinal growth lines. Sometimes the main ribs, which are broadly channeled between, show slight imbrications, and in one of the specimens the longitudinal growth lines, though secondary to the re- volving ribs in prominence, are conspicuously developed and cancellate the sculpture. The apex also varies in prominence; in the example figured it is quite elevated, in another it is nearly appressed to the line of the body whorl, The outer lip is ribbed internally corresponding to er 2 tote PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 213 the exterior sculpture, and the aperture is smooth and glossy. The color in one example is yellowish white, in the other the groundwork is of said tint but apparently partially mottled with gray. Dimensions: Altitude 3; latitude 4.25"™. Altitude of mouth, 1.75; latitude 2.50™™. HABITAT.—West coast of Nicaragua. Two examples, in the collec- | tion of the U. S. Nat. Museum (No. 101944). This peculiar and interesting form has in a very general way the aspect of a tiny Stomatia phymotis and is probably parasitic in its hab- its like Thyca, or a domiciliare on some form like Echinus. The Adams’s subgenus Thyca is based on a Shell that is ‘crystalline, acutely conical, slightly curved, longitudinally grooved, parasitic on star-fishes.” They include two species, astericola, H. & A. Ad., and erystallinus Gould; which latter is a small Helcion-shaped form, with the apex marginal and somewhat recurved, as in many of the Hippony- cide, which it, crystallinus, judging by the figure in Gould’s Atlas of the Shells of the Exploring Expedition, resembles much more than most examples of Pileopsis (=Capulus) to which the author referred it. It can hardly be included in the Adams’s narrowly restricted subgeneric description. I have thought it better to make a new subgenus than to expand that of Thyca, as it is not improbable that other forms will sooner or later be brought to the knowledge of conchologists, that would be naturally grouped with the species described above; perhaps “ Pileopsis, Fig. 2381, ? P. Delessertti” Chenu (vide Manuel de Conchy- liologie, vol. i, p. 329), should be included in my subgenus, as judging by the figure it is a true spiral shell. I have not been able to find any description of Chenu’s shell. Suborder ORTHODONTA. Superfamily RHACHIGLOSSA. Family Mirrip2. Genus MITRA Lamarck. Subgenus COSTELLARIA Swainson. Mitra (? Costellaria) nodocancellata, sp. nov. Plate xv, Fig. 14. Shell small, dark brownish or dingy purple outside, dark blackish purpie, glazed in the mouth; slender, rather obtusely elongated, can- cellately sculptured throughout, except on the lower part of the basal whorl near the aperture. Number of whorls five, slightly convex. The three following the nuclear show three, the penultimate four and a par- tial fifth, and the basal whorl nineteen to twenty prominent revolving lire; these are traversed by numercus equally prominent longitudinal ribs, thus cancellating the surface quite equally, and forming at the 214 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. several pojnts of crossing a bead-like nodule. The sutures are distinetly defined, and interrupt the longitudinal sculpture. The aperture, some- what less than half the length of the shell is narrow, slightly sinused and calloused above, where the outer lip joins the body whorl, suggest- ive of Mangilia, which the shell as a whole much resembles. The outer lip is thickened and crenulated within; the columella is marked by four obtuse, curved plaits, the posterior being the largest. The dimensions of the single example in the U.S. National Museum collection (No. 55490), which is in good condition, are as follows: Longitude of shell 10™; of aperture 4.25"™; maximum diameter ops HABITAT.—Gulf of California, where it was collected by Mr. W. J. Fisher. This well characterized little shell has much the same plan of seulpt- ure as Mitra styria Dall, of the Antillean region (73 to 333 fms.), the nodular sculpture at the points of intersection being more conspicuously and uniformly developed in the form herein described. In other re- spects, save generic affinity, there are no features in common in the-two species. Order TELEODESMACEA. Suborder CarpiTAceEa. Family CARDITIDA. Genus VENERICARDIA Lamarck. Venericardia barbarensis sp. nov. Plate xvi, Figs. 3, 4. Shell rounded, inequilateral, variable in outline, more or less oblique, moderately convex. Beaks small, slightly elevated and turned forward. Surface ornamented with nineteen to twenty radiating ribs usually some. what granulose, and generally obscure on the extreme anterior and pos- terior margins of the valves. Epidermis a dingy yellowish brown, thicker towards the ventral margin and sides of the valves; thin and commonly eroded at or towards the umbos. Lunule small, slightly sunken, faintly defined. Hinge line small, not thick; hinge composed of, in the left valve, a single strong cardinal sloping posteriorly and a smaller tooth often obscure, slanting anteriorly ; a third tooth-like process is generally present, situated under and apparently a project- ion of the edge of the lunule. This latter varies much in prominence in different specimens, and is often but barely perceptible. The hinge in the right valve is characterized by a single strong cardinal tooth with a slanting, somewhat sinuous groove above, and a slight notch and tooth-like point below the upper part of the lunule; this latter character Ree PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 215 is frequently inconspicuous and feeble. ‘The valves are rather thin and somewhat translucent, bluish white on the inside and showing the ribs when held up to the light. ; Dimensions: From umbones or beaks to opposite edge 15™”, from anterior to posterior edges 15™™, varying the fraction of a millimeter jn either or both of these dimensions in different individuals. HABITAT.—Station 2840, off Station Barbara Islands, California, in green mud at 276 fathoms depth; U.S. Fish Commission steamer Alba- tross, May 8,1888. Very abundant; several hundred specimens were obtained (U.S. National Museum, No. 104045). A comparison of this shell with Gould’s ventricosa (Pl. xvi, Figs. 5, 6), shows not only a great difference in the elevation of the beaks and form (outline) of the valves but in the characters of the hinge, as well as the thickness of the hinge plate. In ventricosa as well as in borealis and Miodon prolongatus the long solid posterior cardinal is strikingly con- spicuous when compared with the same in barbarensis, which is much shorter, slighter, and without curve; the anterior cardinal is solid and thick with a somewhat diverging curve (i. e., curving away) from the posterior cardinal. In prolongatus and borealis the anterior cardinal is triangular and solid and perpendicular to the point of the umbos, or nearly so, with a hint in borealis of cleavage in said tooth, while in bar- barensis this tooth is acutely elongated and sinuously ovate and diverg. ing anteriorly. Both ventricosa and borealis exhibit a small rounded tuberculcid process anterior to the anterior cardinal, rather inconspic- uous, and quite likely absent in some cases. This tubercle is submarginal in these two species, and altogether absent in Carpenter’s shell prolon- gatus, if we may judge by the example figured (PI. xvi, Figs. 7, 9); while in barbarensis this character is seen to be, as elsewhere remarked, a simple projection of the edge of the shell at the base or lower margin of the lunule, varying in prominence, as before remarked, in different indi- viduals. Venericardia boreaiis Conrad. Plate xvi, Fig. 8. This form was described by Conrad on page 39 of his American Con- chology, of which only a few parts were published, and a figure given, which shows the exterior of the right valve and an upper inside por- tion of the left, with the hinge, the latter not as definitely figured as is desirable. The description is quite brief and unsatisfactory when compared with Dr. Gould’s in the Invertebrata of Massachusetts, wherein Arcturus rudis Humphrey MS, and Cardita vestita Deshayes, are included as synonyms. It is common in many places on the Atlan- tic sea-board, off shore, at various depths, from the Arctic sea to Hat- teras, at from 5 to 100 fathoms. Say’s granulata, and Morse’s nov- anglie, which Mr. Dall regards as varietal forms,* imply differences or *Vide Bulletin 37, U. S. National Museum, p. 46. 216 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. aspects in sculpture and outline, analogous to the various facies exhibited by the same species on the Pacific side. Professor Verrill makes Conrad’s name a synonym, and gives Say’s granulata priority, and regards the form, which Morse named novanglie, “as a mere variation* of this common and variable species,” ete. Gould says “vestita is an elongated middle-aged variety;” and further, in com- parison, CO. tridentata Say, differs from borealis in the hinge, the latter having ‘‘two teeth in the right valve, while that shell (tridentata) has but one.” The form familiarly known by Conrad’s name is common in the northern part of the two great oceans that bound the continent, and, witli its varieties, may be yegarded as circumpolar. Venericardia ventricosa Gld. Plate xvi, Figs. 5, 6. The figures given herewith were made from Dr. Gould’s type, now in the Nationa: Museum (No. 3373), which is also figured and described (July, 1850) in the ‘‘Exploring Expedition” volumes. It was detected in Puget Sound. Dr. Carpenter, in discussing the Mxpedition shells in his Supplementary Report to the British association (Smithsonian mis- , cellaneous collections No. 252, reprint, vide page 17, as indexed), says: ‘| Appears to be a local variety of the ancient Miocene species, Veneri- cardia borealis + C. occidentalis Conr. + C. subtenta Conr. (fossil) proba- bly.]” . Conrad described his C. occidentalis from a fossil example collected at Santa Barbara, by Dr. Newberry, in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, December, 1856, without a figure. The latter is given only an exterior view, however, in Volume VI of the Pacific railroad reports, but minus the description. The figure in the last-named volume, so far as it goes, may be applied to Gould’s species, but not without doubt, as a knowledge of the hinge characters is abso- lutely necessary in the forms of this group to make determination possi- ble. Conrad’s description in the Philadelphia Proceedings is so meager and general as to be of no value whatever, and is really without any title or claim to consideration for this reason. In his description he says that it is allied to ‘“C——, of the San Pedro recent formation,” etc., which is about as valueless a reference for the purposes of com- parison as can well be imagined. Upon looking up the subtenta of Conrad, we find it among the Astoria (Oregon) fossils described in Volume x of the “ Exploring Expedition,” App. I, page 726, 1849. Carpenter refers to it thus on page 679 of his supplementary report (p. 165 of reprint): ‘“* Cardita subtenta, Conr., = Venericardia borealis Conr.,” but in this as with. occidentalis, the de- scription furnishes no light of a definite character. The dimensions as *Verrill’s Second Catalogue of Mollusca, etc., Trans. Conn. Acad., 1884, p, 258. ee anoO, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATJONAL MUSEUM. 217 given by Conrad are, “length and height three-fifths of an inch, thick- ness two-fifths of an inch.” The figures (PI. 18, Figs. 12, 12a, atlas) show only the exterior of the specimen, and are about the same in size and other respects as that of O. occidentalis, before mentioned, so that while Carpenter’s inclusion of these imperfectly described fossils as synonyms of borealis may be right, it will be seen from what I have stated as the result of my search and examination of Conrad’s description, such an association of these specific names is altogether presumptive and simple guess-work.* It will be seen also, upon recurring to my first quotation from Dr. Carpenter, that he regarded ventricosa as a local variety of borealis, but a comparison of the hinge characters as shown in the figures is sufficient to settle the question. The cardinal tooth in ventricosa (left valve) as figured, it will be seen, is short and curved towards the lunule, while in borealis it is triangular, obtusely wedge- shaped and grooved, hinting at cleavage or forking, as previously indi- cated. Hxamples varying in size from 37™™ from beaks to ventral mar- gin, and 37.50™™ in the opposite direction, to those measuring 11.50™™ from beaks to ventral margin, and 11.25™™ in the other direction, exhibit this character, the larger individual (Museum No. 74194) being Ba the neighborhood of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and the smaller (Museum No. 73455) from 30 fathoms near Catalina Island, in the Santa Barbara channel. The identity of the latter is further confirmed by Dr. Car- penter’s initials on the label. Genus MIODON Cpr. Miodon prolongatus Cpr. Plate xvi, Figs. 7,9. This subgenus and species were described by Philip Carpenter in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History (third series), Vol. xtv, De- cember, 1864, p. 424. The author made this subgeneric term to cover - and include, as he says, certain “species intermediate in character be- tween Astarte, Venericardia and Lucina. It first appears in the great Oolite, where it is represented by Astarte (Miodon) orbicularis J. Sby., Min. Conch., Pl. 444, Figs. 2,3. This must not be confounded with a second and true Astarte orbicularis by the same author, Pl. 520, Fig 2 It appears in Mr. Searles Wood’s Crag-series as Astarte corbis.” The form described by Carpenter as above is the only recent species known. Several specimens are contained in the National collection, including No. 15742, from Neeah Bay, and Mr. Dall obtained several avanipians in the Rinskan Pee at ence sei island. * Gabb paleo: Gan. u, p. 100) panics ender the name of C. ventricosa | ld. the subtenta and occidentalis of Conrad and his own C. monilicosta. The very imperfect types of the fossils in the U. 8. Nat. Museum indicate that this may be a correct con- clusion, though all that we can positively assert in regard to the fossils is that they are certainly not C. borealis. 218 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. It is a small shell, the dimensions of the type, as stated by Carpenter, being “long. .23, lat. .24,” and the diamvter or thickness .16 of an inch. The shell is figured above for the first time. The varied and striking forms of the Carditide are conspicuously represented on the western coasts of North and South America from the subarctic waters of the Alaskan region as far to the south as Val- paraiso in Chili. While some are globose and heart-shaped like the typical cockles (Cardium), others are exceedingly transversely elongated, and these extremes are connected by intermediate forms. Of the cockle-shaped group, of which the commonly figured C. sul- cata Lamarck may be regarded as an average illustration, we find the following in the monographs credited to the Pacific shores of the two continents: C. Cuvieri, the monarch of the group, with the varied and peculiar CU. flammea Mich., of which the QC. varia and C. tumida of Broderip are synonyms; C. crassa Gray and C. laticostata Sby, these two rather intermediate and between the elevated umbonal and the more elongate forms. While the extreme cockle-shaped forms in the elevation and developmentof the umbones, as exhibited in large examples of C. flammea, approach Isocardia, yet the opposite extreme of trans- verse elongation is gradually approached, and these two remote aspects of shell characters connected, as may be seen when the general group is reviewed as a whole. Following the more rotund, the suborbicular species of the Veneri- cardia fall into place, represented by Conrad’s borealis, Gould’s ventri- cosa, and my barbarensis, as above described, and certain small forms, dwarfs or adolescents, perhaps extra-limital aspects of the several facies of borealis figured and named by Reeve (Conch. Icon., Pl. 1x) as C. compressa, flabellum, and semen; the first and second from Val- paraiso, the third from the Bolivian coast, all small, insufficiently de- scribed, and imperfectly figured. In addition to these is C. tegulata, a small shell also in Reeve in the plate cited; it is coarsely ribbed, and in outline resembles flabellum. Carpenter’s prolongata comes in here, a little oblique shell with high umbones, and there are varieties of bore- alis, small and semi-globose, with granulose ribs. The granulation of the ribs andelevation of umbones are varietal or local features, perhaps both. C. borealis Conrad is figured here (Plate xvi, Fig. 8) for compari- son with the other species above noted. The transverse shells of the group Carditamera (Conrad, 1838= Laza- ia Gray, 1853) includes the following: C. pectunculus Brug., 1790; C. affinis Sby., 1832; and C. californica Desh., 1852. The first has been credited to Madagascar,* no doubt erroneously, and so far as I can learn said habitat has never been con- firmed. A large example of C. californica, which I have in my hand at the moment of writing this, fits exactly to the figure in every way * Reeve’s Conch. Icon. species 4, and Fig. 4, Pl., 1. wee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 219 and furthermore agrees in every respect with the description. OC. pectun- culus is included in Lister’s Conch. Hist., Oxonix, 1770, Pl. 347, Fig. 185, and is the Chama pectunculus of Dillwyn, ete. C. californica is nothing more than a varietal form of affinis, and the alleged distinctions fade away or blend gradually when a large series are placed side by side for comparison. A form nearly related to the foregoing and closely resembling indi- viduals of the affinis-californica aspect is the C. radiata Brod. (1832), in Reeve’s Monograph, PI. 1, Fig. 5, collected at Panama and elsewhere along the coast of the same general region. Two specimens in the National Museum (No. 15906) were determined by Cuming as this species; one of them, upon careful examination proves to be the com- mon affinis of Panama, the other agrees closely with Reeves’s figure, above noted, in form, color, etc., as well as with the description. I should have included it, with perhaps a passing comment, with the other three, had it not had the initials of Mr. Cuming on the label, which led me to scrutinize it closely. There isa difference in the shape and direction of the central cardinal tooth in the left valve, which, if varietal, is certainly rather an unusual aspect of variation, and may be regarded more properly as abnormal, if the many other characters which connect with the forms previously named should be allowed to outweigh this single differential feature. Carpenter’s little “ Lazaria subquadrata,” of the upper Californian province, comes in here. It is aninteresting form, combiniig the coarse exterior ribbing and aspect of the laticostata group, with the hinge characters of Carditamera. The peculiarly interesting form upon which Mr. Dall has made the genus Milneria, with one species, minima, completes the list of West American Carditas, which may be summarized as follows: C. Cuvieri Brod. C. flammea Mich., + C. varia Brod., + C. tumida Brod. C. crassa Gray. C. laticostata Sby., ++ C. tricolor Sby. C. (Venericardia) ventricosa Gould, + ? C. occidentalis Conr., +? C. subtenta Conr., the last two fossils. C. (Venericardia) borealis Conr. C. (Venericardia) barbarensis Stearns. C. (Miodon) prolongatus Cpr. C. (Carditamera) pectunculus Brug., + affinis Sby., + californica Desh. C. (Carditamera) subquadrata Cpr. C. (Milneria) minima Dall. Doubtful and imperfectly described or figured, perhaps in some in- stances synonyms of the foregoing. C. monilicosta Gabb. C. (Venericardia) compressa Rve., ? = borealis Conr. C. (2 Venericardia) flabellum Rve. C. semen Rve. C. tegulata Rve. C. (Carditamera) radiata Brod. ? = pectunculus var. 220 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. 1 The subgeneric distinctions made in the Venericardia group by Con- rad are simply frivolous and uncalled for. The intimate relationship of forms like borealis, ventricosa, tridentataand barbarensis, are apparent ata glance, and the differences upon which these distinctions are based, as in Cyclocardia and Pleuromeris, are of no greater than specific value. It is highly probable that this criticism might with propriety be extended to other related genera, which have been admitted and perpetuated in conchological literature. ; Suborder Lucrtnacea. Family LUCINIDé. Genus LUCINA Bruguiére. Lucina equizonata sp. nov. Plate xvu, Figs. 3, 4. Shell moderately convex, dull white chalky where eroded ; epidermis of a dull dingy light yellowish tinge, finely wrinkled in old specimens, and inclined to be deciduous and slightly flaky or ragged; in young shells, translucent, shiny, and nearly colorless. Valves transversely ovate, being broader than high; the posterior side is abruptly squarish, and the dorsal line slants gradually from the umbones; on the anterior side the dorsal outline is moderately concavely curved away from the beaks, and in young and perfect specimens a very slight angulated pinch may be seen extending from the lunule to the anterior edge of the valves. The beaks or umbones are small, inclined towards the lunule ; thelunuleis quite narrow, attenuately lanceolate andelongated. Surface of valves transversed with fine concentric growth lines, and prominent rather regularly spaced thread-like ridges. Hinge line curved and show- ing two diverging cardinal teeth in each valve; the anterior one in the left valve, and the posterior one in the right valve, notched or partially cloven. Elongated, tuberculoid lateral teeth in both valves at extreme limit of dorsal or hinge line. Dimensions: From beaks to ventral mar- gin, 37.50"; from anterior to posterior edges of valves, 46.25"". Indi- viduals otherwise of same dimensions vary much in rotundity; two ex- amples measure, the one 21.75™", the other 17.75™™ diameter or thick- ness. Hapsrrat.—Off Santa Barbara Islands, California, in green mud in 276 fathoms May 8, 1888, U. S. Fish Commission, Steamer Albatross, common (fifty specimens), Museum No. 104044. In Stimpson’s Lucina filosa (Museum number 92679, see Plate xv, figures 5, 6), there are no lateral teeth, and the valves are more nearly orbicular in outline. In ZL. borealis, the European form, to which Car- penter assigned the specimens dredged by Dr. Cooper near the islands in the Santa Barbara Channel (30 to 120 fathoms), there is an incon- spicuous anterior lateral disceraible in the right valve, but no posterior lateral. Gong ony PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 221 In jilosa and borealis the cardinal teeth in form, position, and angle are very nearly or quite alike. . In L. jamaicensis, of the same group, the laterals are conspicuous and strong; the cardinals inconspicuous, the anterior lateral in the right valve prominent and stumpy, the posterior lateral in the same valve elongated, ridge-like, The surface sculpture in jilosa, borealis, and ja- maicensis differs each from the other; the texture of the shells in these species also varies, the two latter having a much firmer and compact and porcellanous aspect than jilosa, and jfilosa having a firmer texture than the Santa Barbara form, which latter has a surface aspect in the matter of texture much nearer to L. lamellosa Smith. The latter is a somewhat tumid and angulated form from the Straits of Magellan, and has a rather rounded tuberculoid lateral on the anterior side of the valves. The anterior dorsal region, it will be seen by looking at the figures, is markedly different in Stimpson’s filosa from @quizonata. Suborder VENERACEA. Family VENERIDZ. Genus VENUS Linn. Subgenus CHIONE Megerle. Venus (Chione) effeminata sp. nov. Plate xvu1, Figs. 1, 2. Shell triangularly transversely ovate, the anterior outline rounded, the posterior more elongated and obtusely angulate. The proportions of the shell are as follows: Three-fifths of the length are posterior to a (perpendicular) line drawn from the umbones to the ventral margin; the height of the shell on said line as compared with the length is as four to five. The valves are moderately convex, and the surface is prettily and evenly cancellated by forty-five to fifty rounded ribs radiating from the beaks and divided by grooves of nearly the same width as the ribs; both ribs and grooves are crossed by thirty to thirty-five or more sharp, elevated, concentric, thread-like striz, so fine at the beaks as to be scarcely discernible. Color whitish, purplish in the umbonal region. The beaks are pink, sharp, proximate, and turned towards the lunule, which latter is ovately cuneiform and distinctly defined. The ligamental area iS narrow, elongated, somewhat excavated, and slightly keeled. Interior of valves rosy purple and crenulated on the edges from a point about midway up the anterior margin to a similar point on the opposite end, the crenulations peculiarly sharp and squarely cut. Hinge plate moderately thick; the right valve exhibits two strong and one upper thin elongated subsidiary tooth, just under and parallel ~ 222 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. to the edge of the lunule; of the principal cardinals one is acutely triangular or wedge-shaped and slopes posteriorly, the other is elon- gately triangular, somewhat curved and prolonged anteriorly and below the subsidiary tooth. Between the principal cardinals is a triangular pit into which the central cardinal of the left valve fits ; the left valve also exhibits a slender elongated tooth on each side of the principal, cardinal, which fit into corresponding grooves in the right valve. The muscular sears are large for so small a shell, and the pallial impression is broad and shiny and considerably back from the edge of the valves, and the sinus moderately deep and rounded, its upper edge curving to and touching the lower part of the posterior adductor impression. Dimensions: From beaks to ventral margin, 10™"; from anterior to posterior edges, 13™™. HABITAT.—Panama Bay, where it was collected by the late Thomas Bridges. This little shell, now belonging to the U.S. National Museum (No. 102181), was received by the author many years ago with the remains of the Bridges collection of mollusks ; it has not been described hereto- fore for want of access to the literature and material necessary to deter- mine the fact of previous description or the reverse. It is a strongly characterized form, with every aspect of maturity, and quite distinct from any of its nearest allies. . Order ANOMALODESMACEA. Suborder ANATINACEA. Family ANATINID A. Genus PERIPLOMA Schumacher. Periploma discus sp. nov. Plate xvi, Figs. 1, 2. Shell thin, fragile, white, translucent, seminacreous; ineqnilateral, nearly circular, being posteriorly subangulated and flexuously squarish and produced; inequivalve, the left valve being more ventricose than the right; valves somewhat gaping; pallial impression, narrow, shiny, distinct; sinus rather deep and rounded interiorly and curving up to the adductor scar; beaks Small, nearly central, fissured ; hinge a hol- lowed spoon-shaped process (projecting inwards from below the beaks), which holds the cartilage ; this spoon-shaped cartilage cup or process is _ strengthened by an elongated callus slanting anteriorly ; the exterior surface of the valves is finely wrinkled and linearly scabrous (more easily seen by holding a valve up to the light) and otherwise marked by concentric lines and zones of growth, Cand | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 223 Two specimens are contained in the National collection (Museum No. 105391), the largest of which measures from the beaks to the ventral margin or edge 36™", from the anterior to the posterior edges in the broadest place 41™, and the thickness or diameter is 14.50"". Hagirar.—San Pedro, Long Beach, etce., Los Angeles County, Cali- fornia; Mrs. M. Burton Williamson and others. This is an unusual form for a member of the Anatina group, and quite distinct from any of the West coast representatives of the family hereto- fore described. The Anatina (Periploma) alta C. B. Ad. (Panama shells, p. 294), de- cribed from a single valve, is a transverse form, the measurements as given by the author being as follows: “ Length, 1.98; height, 1.35; breadth 0.7 inch.,” or nearly seven-tenths (0.67) of an inch more from the anterior to the posterior margin than from the beaks to the ventral or opposite edge of the shell. This should not be confounded with P. alta Conrad (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 585, 1862, Am. Journ. Conch. II, p. 70, pl. 4, fig. 10,=P. peralta Conr., Am. Journ., Conch. iii, p. 188, Sept., 1867), from the Mio- cene of New Jersey, which is a rounded form not unlike P. discus in general appearance. Periploma excurva Cpr. is also a transversely elongated form, though less inequilateral than the foregoing, and measures, as quoted, “long. 2.06; lat. 2.46; alt. 1.05 poll.” Periploma papyracea Cpr., described by the author from one “ perfeet valve and a broken pair displaying the hinge in situ are all that is known of this beautiful species. It differs from the others in its outline, the greater part of which is suborbicular, with a short broad beak.” The dimensions are given as ‘long. 0.78; lat. 1.06, alt. 0.42 poll.” P. excurva and P. papyracea are both described on page 229 of the Proceedings Zodlogical Society of London, with many other forms “principally in the collection of Hugh Cuming.” P. papyracea is, it will be seen, somewhat more equilateral than P. excurva, yet much less so than P. discus. ; In Carpenter’s British Association Report (1856), on page 287, he erroneously refers to P. excurva as “P. excurvata.” Periploma argentaria Conrad is the name usually given to the commonest of the west Ameri- can species ; it was described by the author in 1837.* Dr. Gould re- garded the shell described by Conrad as the same to which Sowerby had given the name of planiuscula in 1834.+ In the same place Sowerby has described still another species, P. lenticularis, from the island of Mu- erte, which is in the Bay of Guayaquil, about 3 degrees south latitude. The examples of P. planiuscula described by Sowerby were collected at St. Elena, a point on the northerly boundary of the same gulf, and both of these species by Cuming. Carpenter makes no allusion to lenticularis * Jour. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sciences, Vol. vit. Part 11, 1837, p. 238., Pl. 18, Fig. 8. t Proc. Zool. Society London, 1834, p. 87, 224 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS—STEARNS. in either of his reports to the British Association, probably for the reason that its habitat was exterior to the geographical limits covered by said reports, or south of the range of coast covered by his investi- gations. His reference to planiuscula was no doubt owing to Dr. Gould’s opinion ofits identity with Conrad’s argentaria. . If my conclusions, resting upon a careful consideration of the descrip- tions published, as well as a comparison of the figures when given, and further upon diagrams carefully worked out from the measurements as published where figures are lacking, are correct,it is altogether certain that the number of species as alleged must be greatly reduced. With the dominant West American form and its varied aspects I am_per- fectly familiar, having seen and handled alarge number, as well as col- lected it, and of the identity of the forms described by Conrad and Sow- _ erby I have no doubi. Though Conrad’s argentaria is the most familiar name and in general use, and again more appropriate than Sowerby’s planiuscula, yet, as a matter of fact, the latter’s has priority by three years. It is highly probable, hardly a doubt, that Hanley’s obtusa, ©. B. Adams’ alta, Carpenter’s excurva, and Sowerby’s lenticularis all fall to the rear as synonyms. Conrad’s Leana, included by Carpenter in the Smithsonian checklist of the shellsof the west coast of North America, must be eliminated, as it is an Kast North American form described by the author* from a Rhode Island specimen. J zor ih] . aps ‘ 4 EM) ~ ’ L- ¥ a ahd Reet Ke : ee ie ke ri 2 . Py ‘ 2 Fide whats hana eae ane ; j ae 5 i Ba. Ae ie eta ee wt te ¢ Na es “ne 7 ' « fs oe he ee a Sy a Be “ye 2 Istaa tre Ls 9 rd 1) WATE PGE eh ga a OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY MURAENES- OCIDZE. BY THEODORE G1LL, M. D., Pu. D. The genus Murenesox was taken as the type of a family by Professor Cope in his ‘‘Observations on the systematic relations of fishes,” but without any indication of his reasons for,considering it assuch. The only information conveyed by him was that contained in the following synopsis: 1. Palatopterygoid arch completed ; pectoral fins ......-...-....-.-.----- Congrida. 2. Palatopterygoid arch represented by incomplete pterygoid ; premaxillaries more 5 3 Auguillide. dely se LG ee Se has ees ua wie Leis Sel EDA Ao aaa eacike } Shale aia Murenesocide. The characters thus indicated prove on comparison of the several types to be neitherapplicablenor distinctive. Muranesox appears never- theless to represent a distinct family most nearly related to the Congride and whose characteristics are here given. These, however, must (asin the descriptions of other families) be regarded as simply provisional, and to be confirmed or modified by comparison with the characteristics of other genera. Whether any other genera belong to the family ean not be definitely ascertained till their anatomy is known. MURANESOCID. Family synonyms. Murzenesocide Cope, Proc. Am. Ass. Adn. Se., 1871, p. 334, 1872, Murenesocide Gill. Arrangement Fam. Fishes, p. 20, 1872. Congrid gen Kaup et al. Congroidei gen Bleeker. Murenide gen Giinther et al. Subfamily synonyms. Murenesocina Giinther Cat. Fishes B. M., v. 8, p. 20, 1870. Congriformes murenesoces Bleeker, Atlas Ich. Ind. Neerland., v. 1, p. 19, 1864. Murenesocine Jordan § Gilbert, Syn. Fishes, N. A., p. 357, 1882. Diagnosis. Enchelycephalous Apodals with the tongue not free, the branchios- tegal membrane connecting the opposite sides below, the epipharyngeals reduced to one pair, and the hypopharyngeals linguiform and encroach- ing on the fourth branchial arch. Proceedings af the Watidnal Mnuseum, Vol. XIII—No. 815. 331 232 OSTEOLOGY OF MURNESOCIDZ—GILL. Description. Body typically anguilliform, with the caudal portion or tail moderately attenuated backwards, and with the anus in the anterior half of the length. Scales absent. Lateral line distinct, nearer the back than abdomen in front, about midway between the two for most of its length. Head compressed, elongate, attenuate forwards, with all the bones invested in the skin. Hyes within the anterior half of the head’s length, entirely lateral, moderate, and covered by thin skin. Nostrils lateral; the posterior considerably ia advance of the eye, patulous, but with a raised border; the anterior tubiform and nearer the front of the snout than eye. Mouth with the cleft deep and extending beyond: the eyes. Jaws rather slender; mavzillines remote from the front of the anteal, with the clasping processes feeble and appressed only to the lower por- tion of the anteal in front of the posterior nostrils and far behind its head; each ramus has a broad horizontal ledge-like expansion behind under the orbits and is correspondingly depressed from above, and thence becomes compressed aud dilated into oar-like expansions, over- lapping and closely appressed to the lower jaw ; mandible with the rami elongated and slender; each dentary lias a well-developed coronoid and constitutes most of the ramus; the articular is exceedingly contracted and developed only as a Rocierar cap to the Sentary round the articu- lar condyle. Teeth well developed, especially on the front and median line of the anteal; generally in three rows on the anteal and ledge of each maxil- line, and with the teeth of the median row more or less enlarged; also generally in three rows on each dentary, and with the teeth of the median row enlarged. Tips undeveloped. Tongue rudimentary, not free. Opercular apparatus moderately developed ; operculum oblong and thin; swboperculum simulating a branchiostegal; interoperculum mod- erate, and mostly overlapped by the preoperculum ; preoperculum well developed, but excavated by muciferous pores. Branchiotremes in front of or lower than the inferior rays of the pec- torals, rather large, and with the membrane in front emarginated by a deep sinus. Branchiostegals in considerable number (about 17 to 23 pairs), extend- ing along the ceratohyals and epihyals, and with the branchiostegal membrane well developed and connecting the bones of the opposite sides ; the rays moderately bowed. Dorsal, anal, and caudal confluent in one uninterrupted fin, with the “wh - ee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM Zao rays readily perceptible through the thin skin; dorsal commencing nearly above or in advance of the basis of the pectorals;\anal com- mencing immediately behind the anus; caudal prominent. Pectorals well developed, nearer the breast than back, with the rays distinct. Branchial arches nearly complete, with well-developed glossohyal and long slender urohyal,* but with first and second basibranchials only os- sified; the hypobranchials of the first three arches well developed and - ossified, of the fourth and fifth suppressed ; ceratobranchials and epi- branchials of four pairs ossified ; pharyngobranchials of first arch, rudi- mentary ; of second, moderate; of third, expanded and connected also with fourth; of fourth,t developed as lamelliform epipharyngeals covered with cardiform teeth; hypopharyngeals elongated linguiform bones cov- ered with cardiform teeth and dislocated so as to cover the basal por- tion of the ceratohyals of the fourth pair. Interbranchial slits extended. The characters which appear to distinguish the Murcnesoces best from the Anguillids and Congrids or Leptocephalids are the low position on the hyomandibular of the condyle for the operculum ; the slender branchial arches and the development and position of the hypopharyngeals and epipharyngeals; the union of the opposite branchiostegals by the inferior branchiostegal membrane, and the want of freedom of the tongue. Whether the other genera that have been closely associated with Mu renesox (Hoplunnis, Oxryconger, Neoconger, Nettastoma, and Saurenchelys) are related to the family can only be determined by an examination of their skeletons. The species combined under the name Murcnesox are the only ones certainly possessed of the characters provisionally as- signed to the family. The species generally united under the generic designation differ considerably, and have been distributed by Dr. Bleeker under two genera. It will be convenient at least to recognize them as subgenera, but a section not yet isolated, distinguished by the simply conic teeth, is as worthy of distinct rank as the two already named. Three sections of generic or subgeneric rank may therefore be recognized, viz: * The basal half of the urohyal is invested in the membrane between the opposite branchiostegal arches, and from the lower surface, at the place of emergence up- wards from the membrane, arises the ligament connecting with the anterior points of the scapular arch. . t It is inferred that the dentigerous epipharyngeal is the fourth pharyngobranchial, from the fact that it is the fourth pharyngobranchial or second epipharyngeal which is the largest in the Anguillidw. In that case it is the the third pharyngobranchial which has widened and developed a process for the fourth epibranchial in Murene- sox, while the epipharyngeal is entirely dislocated from its normal position and its base of attachment transferred to the second epibranchial and third pharyngobran- chial. 234 OSTEOLOGY OF MURANESOCIDE—GILL. 1. Murwenesox M’Cleiland, Calcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., v. 4, p. 408, 1343. -Type M. cinereus (Korsk). Murenesocids with enlarged tricuspidate cultrate and acute teeth along the middle of the vomer (anteal) and compressed cultrate acute teeth in the middle row of the mandible. 2. Cynoponticus Costa, Fauna Napol. = Brachyconger, Bleeker Atlas Ich. Neérland. Ind., v. 4, p. 19, 1864. Type C. savanna (Cuv.). Murzenesocids with enlarged tricuspidate, bluntly edged teeth along the middle of the vomer and little compressed bluntly edged and trun cated teeth in the middle row of the mandible. 3. Congresox Gill = Murzenesox sp., M’Clelland, Bleeker et al. Type C. talabon = Conger talabon Cuv. Murenesocids with enlarged and mostly. acutely conic slender teeth- along the middle of the vomer and similar teeth in the middle row of the mandible. I have examined crania of Murcnesox* and Cynoponticus, but not one of Congresox. The tirst two genera differ in details but are much alike in cranial characteristics, and (contrary to the generic diagnosis of Bleeker) differ very slightly and only in degree in the contraction of the anteal behind its head. * That of the Muceecce (M. cinereus) is imperfect and broken behind. ON THE FAMILY RANICIPITIDZ. BY THEODORE GILL, M. D., Pu. D. (With Plate XVIII. ) In 1872, I named the family Ranicipitide and in 1884 defined its external characteristics. Not then having a skeleton, however, some doubt was entertained as to its relations as well as standing. A skele- ton, since made by Mr. F. Lucas, enables me now to give the full char- acteristics. The family proves to be nearly related to the Gadida, but presents some remarkable peculiarities, especially the enlarged system of suborbital bones and the preceding nasal as well as succeeding supra- opercular bones. In 1837, Dr. Richard Parnell first drew attention to the divergence of the genus Raniceps from the true Gadide.* His remarks were as follows: . The wsophagus is short and wide; the stomach is of an oval form, and the intes- tines are entirely destitute of ceca. In this last respect the tadpole fish is an excep- tion in the family Gadidw, where the cecal appendages are numerous, so as to form one of the principal characters of that family ; and it is evident that Cuvier had not been acquainted with its anatomical structure, for had he been so he would not have placed this fish in the family in which it now stands. A new family ought to be con- stituted for it, inasmuch as it differs from the Gadi in having the head covered with scales, as well as in having the intestines free from ceca. The intestines are not entirely free from cceca, inasmuch as two smal] ones are present, as in many Brotulids and Lycodids, nor is the extension of scales on the head a character of family value. Nevertheless, the pbysiognomy is so peculiar as to excite attention and the characters revealed by dissection warrant the isolation of Raniceps in a special family. In 1863, the present writer {+ remarked that ‘from the Gadoids T am disposed to separate the genera Raniceps of Cuvier and Bregmaceros of Thompson, the former of which has been already considered by Dr. Parnell as the type of an independent family, and to similar rank the latter is probably likewise entitled.” In 1872 I named the family and in 1884 diagnosed it. J now give an amended diagnosis and a full description of the family characters. *Contributions to the Ichthyology of the Firth of Forth. No. II.—The Tadpole Fish. By Richard Parnell. < Mag. Zool. and Bot., 1, pp. 344-347 (347), pl. 1*. t Descriptions of the genera of Gadoid and Brotuloid Fishes of Western North America. By Theodore Gill. < Proce. Acad. Nat. Se., Phila., 1863, pp. 242-254 (243). Proceedings of the National Museum, Vol. XITI—No. 816. 235 236 THE FAMILY RANICIPITIDA—GILL, RANICIPITIDZé.* Family Syn. = New family [unnamed] Parnell, Mag. Zool. and Bot., v. 1, p. 347 (indicated), 1837. = Ranicepitide Gill, Arrangement Fam. Fishes, p. 2 (named only), 1872. = Ranicepitide Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Se., Phila., 1884, p. 173 (diagnosed), 1884, Jugulaires gen. Duméril, 1806. Gadinea gen. Rafinesque. Gadoides gen, Cuvier. Gadide gen. anct. pl. Gadoidei gen. Bleeker. Gadi gen. Fitzinger. Subfamily Syn. = Ranicepini Bonaparte, Trans. Linn Soc. London, vy. 18, p. 298 (diagnosed), 1841. = Ranicepini Bonaparte, Cat. Met. Pesci Europei, p. 6.*- = Ranicipitini Bonaparte, Consp. Syst. Ich., 1850. Diagnosis. Gadoidea with a moderate caudal portion coniform behind and with caudal rays procurrent, submedian anus, a chain of muciferous bones consisting of the enlarged nasal bones connected at the middle, followed by the suborbitals, the fourth of which is extended backwards and con- nected with a special system of dermal bones over the operculum and continued on the humeral region behind; the hyomandibular obliquely extending forwards and upwards, and with the posterior limbs of the pelvis rod-like. Description. Body elongated, antrorsiform, depressed forwards, compressed back- wards, graduated from the head to the caudal, and with the caudal pe- duncle slender and continued into the caudal; anus antemedian. Scales small and regularly imbricated. Lateral line indistinct, moderately high in front, thence decurvea and obsolete behind. . Head wide and depressed, with the snout roundish or declivous. Eyes within the anterior half of the head, mostly lateral, but also in- clined upwards. Nostrils double; the anterior tubular, the posterior with a raised margin; the two separated by a moderately wide bridge. ‘Mouth with the cleft semicircular, quite deep and slightly oblique or nearly horizontal; lower jaw closing within upper. Jaws of the gadoid type; each intermawilline with a short posterior process and a thin crest near the distal end; the supramazilline slightly decurved to the end and with a subterminal inferior process. Teeth conic, curved and cardiform on the jaws and vomer. *Ranicipitide < Raniceps, g. Ranicipitis (in analogy with anceps, ancipitis, biceps, bicipitis) + ide. el / Sree | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 237 Lips thick; the lower divided at the chin by a wide frenum. Tongue well developed, thick, and slightly free all around. Periorbitals concealed by the skin, enlarged, and peculiarly developed ; first connected with the nasal, fourth widening and extending back- wards to connect with a system of supraopercular bones, and succeeding periorbitals (fifth, etc.) procurrent to the orbits. Opercular apparatus well developed ; operculum a subtriangular lam- ina with an antero-posterior internal rib (above which there is an expan- sion to connect with a system of supraopercular bones) and also with an anterior inferior marginal rib; suboperculum and interoperculum nor- mally laminar; preoperculum normally bilaminar and crescentiform. Branchiotremes (branchial apertures) ample, extending forwards and with the branchiostegal membrane deeply incised. . Branchiostegals seven; the inner three attached to the inner side of the ceratohyal, the rest outside, the outermost to the epilyal. Dorsalis double; the anterior fin rudimentary or very small and separate; the posterior very long. Analis elongated, not shorter than the dorsal. Caudalis distinct, with its external rays procurrent above and below the caudal peduncle. , Pectorales moderately developed. Ventrales anterior, separated by a quite wide interval, narrow, but with about seven rays each. The skeleton exhibits all the characteristics of a typical Gadoidean * and the principal modifications consist of the lateral extension of the cranium, and especially the prefrontal and pterotic, and modifications of the suspensorium and pelvis. The hyomandibular is especially distinguished by its development at almost a right angle with the metapterygoid and its extension forwards considerably beyond the quadrate, as well as forthe oblique trend of the large fenestra for the posterior branch of the facial nerve. The fen- estra for the anterior branch of the facial nerve is concealed from direct observation by the preoperculum, the symplectic being pushed back- wards. The metapterygoid alone intervenes between the hyomandi- bular and the quadrate. The relstion of the hyomandibular, quadrate, symplectic and metapterygoid to each other and the neighboring bones, in fact, contrast strongly with those of any true Gadid known to me, and are probably co-ordinates of the abbreviation of the cranium. The pelvic bones are reduced by the attenuation of its limbs; the ar- ticular portion is narrow but well detined, the interno-posterior exten- sion or limb rod-like and short, and. the interno-anterior extension or limb longer and oar-like. There is but one genus, so far as known, which appears to belong to *Gadoidea Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc., Phila., 1884, p. 170. 238 / THE FAMILY RANICIPITIDZA—GILL. the family, and that genus has only a single species, confined to the seas of northern Kurope. Ranicers Cuvier Rigne Animal, t. 2, p. 217, 1617=Batrachocephalus Holb6ll Goth. Vet. Selsk N. Handlingar, vy. 3, p. 39. The proper name of the species appears to be Raniceps raninus (=Blennius raninus Linn, Syst. Nat., ed. x, p. 258, 1758). Dr. Gitinther, however, has called it Raniceps trifurcus (= Gadus trifureus Walbaum). I am indebted to my friend, Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, for the original draw- ings of the skull of Raniceps, and the copy of the suspensorium and its appendages of the haddock (Melanogrammus ceglifinus) derived from the Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society for 1884 (The Osteology and Arthrology of the Haddock, by H. St. John Brooks) Mg 3 a U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM Fias. 1-4. Raniceps raninus: (1) Skull, from above ; (2) skull, from below ; (3) suspensorium and oper- Fie. 5. . Basi-occipitine. ‘ », Fenestra for passage of posterior branch PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII cular apparatus ; (4) pelvis and proscapula. Melanogrammus ceglifinus : Suspensorium and opercular apparatus. of facial nerve. . Cervical vertebra. . Fenestra for passage of anterior branch of facial nerve. . Eectopterygoid. . Entopterygoid. . Exoccipitine. . Epiotie. . Ethmoid or prosethmoid. -. Frontine. . Hyomandibular. . Interoperculum. . Metapterygoid. . Operculum. . Opisthotic. -, Parietine. . Prefontal or ectethmoid. . Palatine. S. Parasphenoid. . Postfrontal or sphenotic, . Pterotic. . Quadrate. . Suboperculum. Sym. Symplectic. V. Vomer or anteal. PL. XVIII 'Pta, 1 THE OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY SIMEN- CHELYIDZA. BY ‘THEoporn. Girt.) Ms-)...Pr. DD. In 1878 several specimens of a remarkable fish, with an anguil liform body but with a head very unlike that of an eel, were received at the Smithsonian Institution. So different was the fish from an eel that Messrs. Goode and Bean were doubtful as to its relations and re- ferred it to me to determine its affinities, kindly resigning to me the privilege of naming and describing it. I determined it to be the rep- resentative of apeculiar family, but to be otherwise a true eel or apodal, and drew up apreliminary description, which was published by Messrs., Goode and Bean in “a list of the fishes of Essex County, including those of Massachusetts Bay,” contributed to the “ Bulletin of the Essex Institute.”* The new type was introduced in the following terms: t This strange form has much of the physiognomy of'a Carapus (Gymnotus), and has a short, blunt snout, but is a true Apodal and has an eel-like tail. The branchial apertures are short longitudinal slits on each side of the throat below the pectorals, which are well developed; the dorsal commences about a head’s length behind the pectorals, the anal considerably in advance of the second half of the total length. The skin has scales like those of Anguilla, linear, scattered, and disposed at right angles to each other. The head is very short; the premaxillaries and maxillarics of each side consolidated into a single piecet and separated from tha of the opposite side by the ethmoid, and provided with lamelliform posterior margin and an expanded antero-terminal process; mandible very deep; teeth blunt, uniserial ; the operculum saber-shaped. The type appears to belong to the suborder of Enche- lycephali. The single species (Simenchelys parasiticus) is dark brown colored in life, and individuals have been found burrowing into the flesh of the halibut. After too long an interval, | supplement the diagnosis thus given by the following detailed description of the characters. Meanwhile the name has appeared in several catalogues and works, and the family has been adopted by Messrs. Goode, Bean, and Jordan. In 1889 numerous examples of ap anguilliform fish were taken in *“Simenchelys parasiticus Gill, MS. Pug-nosed eel. Several specimens of an _ undescribed eel-like fish were obtained on the halibut trawls, on the off-shore banks.” Goode and Bean, op. cit., p. 27. + Gill MSS. in op. cit., v. 11, p. 27, 1879. tThe suggestion that each jaw bone represented an intermaxillary and supra- maxillary (borrowed from Prof. Cope) was not more happy than previous guesses. Proceedings of the National Maseum, Vol. XIITI—No. 817. 239 240 OSTEOLOGY OF SIMENCHELYIDZ—GILL. nets at the Azore Islands at depths varying from 844 to 2,000 meters by the yacht Hirondelle, under the auspices of the Prince of Monaco.* These. were subsequently determined to belong toa peculiar form called by Dr. Robert Collett Conchognathus Grimaldi. A comparison of the description given indicates plainly that the supposed new generic type is identical with Simenchelys. It has the same scaly skin, short trun- cated head, small mouth, acrodont teeth, inferior branchial slits, and large ‘“conchiform” lower jaw, reference to which is conveyed in the generic name. t SIMENCHELYIDZ. Synonyms as family names. =Simenchelyide Gill. (with Goode & Bean), Bull. Essex Inst., v. 11, p. 27, 1879. =Simenchelyide Gill, Standard Nat. Hist., v. 3, p. 107, 1885. =Simenchelyide Jordan, Au. Rep. Com. Fish. for 1885, v. 13, p. 844, (Sep., p. 56, 1885) 1887. A =Anguillidex s.f. Jordan § Gilbert, 1882. =Murenide gen. Giinther, Collett. Synonym as subfamily name. # =Simenchelyinez Jordan § Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 357, 1882. Diagnosis. Apodal fishes with a blunt snout, transverse anterior mouth, massive jaws with an acrodout dentition, and inferior longitudinal branchial slits moderately far apart from each other. Description. Body stoutly anguilliform, moderately compressed anteriorly, much compressed towards end of tail, and with the anus little in advance of the middle of the total length. Scales small, linear, arranged in small groups obliquely and at right angles to those of the neighboring groups, well embedded in the skin. Lateral line distinet, quite high up, and on each side of the back in front, but gradually declining and near the middle behind. Head small, compressed, ovate laterally, obtuse in front, with all the bones invested in the skin. Eyes about or within the anterior third of the head’s length, entirely lateral, small, and covered by thin skin. Nostrils lateral; the posterior close in front of the eye, the anterior on the front of the snout and subtubular. *Nombreux exemples toujours pris dans les nasses au large des iles de Graciosa, Fayal, San Jorge, Pico, Florés, et Corro, Agores, Juillet et Aoft, 1888. Profondeur : 844™ 4 2,000™. Op. cit., p. 124. t Diagnoses des poissons nouveaux provenant des campagnes de l’Hirondelle par Robert Collett < Bull. Soc. Zool. de France pour 1889, pp. 122-125 (1.—Sur un genre de la famille des Murwnida, pp. 123-125). ee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 241 Mouth with the cleft transverse and slightly extending laterally back- wards. Jaws very stout; maxillines approximated to the front of the anteal, with the clasping processes uarrow, selliform, and appressed closely and obliquely to the sides of the anteal behind its head ; each has a broad, ledge-like extension extending obliquely upwards within along most of the length, and behind expanding downwards into a cleaver-shaped process obliquely truncated behind; mandible with the rami very stout, and deep, each dentary has the coronoid process well developed, and the inferior edge is strongly bowed downwards ; articular extending for- wards on the outer surface of the mandible scarcely in advance of the condyle. Teeth blunt, uniserial, on the edge of the jaws and acrodont. Lips completely suppressed. Tonque large, filling the whole floor of the mouth, with its margin free and bevelled, having a trenchant upper edge. Periorbital bones almost membranous. Opercular apparatus peculiarly developed ; operculum falciform, in- serted nearly midways on the hyomandibular and decurved downwards and then upwards in harmony with the branchiostegal rays; suwboper- culum below and parallel with the operculum ; interoperculum lamelli- form and widened upwards towards its junction with the operculum; preoperculum well developed and closely appressed to the suspensorium. Branchiotremes inferior and manifest as longitudinal slits moderately distant from each other. Branchiostegals in reduced number (8-9), moderately stout and partly widening towards their ends, long, and recurved over the operculum. Dorsal, anal, and caudal confluent into an uninterrupted fin, with the rays readily perceptible through the skin; dorsal commencing not very far behind the head; anal close behind the anus; caudal prominent backwards. Pectorals well developed, near the breast and with narrow bases and median branched rays. Branchial arches nearly complete, with a styliform glossohyal and a much abbreviated urohyal, and with the first and second basibranchials ossified ; first and second hypobranchials ossified; third cartilaginous; fourth suppressed; ceratobranchials and epibranchials of four pairs ossified; pharyngobranchials of three (?) pairs connected with epibran- chials; those of the last pair developed as thin dentigerous epipharyn- _ geals dislocated towards the ceratobranchials; hypopharyngeals with narrow dentigerous surfaces and closely appressed to the fifth branchial arch.* * The branchial apparatus described is imperfect and the description may possibly be defective or erroneous. ieroc, N, M. 90——16 " i ee OSTEOLOGY OF SIMENCHELYIDA—GILL, The family is well marked by the peculiar form of the head and the inferior longitudinal branchial fissures, as well as by the massiveness of the jaws and branchiostegals. Only one genus is known, viz: SIMENCHELYS Gill, with Goode § Bean, Bull. Essex Inst., v. 11, p. 27, 1880 = Conchog- nathus Collett, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1889, p. 122. Type 8S. parasiticus Gill. The question naturally arises whether the Simenchelys parasiticus and Conchognathus Grimaldi are distinct. So far as can be judged from the description of Dr. Collett, this question must be answered in the nega- tive. The measurements of two specimens of nearly the same size cor- respond closely enough for specific purposes except as to height. That measurement for the Conchognathus Grimaldii has evidently been ob- tained from a specimen with a very full belly* and not at the pectoral or anal region. The measurements from an American specimen are subjoined for comparison with measurements of an Azorean one given by Dr. Collett. Measurements. Ameri- aoa. Azores. + ba Mm. | Mm. Witte iD GMa Fe Ged 6 acer ac SEE SBC ObO co CH Se none GO a0 (Senses 456 “cons GeeckAonsoteessfcgs° 419 417 Snout to branchial slit.....-..- pene Howse teaat bsomad; te gem toe ae Sa eee on ee ee eee 34 37 PHOUTIOI OLSalysak a aslecicn Cephalacanthinze Kaup, Archiv. f. Naturg., 1873, I, pp. 79, 84. = Dactylopterinze Jordan § Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 732, 1882. Description. Body elongated and antrorsiform or slightly subfusiform, widening towards the head. Anus submedian. Scales hard, crenulated at their margins and enlarged at each of the angles of the base; those of the back and sides surmounted each by a longitudinal finely crenulated crest, the crests being very regularly dis- _ posed and so joined as to form trenchant ridges which extend in a straight _ line the length of the fish, and of which the median lateral extend as - far as the caudal. (G2 Wi2). P Head parallelopiped, oblong, incased with a bony casque, whose upper surface is derived partly from a dermal ossification which is incongruous 2AG THE DACTYLOPTEROIDEA—GILL. with the true bones; with the posterior lateral limbs of the casque, composed of the post-temporal and the connecting bones, projecting backwards in spiniform extensions on each side of the first dorsal fin. Eyes mostly in the anterior half of the head, entirely lateral, and widely separated from each other. Nostrils double, the two openings separated be a narrow bridge and inclosed in a common eavity in the casque above the preorbitals. Suborbitals peculiarly developed, and with a free peripheral margin except at the pontinal; the preorbital very long, extending forwards and articulated with or nearly meeting its fellow of the opposite side, articulating behind with two bones, one above its angle (the fourth suborbital) forming most of the margin and floor of the orbit, the other (the second suborbital) inferior entering into the lower margin of the head; the latter articulates with a small special bone (the third suborbital or pontinal) which articulates with the inner angle of the preoperculum. Behind the orbit is a small, rather narrow postorbital connected with the spenotic. Opercular apparatus peculiar; the operculum small, flexible, subcir- cular or subtriangular, and covered with scales ; swboperculwm almost membranous, mostly concealed, and partly behind and below the operculum ; interoperculum reduced to a small bone connected by lig- ament with the lower jaw, and remote from the interoperculum, mostly folded under the anterior margin of the preoperculum.* Preoperculum enormously developed, dividing into two long narrow branches, a subvertical and a horizontal, and terminating behind in an elongated spine continued from its horizontal and underlying the pectoral fin. Mouth small, opening directly under the snout, and with its cleft nearly parabolic. Jaws normally developed; the intermaxillines with moderately elon- gated pedicles, compressed and converging behind, and with a broad dentigerous surface in front; the supramaxillines forming the lateral borders of the mouth, with the sells convex on the anterior surface and fitting into the concave surface of the intermaxillines, and with the posterior limbs but moderately expanded. Teeth pisiform or obtuse and in bands on the jaws, but none on the palate. Tips slightly fleshy. Tongue small, reduced to a smooth, narrow, fleshy convexity of the floor of the mouth. *Cuvier and Valenciennes wrongly describe the suboperculum and interoperculum as disappearing almost at the membrane. Their words are, ‘le sous-opercule et Vinteropercule disparaissent presque dans la membrane” (p. 123). The interoper- culum, however, has its normal relations with the lower jaw, and, although small, is distinctly developed. It was correctly determined by C. Dareste, in 1872 (Comptes Rendus Acad. Sc., 1872), and by Sorensen (Naturhist. Tijdskr., 1884, pp. 75-78). a > (ewe Ae 3° le oe Seon | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 247 Branchial apertures small, vertical, mostly in front of the anterior bases of the pectorals, and consequently eed from each other by a very wide isthmus. Branchiostegal rays six, three perceptible in the smooth, movable portion of its membrane, the fourth quite straight, enveloped in the part of the skin by which the membrane unites with the throat, and the two others concegled by the skin of the throat and by the scales with which it is furnished. (C. V.) Dorsal fins two, the anterior with six or eight heteracanth spines, the foremost two of which are generally more or less detached; the pos- terior fins with only eight to ten rays, most of which are simply articu- lated and rather short; between the two fins is a compressed lancet- like spine, immovably connected with the interspinal below. Anal fin opposite and nearly coterminal with the second dorsal, short, and with only six articulated rays. Caudal fin emarginate, with its lobes nearly equal and with few rays, €. g.. seven or eight complete and two unbranched or rudimentary above and two or three below.* Pectoral fins greatly specialized, expanding in a horizontal plane and composed of two distinct portions; an anterior or upper small, and an inferior or posterior enlarged portion, the former composed of five or six rays, the latter of numerous long and slender unbranched rays, and a number of short graduated ones forming a kind of axillar fringe ; all connected by membrane which is but slightly emarginated about the middle between each pair of rays. The fins are underlaid by the very elongated spines of the preoperculum. Ventrals thoracic, separated by a narrow interval, and composed of a spine and four unbranched rays, the innermost of which are short and slender. Branchie complete and with the last arch separated by a cleft from the hypopharyngeals and cwsophagus. Branchial rakers rudimentary or absent; pharyngobranchial bones three on each side; the third enlarged and dentigerous (epipharyngeal), the other rudimentary and edentulous. Pseudobranchie developed. It will appear from this description, when compared with those of the Triglid and the Peristediida, thus the Dactylopteridi differ in almost all respects from those forms with which they have been associated, and in fact the only reason for ever having brought them together is the fact that both have a head furnished with a casque, or armed, but, as already indicated, this casque is extremely different in the two types. Possibly another character is that there is a good deal of red about the body, for, absurd as such a cause would be, it has evidently influenced *The formula may be 1 (small, simple) + I (large, simple) + 4 (branched) + 3 (branched) +1 (large, simple) + 2 (small, simple). 248 THE DACTYLOPTEROIDEA—GILL. various writers in making approximations of fishes. Although Cuvier and Valenciennes had correctly described the pectorals sixty years ago, later writers have reversed the two parts and called the small anterior portion the lower, and the posterior or inferior the upper portion of the fin. Thus Dr. Giinther, in the second volume of the * Catalogue of the Acanthoptergzian fishes in the British Museum ” (p. 221), has described, himself italicizing the characteristics, ‘“* Pectoral very long (organ for fly- ing), with the lower portion detached and shorter.”. The same view has been taken by Professors Jordan and Gilbert, who have evidently fol- lowed Dr. Giinther, in the “Synopsis of the fishes of North America” and inthe Manual of the vertebrates of the northern United States, by Jordan. Dr. Liitken had shown the error of such a view, and Dr. Giinther, in his “Introduction to the study of fishes,” has corrected his former error. Looking at the fish, one can not help wondering that such an error could ever have been made, and it was probably due to some false idea of an analogy between the small portion of the fin with its few rays and the three detached rays of the Triglidz or the two of the Peristeditide. A very slight consideration of the morphology of the fin, however, would have sufficed to have prevented such a blunder. The only recognized genus of the family is Dactylopterus, which has received various names. DACTYLOPTERUS. Synonyms. Pungitius Linneus Mus. Ad. Fried., p. 74, 1754. Cephalocanthus Lacépéede, Hist. Nat. Poissons, t, 3, p. 323 (Young) 1801. Dactylopterus Lacépede, Hist. Nat. Poissons, t, 3, p. 325 (Mature) 1801. Dactylophorus Swainson, Nat. Hist. Fishes, ete., v. 2, pp. 55, 179, 262, 1839. Gonocephalus Gronovius Syst. Ich., Gray ed., p. 106, 1854. Cephalacanthus has been adopted in place of Dactyloplerus by a few because it happened to be printed two pages in advance of the latter, but, while it is a much better name, the reason for adopting it is insuf- ficient as the two names were evidently published at the same time and _ Dactylopterus has been almost universally adopted. Dactylophorus was simply the result of a misreading or misapprehen- sion by Swainson, and Dactylopterus is elsewhere used by him in the same work (v. 1, pp. 17, 27; v. 2, pp. 415-419*). . Gonocephalus is a name given in a manuscript finished by Gronovius about 1780, but unpublished till 1854. The only figures illustrative of the osteology of Dactylopterus I have seen are the following: DACTYLOPTERUS VOLITANS. Dactylopterus volitans Sorensen, Lydorganer has Fiske (Naturhist. Tijdskr., 1884), pp. 75-78, pl. 3, fig. 37-42, 1884. * Seven new specific names are given |'y Swainson to what are, in most cases at least, formerly described species, owing to various misapprehensions. PL XIX PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM K ore istes DACTYLOPTERUS VOLITANS. te whine: Rar reise | tae ey weites ey NOTES ON THE BIRDS OBSERVED DURING THE CRUISE OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION SCHOONER GRAMPUS IN THE SUMMER OF 1887. BY WILLIAM PALMER, Taxidermist U. S. National Museum. At the request of Professor Baird, I accompanied the U.S. Fish Com- mission schooner Grampus on her summer cruise in 1887 for the pur- pose of observing and collecting the fish-eating birds, together with their eggs and young. In the following pages I have treated each species briefly, giving only the results of our own observations. As all on board were interested in the matter, and frequently called my attention to birds seen by them, I _believe the list contains all the species that came within a reasonable distance of the vessel. One might naturally think that on a cruise of this character sea-birds would be found to be generally numerous, but such was not the case. With few exceptions, and these mainly on breeding islands, birds were very scarce, most of the many species having com pleted their migrations, and being in the far north or inland. As to the relative abundance of the species, I would place the most prominent in the following order: Puffins, Shearwaters, Black Hagdons, Murres, and Gannets. Good skins were made of the greater number of the species, and in many cases, also, eggs, embryos, and young in var- ious degrees of plumage, were obtained. The localities visited were as follows: The Magdalen Islands and | Bird Rocks, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; St. John’s; Funk Island; Seldom Come By; Cape Freels Penguin Islands; Toulinguet and Canada Bay, in Newfoundland; Black Bay and Mingan Islands; south- ern Labrador, and Pereé, Canada. The time covered was from July 8 to August 31. A.—AQUATIC BIRDS. 1. Urinator imber (Gunn.). Loon. One seen in Canada Bay, and several others near the Mingan Islands, were the only ones met with. Proceedings United States National Museum, Vol. XII[I—No. 819. 249 250 NOTES ON BIRDS—PALMER 2. Fratercula arctica (Linn.). Puffin. I should consider this bird (excepting, perhaps, the hagdons), to be the commonest seen on the cruise. At the Bird Rocks and Bonavent- ure Island they were outnumbered by the gannets, but at the other places visited they were far in the majority. Standing on Funk Island, during the day, one would think that the screaming, quickly moving Arctic terns were the most abundant, but as evening approaches an ap- parently endless stream of puffins, coming from all points of the com- pass for miles around, flock to their breeding grounds in the center of the island, most of them having fish in their bills for the young. | Fly- ing in a straight line they would suddenly notice the observer, and, swerving to the right or left, perch in immense numbers upon the bowl- ders and high broken rocks. After a short rest many would fly off and disappear in the numerous breeding holes which have been excavated by them under the weather-worn and broken rock characteristic of the island. A few fresh eggs were found; but most of the burrows examined contained young birds only a few days old. At Mingan a few young were flying about, while at Bonaventure they were quite numerous. At the Mingan Group these birds breed only on an islet near Mingan or Bald Island, and on the little group of islets to the westward called Perroquet Islands. Here they excavate burrows on the surface, mostly connected by runs from the edges of the cliffs, their excrement and | offal causing an immense growth of vegetation, principally the Gelo- pleurum gmelini, to completely cover the surface to a height of about ten feet. From the number of wings seen near an Indian lodge at Mingan it would seem that they do not remain unmolested by man; but nature is slowly but surely confining their present breeding grounds, and in perhaps less than a century their nesting sites will be forever destroyed by the elements and the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It needs but a glance to show that these islands were very much larger than at present, and the most casual observer will notice that the same forces that reduced them to their present size are still at work. Such, indeed, would seem to be the fate in store for all the islands visited in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, their area being constantly reduced and there being abundant evidence that they at one time greatly exceeded their present size. 3. Cepphus grylle (Linn.). Black Guillemot. The old birds were quite abundant at the Magdalen Islands during our stay, but no young were seen. A solitary bird at Funk Island, another in Canada Bay, and several small flocks near Cape Race were the only ones seen on the Newfoundland coast. At Mingan Islands and in Perecé Harbor the full-fledged young were quite numerous, together with a few old birds moulting their summer plumage, and Vor. xit,] " PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 251 consequently unable to fly. The stomachs examined contained remains of fish, crustacea, stones and small shell-fish. In one case, that of a young bird of the year at Mingan, all these were found. 4. Uria troile (Linn.). Murre. Still very numerous at the Bird Rocks, but much less so at other places visited. The bird is very much persecuted by fishermen, voth for its eggs and flesh. At the time of our visit to the smallest Bird Rock we found three fishermen ‘in possession, who, with an ancient shotgun, had obtained quite a pile of the breeding birds, together with a few razorbills, which were destined to vary the monotony of a fish and salt-meat diet. Continual persecution has the effect of causing the murres to lay their eggs in the most inaccessible places, and it was only with difficulty that a few eggs and young were obtained. I will here call attention to the manner in which these birds are mounted for our museums, and indeed, also to the pictures of this and allied species. But few show any approach whatever to the natural attitude. There is entirely too much of the robin or crow about them and too little of the distinctly specific and characteristic attitude of diving birds. The commonest mistake seems to be mounting the bird sitting on its tail, nine-tenths of mounted birds and illustrations show- ing this fault. As a matter of fact, the’birds rest entirely on the tarsus, even walking in this position ; but when hurried raise up on their toes and move very quickly. When resting or walking on the tarsus the tail is elevated above the ground so that one may almost pass the open hand between ; the thighs are very full and pronounced, and the feet trend inwards. Another fault is in making the neck and breast entirely toolarge. In the many specimens I examined the upper part of the breastbone showed very prominently, and the head and neck were very small. This bird feeds almost exclusively on fish, especially such species as the lant and capelin, which they capture under water, using their wings to propel themselves. We had a good opportunity of : witnessing this, having captured a murre alive and placed it in the well of the Grampus, where it proved of the greatest interest to all. At first it was very wild, but in a few days it would take food from our hands and follow one about. Upon dropping some food in the water it would instantly dive and quickly seize and swallow it, then swim around the well as if searching for an exit, and suddenly rise to the surface. Its motions under water were very rapid and the move- ments of the wings similar to those of flight, except that the wings were never outstretched, the muscular effort being confined to the humerus and ulna. I brought the bird to Washington, where it lived for several weeks in the basin in the rotunda of the National Museum and attracted considerable attention by its odd and peculiar ways. 252 NOTES ON BIRDS—PALMER. 5. Uria ringvia Briinu. Ringed Murre. i took a single specimen of this doubtful species at the Bird Roeks. Upon comparison with the other murres taken the same day, I noticed that it differed not only in having the white feathers around the eye, but also in its feet, which were much smaller and less strongly colored. At the time, l wrote in my note-book that the “ ringvia differs from the com- mon murre in having a white ring around the eye and a white line extending from it backwards; also in having smaller feet with a very faint tinge of color on the scales. of the toes between the joints, which is very strongly marked in the common murre and U. lomvia.” 6. Uria lomvia (Linn.). Brnunnich’s Murre. Very abundant at the larger Bird Rock. A young bird taken while approaching Canada Bay was the only one of this species seen else- where. 7. Alca torda Linn. Razor-billed Auk. Most abundant at the Bird Rocks. At Funk Island they were far from common, and, with the murres, laid their eggs in crevices and under rocks that were only accessible with much trouble and difficulty. It is easy to imagine what must have been the abundance of these birds in former years on this lonely, almost inaccessible ocean island. Great auks, murres, razor-bills, puffins, Arctic terns, gannets, and perhaps other species undoubtedly swarmed, each species having its own nesting ground, and never molested except by an occasional visit from the now extinct Newfoundland red man; but now, since the white fisherman began to plunder this, to them, food and feather giv- ing rock, how changed: To-day, but for the Arctic terns (which are use- less for food or feathers) and the puffins (which are in most cases impos- sible to dig out), the island may be said to be deserted by birds. Only bones of the great auk, a few murres, still fewer razor-bills, and a few birds of other species are all that now breed on the island. Sixteen bar- rels of murre and razor-bill eggs have been known to be gathered at one time, and taken to St. John’s. On July 23 and 24, aside from those of the Arctic tern, we did not see a dozen eggs. 8. Plautus impennis (Linn). Great Auk. This bird can hardly be left out, especially as its remains was one of the-objects and a skin one of the hopes of the cruise. The bird is almost beyond doubt extinct. At Twillingate we heard of a man who had said he had seen a bird within two years past, but as he was away at the Labrador, fishing, and nothing definite could be learned of the locality, it was not deemed advisable to waste time in following what was probably a mistaken identification. The fate of the great auk is gs | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 253 well known among the people of eastern Newfoundland, and with the constantly increasing travel and the high value of the skin or eggs, it would seem strange that, if the bird still exists, none should have been taken for so many years. 9. Stercorarius pomarinus (Temm.). Pomarine Jaegar. Several were seen at intervals from Cape Pine northwards, and through the strait of Belle Isle to the Mingan Islands, but they were very shy and none were obtained. 10. Rissa tridactyla (Linn.). Kittiwake, Breeding abundantly at Bird Rocks, Bonaventure and Bacalhoa Islands, Newfoundland. None were seen elsewhere except on the homeward voyage, off Cape Sable, when several young were observed. A young bird taken from the nest at Bird Rocks was kept alive and accompanied us around Newfoundiand, becoming, as it grew up, quite a pet with all on board, and being allowed perfect freedom. On the homeward voyage, when off East Point, Prince Edward Island, a mack- erel schooner sailing in an opposite direction came close by to speak with us. The bird was on deck at the time, and as the vessel passed tbe wind from the sails of the mackerelman swept down on our decks: Johnny felt it and opening his wings flew from the vessel to some dis- tance. He, however, returned, but the Grampus was going at such a rate that he could not reach her; he then flew off but soon returned and tried again to make the vessel but failed. Again he flew off and making a wide detour returned and again attempted to reach the ves- sel, but the rapid rate at which we were going prevented him, and at last, tired out, he slowly settled on the surface, carefully dropping his feet as he reached the water, precisely in the same manner as older birds. Considering that the bird had never flown before, and since he was a nestling had never seen other birds flying, his performance, especially his three attempts to reach the vessel, was remarkable. He had become a pet with all on board, and it was with great regret that we were compelled to leave him to his fate; a victim, doubtless, to his inability while in captivity to make proper use of the oil glands which in sea birds are a very essential part of their economy. 11. Larus marinus Linn. Great Black-backed Gull. Quite frequently seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and on the New- foundland coast, but everywhere shy and keeping well out of range. A few young were flying about the Mingan Islands, but they were very shy. 12. Larus argentatus smithsonianus Coues. American Herring Gull. Very abundant along the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts where they breed about the shores of the numerous lakes and ponds which 254 NOTES ON BIRDS—PALMER. occur so frequently in this region. At Fogo Island we were told that the nests were placed upon the lower branches of the spruce trees on the islets in the lakes; but at Mingan Islands, where the birds were very abundant, and but little disturbed, numerous nests were found on the ground under trees and near the edges of ponds. Some of the nests were simply depressions in the top of hillocks of moss; others were evidently similar depressions on patches of dead grass and other plants, but in most cases the birds had drawn some of the dried grass and even sticks around them as they sat on the eggs. At the time of our visit the young had all left the nests, but a few were found concealed among the rocks and bushes, although most of the young of the season were flying overhead. On one of the Mingan Islands, which is heavily wooded, hundreds of the gulls might be seen in the evening roosting on the tall evergreen trees, but on another island, which is entirely destitute of trees, the birds roost in immense numbers on the high ground, keeping up all night a continual babel of sounds which can be heard several miles. The well-fattened young of this species may be said to form a not insignificant part of the winter diet of the Newfoundland fisherman at outlying places. Capt. J. W. Collins in an interesting paper on sea- birds, in the report of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1882, alludes to this habit of the coast fisherman as follows: It may be of interest to mention in this connection that the coast fishermen of New- foundland capture the young of the sea-gulls (generally of the larger species) while they are yet nestlings, and carefully rear them until they are full grown, feeding them chiefly on fish. A single family may havea dozen or twenty of these young birds. I have frequently seen ten or a dozen young gulls in a pen at Belloram, For- tune Bay, and there were a number of such pens in the little village. In many places on the Newfoundland coast these birds, I have been told, occupy the same place | that with us is filled by the domestic fowls. Instead of the conventional turkey for the holidays, the coast fisherman is satisfied with the young and fat gulls which h has raised. 2 I have been unable to find any other published account of the utili- zation of the young of this species as food. While the Grampus was at Little-Seldom-Come-By Harbor, Fogo Island, I had an opportunity of examining a pen of these birds, which are kept in the same manner as one keeps pigs. The birds, of which there were eight of different sizes, belonged to an apparently prosperous fisherman. A corner of the gar- den had been converted into a pen about 5 feet square. Wishing to obtain a specimen of the young, I made known to the good housewife my reasons for desiring one, but she simply could not understand that I wanted it as aspecimen,so the husband was ecalled in and the matter ex- plained. After considerable talk and explanation, and the promise on my part that if they would visit the vessel I would be only too glad to recompense them with some powder and shot, I succeeded in obtaining their consent to select a specimen. I doubt if to this day they have been able to comprehend my reasons for desiring the specimen. oe se ee ee ee eee ee jae ra | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 255 The birds are fed mostly on fish offal; in fact, nothing comes amiss to them, their ability to swallow bein g only limited by their size and the extent to which they can expand their jaws. As a consequence, they become very fat and tame, following one about like a dog, and occasion- ally going to the water and helping themselves to what they can find, but invariably returning to their homes. In January and February, when other food is scarce, the gulls are killed and return to the some- times famished fishermen and their families, in another and more palat- able form, some of that abundance which could not be otherwise util- ized during the fishing season. — 13. Larus philadelphia (Ord). Bonaparte’s Gull. Young flying birds were quite abundant at the mouth of Mingan River, together with a limited number of old birds. A few others were after- wards seen in the Straits of Canso. 14. Sterna hirundo Linn. Common Tern. Met with abundantly everywhere, except on Funk Island. 15. Sterna paradisea Briinn. Arctic Tern. Breeding in immense numbers on Funk and Penguin Islands. None were seen elsewhere. On Funk Island the eggs and young birds were very numerous, the nests occurring at intervals of a few feet throughout the central part of the island except where the space was occupied by the puffins. The old birds were very numerous, screaming and hovering overhead, now and then swooping down -and striking our hats with their wings. The young of the previous year were moderately abundant, but very shy, keeping well above the others, and only occasionally coming within shot; they were readily distinguished by the short tail and the peculiar appearance of the head. The Arctic Tern is not at all choice about its nesting place. Seven specimens of the nests were collected which may be taken as typical of the different locations and are as different as the shape and coloration of the eggs. Nest No. 1 is simply a few small broken pieces of granite and a bone of the Great Auk. The eggs were Jaid on the bare rock and the stones were arranged in a ring as if the bird had drawn them toward her as she sat on the eggs; although, as there were no stones within several yards of the nest, it would seem as if the bird had gathered them ata distance. Quite a number of these nests were seen. Nest No. 2 is simply a depression scratched in gravel, and No. 3 is a Similar depression in dry mussel shells. Nest No. 4 is a depression in a bunch of plants of a species of plan- tain with several pieces of granite rock on one side, This nest was in a crevice. 256 NOTES ON BIRDS—PALMER. In No. 5 the eggs were deposited in a living, tangled mass of chick- weed about 6 inches high, the plants within a circle of 5 inches being dead, with the eggs in the center, thus forming the nest. No. 6 contained three eggs ati was really nore nest-like than the others, being composed of dead grass, apparently well arranged, with a depression in which the eggs were deposited. This nest was taken on Penguin Island, and is composed of dead grass made into a hummock by mice (Arvicola riparia), which are very abundant on the island. The tern had simply appropriated the i and scratching the top had soon formed the nest. No. 7 is merely the top of a bunch of dry grass found along shore and adopted by the bird as a suitable nesting site. Of the many nests examined two contained three eggs each; in one case two were incubated and the other perfectly fresh. Many nests contained a young bird and an egg nearly ready to hatch. In no other species of bird with whose breeding habits I am familiar has nature been so prodigal of life as in the case of the young terns on Funk Island. The surface of the granite rock of the island has been corroded by time and the elements to such a degree that many shaliow depressions have been rotted, as it were. These have been filled with water by the abundant rain, and prove veritable death-traps to the young terns. Many of them leave the nest when a few days old and wander about. Numbers are thus lost among the rocks and drowned while trying to get back to their parents. This explanation’ seems to me to account for the numbers of dead young found in the pools. In fact, I rescued a number in places from whence there was no escape for them except through several inches of water. There were two colors of the young, which had no relation whatever to the sex, and were about equal in abundance. In perhaps half of the instances both colors were found in the same nests, aud not infrequently they were of different Sizes. 16. Puffinus major Faber. Greater Shearwater; Hagdon. Met with in immense numbers off the entire southeastern coast of Newfoundland, and less numerous on the northeast coast and through the Straits of Belle Isle, nearly to the Mingan Islands, also sparingly along the Nova Scotia coast while going north, and from Canso to Nantucket on our return. Between Cape Pines and St. John we saw thousands, nearly all of which were sitting on the water in flocks of from fifty toa hundred. In the Report of the Fish Commission for 1882, ‘Capt. J. W. Collins, in a paper on the habits of this species, states that for a few days after their arrival at their destination in spring they congregate in flocks and remain for several days in apparent inactivity, without feeding. At such times they can not be enticed within range of a gunor baited hook. We tried in various ways to decoy them to the vessel, but without success; nor would they allow us to approach i i i Pe i i ern | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 257 near enough with a boat to shoot them, and it was only by sheer good luck that we were able to secure two specimens out of the many thou- sands seen.* The reason for their shyness and indifference to food when congregated in flocks in the spring and fall may lie in the fact that they are then moulting. The condition of the specimens obtained, together with the myriads of feathers floating on the surface of the ocean, would seem to prove this view. It is not an unusual event for the fishermen of Newfoundland to take this bird for food. Whena fog -has been blown on shore for several days, the hagdons become quite numerous in the bays and inlets along shore, and are then easily ap- proached in a boat and shot. 17. Puffinus stricklandi Ridgway. Sooty Shearwater; Black Hagdon. A few scattered individuals were seen when going north along the Nova Scotia coast, and from Cape Pines to St. John they were very numerous. The species was very common off Canada Bay and in the straits of Belle Isle, and a few were occasionally seen as far west as the Mingan Islands. On our return a few birds were seen soon after leaving Cape Sable, and then to within a few miles of Pollock Rip light-ship. Generally they were seen with the common hagdon, but on the Newfoundland coast it was not unusual to see them in large flocks by themselves. They were very wild, and we failed in every at- tempt to obtain a specimen. The day following our arrival in Canada Bay a dense fog set in, which was taken advantage of by some of the fishermen to secure a Sunday dinner of bird meat. The result of a few hours’ shooting was about thirty birds, more than half of which were of this species, but unfortunately it was arid known to us until the birds were all picked and most of them eaten. 18. Oceanodroma leucorrhoa (Vieill.). Leach’s Petrel. _ Seen with varying degrees of abundance throughout the voyage. During our visit to the Bird Rocks four females and five egys were taken from a hole which had its opening at the side of a slight depres- sion. The birds were clustered together, and a little short dry grass had been utilized as nesting material. The restricted area of the island and hardness and unsuitability of the surface may account for so many birds having nested in one burrow. The light-house keeper, who has resided on the island for about fifteen years and has given great atten- tion to the birds nesting there, told me that he had only been aware of these birds nesting on the island since the summer of 1885 a d had never yet seen a bird flying about the island during the day. At Pen- guin Island we found that this species had adopted old puffin and mice burrows as nesting places, and but a single bird and egg were found * Capelin were very abundant at the time, ‘and perhaps the abu ndance of food pre- vented them from taking our bait. Proc, N, M, 90—-—17 258 NOTES ON BIRDS—PALMER. ineach, During the few hours we spent there I noticed a petrel con- tinually flying backwards and forwards across the island in the same manner asa swallow. The bird was evidently seeking its nest, but was disturbed by our presence, and after several attempts on my part to get within range it flew out to sea. 19. Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl.). Wilson’s Petrel. Met with only at Cape Sable and Cape Cod, when homeward bound. In proportion to the preceding species they were about as one to a hun- dred. Several specimens were obtained by decoying both species to the vessel by small pieces of fat, but all attempts to take one on a hook were futile. The yellow spots on the web of the feet readily distin- guished this species whenever they approached the water to take the fat, both species having the habit of dropping the legs and expanding the toes when taking food. 20. Sula bassana (Linn.). Gannet. The gannet is the best known and the most striking of all the birds seen on the cruise. To the fishermen they are especially interesting, as their presence informs them of the approach of the schools of her- ring and mackerel, and hence they are eagerly watched. Their eggs ‘are always welcome, and every nest that by any means can be reached by man is repeatedly robbed of its contents. On our visit to the little Bird Rock we found the surface of the larger rock covered with newly nade nests, but not an egg was to be seen, the nests having doubtless been repeatedly robbed, as the surface of the rock could be reached with comparatively little difficulty. The top and sides of the pillar, or smaller rock, were literally covered with the breeding birds, but it was only by the greatest difficulty in climbing and the use of a net that a few eggs and young birds were collected. But three breeding places of the species were found by us, and so far as I can obtain information no others exist on our coast ex- cept on eastern Labrador. Mr. Lueas has so thoroughly written up this species in ‘The Auk” for April, 1888, to which the reader is referred, that I have very little to add. That the abundance of the species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has greatly diminished within the past few years is self-evident. A very superficial examination will convince any one that not only is the bird persecuted by man, who robs it of its eggs whenever he can reach its nests, but that even nature is its enemy, and will eventually force it from its present breeding grounds and compel it to move elsewhere or succumb. to the fate that has overtaken so many now extinct species that have duly run their race. Time, frost, and moisture will at some time in the future level the present nesting sites of the gannet beneath the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the perpetuation of the species will depend on the adaptability of the bird to other and perhaps new conditions. atta tt aah a at voraoo. | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 259 21. Phalacrocorax dilophus (Sw. and Rich.). Double-crested Cormorant. A few seen off Mingan, but at Perce they were very abundant. . 2. Merganser americanus (Cass). American Merganser. One seen at Mingan. 23. Anas obscura (Gmel.). Black Duck. In Canada and Black Bays but few were seen, but they were quite abundant at Mingan. a 24. Somateria dresseri Sharpe. American Eider. At the Mingan Islands several large flocks of the young of this species were met with. Accompanied by the old birds they would coast the shores, but when approached in a boat would swim rapidly ont to sea, and when overtaken, being unable to fly, would dive and scatter most effectually. 25. Oidemia deglandi Bonap. White-winged Scoter. Several flocks were seen at the Mingan and Magdalen Islands. 26. Branta canadensis (Linn.). Canada Goose. A small flock was seen flying southward on August 11, at Mingan. 27. Ardea herodias Linn. Great Blue Heron. The only herons seen on the cruise were two birds of this species, which perched upon the edge of Perce Rock, 270 feet high, looked down on us apparently conscious that they were safe from our guns. 28. Crymophilus fulicarius (Linn.). Red Phalarope. Met with in great abundance between Cape Sable and Cape Cod on August 30, usually feeding among the drift sea-weeds in the calm water between the tide-rips. A small flock was also seen off Bonavexture Island on August 23. The abundance of this species off Cape Sable at this time would prob- able indicate their line of fall migration. The trend of the coast and the abundance of food in the tide-rips caused by the tides of the Bay _of Fundy would furnish abundant reason why this graceful little bird should brave the sea at such a distance from land. These birds are known to the fishermen as sea-geese, a not inappropriate name, one would think while watching them paddling rapidly up the side of a huge wave and gracefully flying over its crest just as the waters seemed to engulf them. The dense mass of feathers on its breast seems to fit it entirely for an ocean life, and one doubts while viewing it among the waves, as it rapidly and gracefully paddles among the sea-weeds seek- ing its food, that there is anything snipe-like in its structure. 260 NOTES ON BIRDS—PALMER. 29. Phalaropus lobatus Linn. Northern Phalarope. While approaching the Mingan Islands, on August 10, several large flocks of this pretty little bird were seen feeding in the long streaks of calm water between the tide-rips. 30. Gallinago delicata (Ord.). Wilson’s Snipe. Quite abundant near St. John’s, where they were seen by the road- side. 31. Micropalama himantopus (Bonap). Stilt Sandpiper. One seen at Penguin Island. 32. Tringa canutus (Linn.). Knot. Two females were taken on Mingan Island from among the flocks of the following species. 33. Tringa fuscicollis Vieill. White-rumped Sandpiper. The commonest bird at the Mingan Islands, far outnumbering all other species together. A few flocks were found in Canada and Black Bays. As it is the habit of this bird to congregate in dense flocks, so that from fifty to one hundred can be killed at one discharge, it is conse- quently sought after by the Indians and fishermen. 35. Calidris arenaria (Linn.). Sanderling. A few in Canada Bay in company with the white ramped sandpipers. 354. Totanus melanoleucus (Gmel.). Greater Yellow-legs. Very abundant at Mingan, but not seen elsewhere. 36. Actitis macularia (Linn.). Spotted Sandpiper. Seen sparingly at every place visited. 37. Numenius sp. (?) Curlew. A. few flocks seen at Black Bay and the Mingan Islands were the first arrivals. These birds feed mostly on berries, which are very abun- dant on the hills, becoming very fat, and are easily obtained before their departure. : 38. Aigialitis semipalmata Bonap. Semipalmated Plover. A few were taken at Mingan. 39, Agialitis meloda (Ord.). Piping Plover. Common on Amherst Island, Magdalens; asmall flock was seen near St. John’s, | rue PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 261 40. Arenaria interpres (Linn.). Turnstone. A few found at Mingan with other shore birds and evidently migra- ting; they were-very shy and watchful. B.—LAND BIRDS. In addition to the sea birds, such opportunities as were incidentally afforded were improved to observe and collect land birds, many of which were interesting, while one species had not previously been ob- — tained for the collections of the National Museum. The following is a list of those seen and collected : Dendragapus canadensis (Linn.). Canada Grouse. Several young birds of this species were seen by some of the party on two occasions in the spruce atthe mouth of the Mingan River. They were very tame and permitted one to approach within a _ few feet. We were informed that they were generaily very abundant, but that great numbers had been destroyed by the severity of the previous win- ter. Lagopus welchi (Brewst.). Welch’s Ptarmigan. Called Rock Partridge by the natives of Canada Bay, but this name would seem to be applied to other species of the genus. The Willow Ptarmigan, which is the common species, is readily distinguished by Newfoundlanders from the other species, and is atways found on much lower ground. Two birds, a pair, were collected on the high rocks near the Cloud Hills in Canada Bay, at an elevation of a thousand feet. Here the bird breeds and is abundant, according to the account given us by the fishermen. Buteo borealis (Gmel.). Red-tailed Hawk. Two were seen at the Mingan Islands. Buteo lineatus (Gmel.). Red-shouldered Hawk. While passing through the Straits of Canso on our return, a bird of _ this species made several ineffectual attempts to perch upon the truck ~ of the main-topmast. ¢ Falco columbarius (Linn.). Pigeon Hawk. Very abundant at the Mingan Islands, but not seen elsewhere; though a small hawk seen at Black Bay may have been of this species. Their abundance may have been owing to the presence of numerous flocks of white-rumped sandpipers and other shore birds, upon which they to a great extent subsist. While lying at anchor in Mingan’ Harbor, we witnessed the efforts of a hawk to capture a sandpiper. Tor fully five minutes the sandpiper tried by sudden twistings and turnings to evade - 262° NOTES ON BIRDS—-PALMER. the claws and beak of its enemy, and for a time proved by its maneu- vers to be more than a match for the hawk. But at last, completely exhausted, it fell a prey only to the superior endurance of its captor. Pandion halizetus carolinensis (Gmel.). American Osprey. But few seen; one off Cape Race, Newfoundland, eight miles from land. Several pairs at the Mingan River, and several in George’s Bay, off Cape Breton Island. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.). Belted Kingfisher. Quite common at the Magdalen Islands; only seen elsewhere at the mouth of the Mingan River. Colaptes auratus (Linn.). Flicker. A single bird of this species seen near St. John’s was the only wood- pecker met with. Empidonax flaviventris (Baird). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Two specimens were collected near St. John’s, July 19th, in clearings in the woods where evidently they were breeding. No other flycatch- ers were found, though diligently looked for. Otocoris alpestris (Linn.). Horned Lark. x Found only at Penguin Islands and Canada Bay. At the former place (a low, flat, grassy island) several old birds were seen, who, dur- ing our visit, perched on the bowlders that surround the island, and two young birds, which were evidently bred at the island, were col- lected. At Canada Bay a few old birds were found at the Cloud Hills, at an elevation of nearly 1,000 feet. Corvus corax nobilis (Ridgw.). Northern Raven. By no means abundant; quite a number were seen in Canada and — | Black bays and flying on the Straits of Canso, generally in flocks of } five or six. At the former places they would visit the shore at low tide to feed upon the dead and dying capelin, which were left in abundance | on the beaches. Every attempt to get near the wary birds proved futile, but at, Black Bay one at least owed its safety only to the exasperating abundance of that intolerable nuisance, the black fly. 4 Corvus americanus (Aud.). American Crow. Common at the Magdalen and Mingan Islands; several were also seen near St. John’s. At Mingan we were told that ravens were abundant there; none were seen, though crows were quite common; evidently no distinction is made, and to the natives they are all ravens. Sao PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 263 Perisoreus canadensis nigricapillus (Ridgw.). Labrador Jay. At Fogo Island, Canada Bay, and Mingan Islands, in wooded places, a few jays were found, though never abundant. The birds were all found near the edge of the dense spruce woods; and were evidently attracted to us by the noise made by forcing our way through the underbrush; in fact every bird collected, when first seen, would fly directly towards us and perch upon the nearest tree. At Canada Bay, while walking along a gravelly beach, necessarily making considerable noise, a jay flew out of the dense wood at the side of a hill, and perched upon the top of the nearest tree. I stood motion- less while he eyed me for some time. Apparently not satisfied, he flew nearer, to a dead branch, and repeated his scrutiny ; still not satisfied, he next perched upon a dead branch lying upon the beach not 10 feet in front of where I stood, and sat turping his head now on the one side and then on the other, so as to get a good observation of what was ap- parently to him a great novelty. On a subsequent occasion, after spending the day on one of the Min- gan Islands, which is very densely wooded, we started to drag our dory down to the water, necessarily making considerable noise. While doing so, and glancing towards the wood, I observed a jay perched upon the top of the nearest tree, evidently interested in our proceedings. I immediately shot him, and the report had hardly died away when another jay took his place. He, too, followed the first, when instantly another flew to the very same tree, only, however, to meet the same fate. Though we had spent the whole day on the island, and I had walked entirely around it, we had not seen a jay until the unusual sound caused by dragging the dory over the gravelly beach had apparently attracted their attention. Scolecophagus carolinensis (Miill.). Rusty Black-bird. One seen at the Magdalen, another near St. John’s, and several small flocks on Fogo Islands. at Quiscalus quiscula zeneus Ridgw. Bronzed Grackle. Several crow black-birds were seen near St. John’s, on July 19. As Quiscalus quiscula is not known to occur north of New England, I refer the Newfoundland bird to this subspecies. Loxia leucoptera Gmel. White-winged Cross-bill. - Observed only at the Magdalen Islands, where it was very abundant. At the Larger Bird Rock, on July 9, they were quite numerous, in company with pine siskins, hopping on the ground like sparrows, and apparently feeding on the short grass. They were very tame, allowing one to approach within a few feet. * 264 NOTES ON BIRDS——PALMER. Acanthis linaria (Linn,), Redpoll, A flock of nine birds were found on Funk Island feeding upon the short grass, and when disturbed, seeking shelter under the large bowl- ders and overhanging rocks. A number were also seen at Twillingate and Canada Bay in the vicinity of houses. Spinus pinus (Wils.). Pine Siskin. Very abundant at the Magdalen Islands and in Newfoundland. Sev- eral came aboard on rainy occasions when several miles from land; at St. John’s they were very abundant, usually in flocks about the road- side and fences. Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna (Wils.), Savanna Sparrow. Very abundant at all places visited. This bird would seem to take the place in the Magdalen Islands and Newfoundland of all the small sparrows so common in the States. In the fields and waste places and about the houses one could always find this interesting species. . The proportion of the widths of the second, third, and fourth inter- digital spaces is shown to be subject to variation. Specimens numbered 3129, 3231, 3128, 3230, 3229, and 4192 are of those in the best condition ; and it is seen that the differences are less than in the remaining speci- mens. But after all possible sources of error are eliminated, it will be , dee) ee eee : 3 g ! Pea | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 297 seen thatin three only of C. brevicauda (the males, Nos. 3230, 3229, 4192— and thus suggestive of sexual distinction) is the difference between the widths of the second and third spaces less than 10™™", whilein the single example of C. castanea (also a male) the difference amounts to but 9™™. In this connection I may allude to the value which attaches to the last named measurements in the study of the Cheiroptera. If a specimen of a bat, which is preserved in spirit, is so held in the hand that the wing is supported in the position of flight, it will be seen that the intervals between the metacarpal bones hold a definite relation to each other. / The width of the spaces between the metacarpals, now being recorded (the measurements are taken at their widest parts), it will be seen that the second interspace is the narrowest and the fourth the widest. In this way a formula may be stated. It is proper to add the length of the forearm to the formula, since this measurement is one of relative constancy and is of importance in framing the diagnosis of the species. Examination of the table herewith presented exhibits at a glance the marked contrasts which obtain in the Phyllostomide in the composition of this formula. It is especially interesting to note the difference which exists between the widths of the second and thirdinterspaces. It will be observed that no two formule are alike, nor is any fixed ratio preserved between the formule of genera which are allied. Nevertheless the measurements are sufficiently distinctive to warrant the recommendation that they be taken in ail discriminating studies, not only of the Phyllostomide, but of the entire order. Formule of the widths of second, third, and fourth interspaces in the genera of Phyllo- stomide. “ | Difference II. III. IV. Forearm.| between II and Iv. | mm. | mm. | mm. mm | mm. Lophostoma... 7 17 18 | 49 | 1 Schizostoma.. . 3 16 21 | 32 5 Macrotus...... 2 15 22 | 44 7 Desmodus...... - 2 21 37 53 10 OST ETE Ge Se BBS 6g IAP Doo ncn oS ECR ERSet Saree epaneEre 3 17 27 | 36 10 PIpRBREOM tas aoc ee aac ccmeweinctesctservascanset sc sauas 3. | 21 31 | 38 10 BRUCE VCUOLIS:. 2 datmcnee arene eam actor scat ece oes 14 15 17 40 12 EIGEN a Se ee Se ee eee 5 20 32 26 9-12 SUPATEDYNIS cao ntain olaaintomoomer sneer eemas seem ana saree cs 16 41 53 105 12 BEN PIONS cs om so ceinen worse asa aere at ceeaces Sete ae. 3 19 32 33 12 BBV. «mn ce mente cence ee cian se sees aan e = 3 17 34 | 32 14 2) TIDE s eon eo SBE BOO SR ONO IOUC SEE RARE are eco sees eee 4 21 39 | 51 18 BRRRS TUNITY Pm an yee oes san eee meme a eaine Se 3 25 43 | 64 18 BMISTEINGOTIS! a2 corccclet make cecteds ashes seeemnesee coe eee 3 16 35 50 19 EVMLG BDO <2 Ase ice so ea conten ga tem ee cws 4 29 62 | 81 45 The following includes the formulz in families other | | than the Phyllostomidez: ! Rhynchonycteris -.-..--...... Gey 16 | 25 40 | 9 Cynopterus marginatus 10 | 18 | 27 58 | 9 Vespertilio murinus 2 11 | Bly et 59 10 Epomophorus franqueti -.--......----- sock senesco, 13 21 39 83 1l BTENO HOM Wh seo owawer— on eciccaeee ceekiackene oem 3 13 | 30 64 | 17 LOWE TT) CCHS SS Oe Ses gat Ae ee ee cee een eee a 04 9 26 37 15 AUGUTCO TS air ioSt Ses ae eae Re or ne ae ne 04 5 35 | 46 30 PNRG Eun pes See eecme Sasihscvicatase cvshoscesces 2 13 58 | * 63 45 HBLOFONEN GU AEDS oo nioc canjnsee wate s souiee ns Jaen cee. 18 17 69 145 | 52 | 298 NEW SPECIES OF BAT—ALLEN. The study of measurements has given valuable results in the study of the human cranium and has enabled anatomists to come to definite conclusions respecting the validity of characters even when derived from scanty and imperfect material. No reason can be urged why similar methods may not prove accept- able in describing a new species of mammal. Extended observations on a number of examples of allied species en- hance the value of those upon which it is proposed to announce a new one. a a ee 4 ; % 4 OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY AMPHIPNOID#. BY THEODORE GILL, M. D., Pu. D. The genus Amphipnous has been generally associated with the typical Symbranchide in the same family. By Dr. Bleeker it was, indeed, long ago isolated as the representative of a peculiar one (Pnewmobranchoidet), but even he subsequently reduced it to the rank of a subfamily of his Synbranchoidei. Professor Cope again combined it with Symbranchus in his family Symbranchide, segregating the two in an order (Holostomt) contrasting with the Monopteride constituting his order [chthyocephali. The order Holostomi was defined in the following terms: HOLOSTOMI. ‘‘ Epiclavicle suspended to fourth vertebra, post-temporal wanting. Parietals in contact. Mouth bordered by the premaxillaries, which are in contact medially and bounded behind by maxillary. Symplectic present; vertebre unaltered ; no pectoral fin. Third superior pharyn- geal not smaller than fourth. ‘One family, the Symbranchide, with the genera Amphipnous and Symbranchus.” The “ epiclavicle [is not] suspended to fourth vertebra” in the skele- ton of Amphipnous examined by myself, but is nevertheless free and not “suspended to post-temporal and to cranium” as in the Ichthy- ocephali; Amphipnous is therefore doubtless the type of the Holostom. Symbranchus, however, has been asserted by all except Professor Cope to have the ‘‘humeral arch attached to the skull.” If this is the case, the true Symbranchide do not belong to the Copean order Holostomi, but rather to the Ichthyocephali. Possibly Professor Cope based his conclusions on an erroneously named skeleton of Amphipnous. At any rate, there appears no reason to doubt that Symbranchus actually has the humeral arch connected with the cranium. In such case, Amphip- nous should be accepted as the representative of a peculiar family, Amphipnoide. Inasmuch, however, as it agrees in so many characters with the Symbranchide and Monopteride, it would appear better to retain all in the same order, in spite of the fact that generally the attach- ment or freedom of the scapular arch is of ordinal importance. Proceedings United States National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 825. 299 300 THE FAMILY AMPHIPNOIDH—GILL. The characteristics of the Amphipnoide as a family are as follows: AMPHIPNOIDZ. Synonyms as family names. = Pneumobranchoidei Bleeker, Enum. sp. Piscium Archipel. Ind., p. xxxii, 1856. =Amphipnoide Gill, Arrangement Fam. Fishes, p. 20, 1872. = Amphipnoide Gill, Standard Nat. Hist., v. 3, p. 100, 1885. Anguilliformes sp. Cuvier et al. Mureenide gen. Bonap. Sphagebranchidw ven. Richardson (1845). Anguillares gen. Miiller (olim). Syubranchide gen. Swainson, Miiller, et al. Synonyms as subfamily names. = Pneumobranchini Bleeker, Atlas Ich. Indes Neérland, t. Iv, p. 117, 1864. =Amphipnoina Giinther, Cat. Fishes. B. M., v. 8, p. 12, 1870. DIAGNOSIS. Holostomous Symbranchians peculiar in the development of a pair of bladders behind the head (one on each side of the nape) receiving a portion of the blood from the branchial artery and with the branchize reduced (to lamin on the second branchial arch). DESCHIPTION. Body anguilliform, anteriorly subcylindrical, behind compressed, especially in the caudal portion; with the anus far behind in the termi- nal fourth of the length. Scales minute, arranged in longitudinal rows. Lateral line distinct, arched forwards, straight behind. Head small, ovate-conical, without external prominences. Ayes within the anterior fourth of the head, directed mostly sideways, of small size. Nostrils mostly superior ; the posterior above the orbit and provided with a valve, the anterior advanced forward on the snout and subcir- cular. Jaws well developed; the intermaxillines and supramaxillines con- nected immovably with each other and with the front of the cranium; intermaxillines with a rather broad surface and with projecting proc- esses in front; supramavillines appressed to the upper surface of the intermaxillines forwards and curved upwards and backwards and ex- panded vertically downwards behind. Mandible stout; dentary differ- entiated by its hard compact structure, with its external surface deeply incised for the articular and with its terminal portion expanded up- wards into a broad high coronoid process; articular long, with a wide cotyloid cavity separated by a considerable intervai from the dentary, with an attenuated portion applied to the inner surface of the dentary and fitting into the deep notch of the external wall of the dentary ; | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 301 angular well developed, forming the posterior border of the mandible and extending into an external notch bet ween the dentary and articular. Teeth mostly curved, conic or bent backwards, and rather blunt; moderate and uniserial on the jaws except in front, where they extend on a short row on each side of the symphysis of the upper jaw forwards and where they extend in a projecting group in the dentary; enlarged and uniserial on the vomer and palatines. Lips membranous ; the lower reverted over the jaw. Tongue well developed ; free in front and on the sides. Periorbitals incomplete, the preorbital alone (apparently) being de- veloped; that bone has a wide expanded surface in front and its upper edge united with the external edge of the nasal, while the lower edge is applied to the intermaxilline and its posterior edge about the middle emits a long linguiform process backwards. Opercular apparatus well developed; operculum lamelliform and semihastiform, the upper edge being nearly straight and the lower pro- jecting downwards; suboperculum rather wide below and projecting backwards beyond the operculum ; interoperculum thickened and con- nected behind with the subopercuium and in front with the angular of the lower jaw; preoperculum well developed and closely appressed to the suspepsorium; a triangular vacuity intervenes between the oper- culum, interoperculum, and preoperculum. Branchiotremes confluent into a single external transverse lunate fissure in the thoracic region. Branchiostegals six, segregated into two groups; one, of two compara- tively slender rays arising from the lateral surface of the ceratohyal near the edge; the other, of four stouter rays arising from a groove hollowed out of the outer surface of the ceratohyal and epihyal. Dorsalis reduced to a fold on the tail; caudalis rudimentary; other fins suppressed. Branchial apparatus peculiarly modified; branchial arches deflected backwards and with the ceratohyals of the fourth at their tips con- nected with articular surfaces on the proximal edges of the proscapule,,. and with the arches segregated in two groups, the first and second approximated and the third and fourth approximated and remote from the anterior; with a well developed glossohyal and a short hastiform urohyal, and only the first basihyal ossified ; the hypohyals of the first arch 1ormally developed and connected with the basihyal; of the second arch, normal and connecting with each other; of the third shoved out of place sideways, and of the fourth shoved together so that the poste- rior sides meet in the middle and the bones partly intervene between the preceding hypobranchials of the third arch; ceratobranchials of four arches ossified ; epibranchials of first arch suppressed, of other arches developed and deflected downwards at acute angles with the ceratohyals; of the second arch with a broad base, corresponding to the expanded tip of the ceratohyal; of the third and fourth arches. aoe THE FAMILY AMPHIPNOIDEZ—GILL. comparatively long and slender; pharyngobranchials of third and fourth arches developed as dentigerous epipharyngeals, which are closely apposed to each other and of nearly equal size; hypopharyngeals falci- form and beset with pauciserial teeth ; branchial filuments reduced and mostly confined to the second branchial arch. Respiration supplemented by a pair of bladder-like sacks developed behind the head (one on each side of the nape), having ‘thin, semi- transparent, membranous parietes” and receiving a portion of the ‘“‘ blood contained in the branchial artery” for aerification.* The family has but one genus, viz: AMPHIPNOUS Miiller Abhand]. Akad. Wissensch. Berlin, 1839, p. 246,t 1841=Ophich- thys Swainson, Nat. Hist. Fishes, etc., v. 2, pp. 196, 336, 1839 (not of Ahl, 1789)= Pneumabranchus McClelland, Calcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., v. 5, p. 192? 1844. “s Type A. cuchia, ex Buch. The skeletons which have served for the present description have been extracted from dried specimens of the A. cuchia, for which I am indebted to W. L. Sclater, esq., the assistant director of the Indian Museum of Calcutta. The postcephalic bladders and branchial apparatus have been de- seribed and illustrated by Hyrtl (Denkschr. k. Akad. Wiss., (Wien.), Math. Nat. Cl., v. 14, pp. 39-45, pl. 1858. . * Das Herz des Amphipnous is kein Venenherz, wie das aller iibrigen Fische, son- dern ein Cor arterioso-venosum, wie jenes der Amphibien.—Hpyrtl, o. ¢., p. 42. tThe name Amphipnous occurs (op. cit.) on p. 246 (not 244), but the remarks on the cuchia commence on p. 244, DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF MOUSE, PHENACOMYS LONGICAUDUS, FROM OREGON. BY FREDERICK W. TRUE. Curator of the Department of Mammals. The Smithsonian Institution has recently received from one of its valued correspondents, Mr. Aurelius Todd, of Eugene City, Oregon, a dry skin of an interesting and apparently undescribed species of mouse. It belongs to the genus Phenacomys, recently established by Dr. C. H. Merriam, but, unlike the species described by that author, resembles the field-mice of the genus Hesperomys, rather than the Arvicoline, or meadow-mice. This arises chiefly from its possessing a long tail like the field-mice, and I have therefore chosen for the species the name of Phenacomys longicaudus. Phenacomys longicaudus sp. nov. Size moderate, about equaling that of Hesperomys leucopus. Ears moderate, nearly concealed by the surrounding fur. Hind foot not relatively longer than in the other species of the genus. Tail long; with the hairs, equal to the body in length. Color above nearly uniform bright rusty brown; only the tips of the hairs are of this color, the remainder being dark plumbeous. Mixed with the brown-tipped hairs are numerous longer black hairs. Under surfaces white, slightly tinged with rusty brown, especially on the abdomen. The hairs of the throat are white to the base, but elsewhere they are only tipped with light color, the lower portions being plum- beous. The tail is dusky chocolate-brown above and below. Fore feet brown, like the upper surface of the body; toes more or less dusky. Hind feet similar, but the toes more dusky. A spot on the outside of the metatarsus lighter than the rest of the foot. A portion of the whiskers dusky, the rest whitish. Nose dusky. Measurements. (Dry skin No. 33233, type).—Total length, 148™™; tail, with hairs, 62"; hind foot, 20.2"™; ear from behind, 4.6™™,* The skull belonging to the type is badly broken, and it is only pos- sible to give the dimensions of some of its parts. * These measurements, iaving beeu taken from the dry skin, are of course only approximately correct. Proceedings National Museum, Vol, XIII—No. 826. 303 304 NEW MOUSE FROM OREGON—TRUE. Measurements of the skull.—Length of the crowns of the upper series. of molar teeth, 5.8"; lower molars, 5.7"; length o* nasal bone, 6.6™"; breadth of interorbital construction, 2.8™™. . The molar teeth resemble those of P. intermedius, but the lozenges. are narrower, and the external re-entrant folds of enamel in the upper molars are directed less backwards and those of the lower molars less forwards than in that species. The molars are rooted. The skull is that of a youngish individual. HAgBrrat.—Marshfield, Coos County, Oregon. Regarding the habits of this mouse, Mr. Todd, in a letter to Professor Langley, writes as follows: By mail to-day I send you a skin and skull of a tree mouse. It lives exclusively, as far asI have been able to ascertain, among the boughs and branches of the Oregon pine trees (Abies Douglassi), making a nest of a size smaller than arobin’s nest. It is usually situated on the upper side of a medium-sized branch, perhaps 6 inches in diameter, and is composed of the leaves of the tree deftly split in two from one end to the other and dried. The nest is neatly and rather ingeniously made, and the sameness of the material is a novelty. I have only seen two of these mice—one from Doug- las County, and this one from Marshfield, Coos County—thongh I have seen a large number of their nests in this county (Lane County), as well as in Curry, Coos, and Donglas. I can get no information from any one regarding them either from scientific sources or from the observations of others. The mouse is almost exclusively arboreal in its habits, but I think that I have reason to believe that they sometimes come to the ground for food, as I have seen tracksin the snow around the trees which I think were made by these little animals. They could be tracked up and down the tree, but to no great distance from it, and were most likely in search of food. It is entirely distinct from Arvicola and every other mouse that I have ever seen. I have lived here for many years, and may, perhaps, be considered a close observer. NATIONAL MUSEUM, September 10, 1890. OC NOTES ON THE HABITS OF THE MOOSE IN THE FAR NORTH OF BRITISH AMERICA IN 1865. _BY J. G. LocKHART.* The Moose is common over the whole country as far north as the borders of the barren grounds. In the valley of the Yukon, and on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, Moose are particularly numer- ous, and continue so westward to Bering Strait. There are partic- ular localities, however, where Moose are rarely, ifever, seen. For in- stance, so far as I have heard, they never approach the shores of Hud- son’s Bay near York factory. They are very rarely killed in the vicinity of Fort Rae, although they are quite numerous at Big Island and along this side of the lake. The females have one or two young ata time. They have sometimes, but very rarely, been killed with three young inside ; but no one, Indian or white, that I have known, ever saw a female followed by three suck- lings or yearlings. For this I have never heard a reason assigned. Since the female has four teats giving milk, one would suppose that she might suckle as many as three young. The food of the Moose consists of willows, small birch-trees and shrubs, and also of grass and hay. Sometimes two or three will pass an entire winter near certain small lakes or large grassy swamps, in which they feed, scraping off the snow with their feet. In winter, when no water is to be had, they eat snow freely. In winter also the females are most sought after, because they are the fattest. In summer the male is best for the same reason. In fall, when the females are rutting, the males become very emaciated. There are various modes of hunting the Moose, detailed accounts of which would be, I fear, too tedious. The first and most usual way is to approach the animals on snow-shoes or on foot, as only a hunter *The manuscript of this paper was received from Mr. Lockhart in 1865, while he was an officer of the Hudson Bay Company, of London, and has been preserved in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution. Between 1860 and 1870 Mr. Lockhart made many valuable contributions to the National Museum, including insects, birds, mam- mals, and fossils from Mackenzie River, Alaska, Great Slave Lake, and Hudson Bay Territory. For more than thirty years the Hudson Bay Company has zealously co- operated with the Smithsonian Institution in increasing the ethnological and natural- history collections of the National Museum. The objects thus received from Mr. Robert MacFarlane, Mr. Lockhart and other agents of the company have added greatly to our scientific knowledge of British North America. Preceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 827. Proc. N. M. 90-——20 305 306 HABITS OF THE MOOSE—LOCKHART. knows how, and shoot them. The old men who are not able to walk much in deep snow make a kind of fence of three poles tied equidis- tant from each other, a little taller than a man, stretching perhaps for two days’ march between lakes or a Jake and a river, or between two mountains, or in any particular place where the Moose are accustomed to pass. Spaces are left vacant here and there in this fence, and in these snares areset. In autumn, during the rutting season, the hunter carries with him the clean, dried shoulder-blade of a Moose, and when he hears the call of the male Moose, which is audible at a distance of several miles, he rubs the shoulder-blade against a small, dry tree and imitates the call of the male. The Moose as soon as he hears the sound imagines, no doubt, that it is another Moose, and runs in the direction, till met by a shot. The male is very dangerous at that season, especi- ally when wounded. Many years ago, before guns and ammunition found their way into this country, the Indians used to build snow embankments near favor- ite feeding places, and lie hid there for days until a Moose should chance to pass near, when they would kill him with arrows. I have been told that they run the Moose with horses in the plain country along the Saskatchewan. So long as the Moose keeps his trot a horse can not catch him, but if he can be forced into a gallop he soon becomes blown, and is then easily overtaken. The hunter uses every precaution, and having approached as near as possible to the animal, unperceived, he mounts, and putting his horse to its utmost speed generally surprises the animal so as to make it break into a gallop. All Indians in the north have certain superstitious notions regarding the Moose. I have tried hard to prevail upon the Chippewyans to bring me some heads and horns, but without success. The reason for this is that the Indian women during their menses are not permitted to eat or even touch a Moose kead, for should they do so they firmly believe that the captor will kill no more that winter. They say that this has been remarked and proved since time immemorial. Now there are many women in the Fort, and they are continually going about from house to house, and, it may be, sitting and driving about on the dog- sleds upon which a head would require to be placed if brought from a distance. A head and horns brought to the Fort, cleaned and pre- served, would doubtless be visited and handled by women, and if any of them should happen to be in the proscribed state it would finish the hunting success of the Indian who killed the Moose that year. At other times the women, as well as their husbands, handle and eat the heads. The Loucheux of Peel River and the Yukon are strict only — with regard to the first Moose an Indian kills after having starved for a period. Of this the women are scarcely allowed to taste, and on no account must they taste the head. These Indians have no objection to part with Moose heads, if assured that no portion, even of the refuse, eee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 307 will be given to a dog to eat. They can not be prevailed upon to bring young ones to the Fort alive, although many are caught every spring while crossing rivers and lakes. They say that this would spoil their hunting altogether; but why, I could never get one to explain; prob- ably the idea has some connection with the superstitions entertained among the Chippewyans regarding the women. In spring, when the females are near calving, they proceed to places where they are least likely to be disturbed by wolves, such as islands in lakes and rivers, and also in prairies and large swamps which are overflowed with water at that season; there they search for a dry spot among thick woods where they may bring forth their young. When the calves are very young the mother in their defense will even attack aman. At such times her appearance reminds one forcibly of that of a vicious horse. She raises her head, throws back her ears upon her neck, and sniffs or blows like a horse; then she bounds toward her enemy, striking the ground with her fore feet, her eyes glittering with rage. When the snow happens to be very deep Moose are run down on snow-shoes and killed with arrows. In spring, when there is a crust, accidents frequently happen in this species of hunting. If the hunter chance, from the nature of the country, to run too near the Moose, after he is fatigued, he will turn like lightning, leap toward his assailant, and trample him under foot. I have known several people who had very narrow eseapes of this kind. On one occasion three Indians were hunt- ing and fell upon the tracks of a female Moose and her young one. They immediately gave chase, and in a short time the ‘ Mannhisheesh,” or young one, became fatigued and stopped. One of the Indians who had left his companions a short distance behind, approached in his haste too near the game. The young Moose instantly leaped towards him. In his eagerness to escape his snow-shoe caught in a willow, and down he went with the Moose on top of him bucking and trampling with all four feet. Hiscompanionscame up. The Moose again took to flight, and they went to pull out of the snow what they were quite certain would be a mangled corpse, but the man had scarcely received a scratch, so they shook him, and joining in a hearty laugh started again in pur- suit. The Moose down at Peel River and the Yukon are much larger than up this way. There I have known two cases of extraordinary Moose having been killed, the meat alone of each of them weighing about 1,000 pounds. The Loucheux have a superstition that the Indian who meets with one of these extraordinarily large Moose is sure to die within the vear, or else meet with some grievous misfortune. A north wind in winter, when the sun does not rise high above the horizon, affords the best chance for Moose hunting. From some cause which I do not understand, the sun being then towards the south, shin- ing against the wind, causes the tracks to be seen from a considerable 308 HABITS OF MOOSE—LOCKHART. distance. The hunter thus sees from a distance in which direction the Moose has gone and acts accordingly. When the winds come from the east, west, or south, the tracks can rarely be distinguished more than a few yards off, and thus frequently they start the game in an unex- pected quarter, without being able to get a shot. Moose rise and feed at dawn. About sunrise they again lie down to chew the cud or sleep till10 or 11 o’clock. Then they feed till 2 o’clock in the afternoon, again lie down till 4 or 5 o’clock, then feed till dusk, when they lie down for the night. They generally lie down with their tails to windward, trusting ‘i their senses of hearing and smelling, which are fematkanie acute, to warn them of approaching danger from that quarter; they can use - their eyes to warn them from danger to leeward, where hearing, and es- pecially smelling, would be of little use. While sleeping or chewing the cud their ears are in perpetual motion, one backward, the other forward, alternately. They also have the re- markable instinet to make a short turn and sleep below the wind of their fresh track, so that any one falling thereon and following it up is sure to be heard or smelt before he can get within shooting distance. . ‘ OBSERVATIONS ON THE FARALLON RAIL (PORZANA JAMAICEN- SIS COTURNICULUS Baird). Eg ROBERT RipGway, Curator of the Department of Birds. The type of this species or subspecies, first described in 1874, still remains unique, the ascribed locality (Farallon Islands, near San Fran- cisco) having been repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, scoured for addi- tional specimens by competent collectors, who unanimously assert that no spot suitable for a bird of this family exists on those islands. All that is now known concerning the history of the type specimen (mounted and now in the National Museum collection) is, that it is one ot four birds presented to the Smithsonian Institution in 1859 (entered October 13) by Mr. T. C. Martin, the locality given being “ Farallones, Cal.”, without date or other data. The other birds presented at the same time by Mr. Martin are from various localities, as follows: Agelaius gubernator, “S. Francisco;” Turdus rufopalliatus, 3, Tehuantepec, and Progne chalybea, 2, Tehuantepec; the last two collected by Colonel Grayson. The bird in question was originally described as a variety or geo- graphical race of Porzana jamaicensis, and it has been given that rank in the A. O. U. Check List. In his ‘Birds and Eggs from the Faral- lon Islands” * Mr. Walter E. Bryant refers to it as follows: FARALLON RaIL.—Regarding the claim of the unique specimen of this bird as a valid variety, there does not appear to be sufficient grounds for its retention as a separate form. In the light of Mr. Emerson’s investigations, and that of others who have visited the islands and found no rails or suitable places for them to live, there seems to be but one conclusion to draw concerning it, and that is that it is an abnormal specimen of P. jamaicensis. Whatever doubt there may be, however, of the present occurrence of the bird on the Farallons, or even of the type specimen having re- ally been obtained there, there can not, I think, be any question as to its distinctness from P. jamaicensis. That itis not an “ abuormal speci- men” of the latter is almost certain, from the fact that specimens of P. ° jamaicensis from the mainland of California do not, apparently, pre- sent any differences either of size or coloration from those from the Atlantic States, the West Indies, or Chili, notwithstanding numerous examples have been compared. The possibility of its identity with a little-known species inhabiting the Galapagos Islands has, however, *Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 2d ser., vol. 1, 1888, pp. 25-50. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII, No. 828. 309 310 THE FARALLON RAIL—RIDGWAY. recently occurred to me, though unfortunately I am unable, from lack of specimens, to settle the matter. In the ‘“ Zodlogy of the Beagle” (1841), Mr. John Gould described a Zapornia spilonota from a speci- men obtained on James Island, Galapagos, by Mr. Darwin, the de- scription being accompanied by a colored figure (plate 49). This de- scription and colored figure agree closely in certain characters with the Farallon Rail, the back being without white spots, and those of the wings and posterior under parts much smaller and less numerous than in P. jamaicensis. Additional specimens were obtained in 1868 on Indefatigable Island, by Dr. Habel, these being mentioned by Mr. Salvin in his important paper ‘On the Avifauna of the Galapagos Archipelago” (Transactions of the Zodlogical Society of London, vol. IX, pt. ix, 1876, pp. 447-510, pls. 84-89). The descriptions given by Messrs. Gould and Salvin, respectively, ditter considerably, especially as to the color of the upper parts. Mr. Gould’s is as follows: Head and all the under surface blackish-gray; all the upper surface dark reddish brown, fading off on the rump into deep grayish-black, the wings, hinder part of flanks, and under tail-coverts slightly sprinkled with white; bill blackish-brown; feet, reddish ; iris, bright scarlet. Mr. Salvin’s description (translated from the Latin) is as follows : g (Indefatigable Island) blackish-cinereous, nearly uniform, the back and outer surface of the wings washed with oily rufous; the lower flanks and under tail-cov- erts obsoletely spotted with white, the wings externally, back posteriorly, and rump sometimes marked in the same way ; irisscarlet: feet olive-brown; bill black. * * * Obs.—Species similar to P. jamaicensis, but with the nape entirely blackish-cinereous and the dorsal spots almost obsolete; allied to P. tabuensis so far as colors are con- cerned, but to be distinguished at the first glance by the short tail. Regarding individual variations, Mr. Darwin says that ‘ with re- spect to the specific description I must observe that in one of the specimens the small white spots on the wings and abdomen are want- ing. This is not a sexual distinction, but possibly may be owing to immaturity.” Mr. Salvin also says that “a specimen in Dr. Habel’s collection has no spots on the wings and lower back, but does not otherwise differ from the rest of his examples.” He adds that “ these spots are somewhat variable, being well defined in some, obsolete in others, and entirely wanting in a few;” and that ‘in none are they so well developed as in P. jamaicensis, the nearest ally of the present bird.” Unfortunately I have not been able to compare specimens of P. spil- onota with the type of P. jamaicensis coturniculus, but the descriptions and plate referred to above show that the two are very closely related— much more closely, indeed, than either of them is to P. jamaicensis. Points in which they agree and at the same time differ from P. jama- censis consist mainly in the restriction, both as to size and the surface which they cover, of the white spots on the wings and posterior under parts, these markings always covering the back in P. jamaicensis, while z locality of the original C. furcatus does not seem so very improbable. opera | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. SLE in P. spilonota and P. jamaicensis coturniculus the back is entirely unspotted. : The type specimen of the Farallon Rail is probably in autumnal or immature plumage, which in P. jamaicensis differs from that of the fully adult bird in spring in having the chin and throat dull whitish, instead of deep slate-gray, like the breast and belly. The plate of P. spilonota in the “ Zodlogy of the Beagle” represents a bird in full plumage, the chin and throat being concolor with the other lower parts, but doubt- less younger birds of this species also have the chin and throat whitish. Except in the color of the chin and throat and the larger dimensions, there is nothing in the original description of P. spilonota that would not exactly fit P. jamaicensis coturniculus ; but Mr. Salvin’s description, taken from examples from a different island (Indefatigable), will not apply in one particular, namely, in the color of the nape, which is said to be entirely blackish cinereous, whereas in P. jamaicensis coturniculus the entire hind-neck is exactly the same deep brown color as in P. jamaicensis. As stated above, I have been unable to examine specimens of P. spilonota; but I think there can be no doubt that the Farallon bird is decidedly more closely allied to that of the Galapagos than to the widely-distributed continental species, Californian (mainland) examples of which appear to be exactly like those of the Eastern United States, the West Indies, and Chili.* In view of these facts, the technical name of the Farallon Rail should be changed by the elimination of the middle term, leaving it to stand as Porzane coturniculus (Baird) until its relationship to P. spilonota can be more definitely ascertained. Recent explorations have considerably increased the number of species of water birds common to the Galapagos and California (or Lower California), Sula gossi (Galapagos to Lower California) and Pelecanus californicus (Galapagos to Oregon) being among the number, while Hematopus galapagensis and H. frazari (of Lower California) are hardly separable. May not, therefore, this puzzling rail, of which it seems to be impossible to obtain a second example, prove to be a straggler of another Galapagoan species? Or, as an alternative possi- bility, might it not have been a straggler from one of the more southern Caiifornian islands, of the Santa Barbara group? This question brings to mind the case of the Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus), the original specimen of which is said to have been obtained at Monterey, California, while no example has subsequently been taken north of the Galapagos Islands, the only certainly known breeding-ground of the species. It is known that localities of the specimens obtained by the Venus expedition were more or less mixed in the process of label- ling; still, in view of what we now know of the distribution of water birds along the Pacific coast of America, the correctness of the alleged *See Water Birds of North America, Vol. 1, p. 378. Pr) A { - te (aR rea Lah be ‘ , #- eb VPS f ; ; Phe iy gs, \ has aol ey ‘ : ‘ tones itt 4 py atti anh an r ie y { F er v wor at , ag ewe Wp Eee rites stg oe irae fh sed diet rs Tea teta tia ‘pies HR dieteeale ae aoe F ¥ pS) Ow i eS cae ee eae. Talia Wee % . ey el tet eer ‘Aare +l, are bed Wh) ip ts he Lite peel. Pee ear ‘ ie bets ‘it Heel hoon OSs Dee St | ane ca P Girlaaee ‘cata pte ae ith hs ys Qh ep aes SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U.S. FISH COM- MISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. [Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner of Fisheries. | No. XVIII.—LISF OF FISHES OBTAINED IN THE EARBOR OF BAHIA, BRA- ZIL, AND IN ADJACENT WATERS. BY Davip STARR JORDAN, President of the University of Indiana. In the winter and spring of 1887 and 1888, the steamer Albatross made a cruise from Norfolk, Va., to San Francisco in the service of the U. S. Fish Commission. The collection made at this time in the harbor of Bahia and a small collection madein deep water off Cape San Matios in northeastern Patagonia form the subject of the present paper. The collection from Bahia includes one hundred and twelve species. As the number of specimens taken does not exceed two hundred it is evident that the results which would have come from extensive col- lecting might have been exceedingly valuable. The following is an annotated list of the species obtained : GALEORHINID&. 1. Scoliodon terrz-nove (Richardson). One specimen. Scoliodon lalandi is the same species. SPHYRNID®. 2. Sphyrna tiburo (L). One specimen. RHINOBATIDZ. 3. Rhinobatus electricus (Bloch & Schneider). One specimen. Cartilages very narrow; snout long; upper parts with bluish white spots of the size of the pupil. This is Rhinobatus undulatus Olfers, but the misleading name, electricus, is much older. + AETOBATIDZ. 4. Stoasodon narinari (Euphrasen) One head preserved. ALBOLIDZ. 5. Albula vulpes (L). Common. Proceedings National Museum—Vol. XIII, No. 829. 313 314 FISHES FROM BRAZIL—JORDAN,. CLUPEIDZ. 6. Harengula humeralis (Cuy. & Val.). Several specimens. 7. Opisthonema oglinum (Le Sueur). Several specimens. STOLEPHORID&. 8. Stolephorus browni (Gmelin). Common. 9. Lycengraulis grossidens (Cuv. & Val.). One specimen. ‘This species is well described by Dr Giinther. SYNODONTIDZ#. 10. Synodus fcetens (L.) Several specimens. Scales 59-60; anal 12. These specimens evi- dently correspond to the ruber of Lacépede, the spixianus of Poey, and the longirostris of Agassiz. They agree fully with Cuban specimens, but the Jatter have more sharply defined coloration. I see no differ- ence between these Brazilian specimens and Synodus fetens from South Carolina. The dorsal in all has the first long ray about reaching tip of last ray when depressed. The specimen of fwtens measured by Pro- fessor Meek had the dorsal mutilated and on this character chiefly he recognizes spixianus as a distinct species. 11. Trachinocephalus myops (Forster). Several specimens. Light brown; three or more lengthwise stripes of yellowish alternating with brown, the upper stripe just above lateral line and edged with darker; a whitish streak along lateral line; about six diffuse brown cross-blotches on side of back, these ceasing just below lateral line; a brown band along sides above uppermost yellow- ish streak, the back above this mottled and cross-blotched. A large black scapular blotch. Fins nearly plain. Top of head vermiculated with darker. A dark brown band from eye across lower jaw. Snout very short, shorter than eye; teeth slender, smaller and closer set than in Synodus. Pectoral very short, not quite 2 in head, but scarcely reaching beyond front of ventrals which are very long—as long as head—and reaching vent, and are also farther forward than in Synodus. Anal unusually large, 14 in head, 14 to 14 times dorsal, and of 15 rays. Dorsal also longer than usual, of about 11 rays. Anal 43 in body ; (anal 72 in Synodus.) Vent at tip of last dorsal ray in Tracht- nocephalus. It is far behind dorsal, nearer adipose fin in Synodus. Trachinocephalus is much stouter than Synodus, with short, blunt, compressed head. In Synodus, the head is depressed, with flat tri- angular snout; smaller scales. These two groups may vary into each . P| PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 315 other, but in view of the difference in the place of the vent they may be considered as separate genera. The vent is very slightly nearer base of caudal than the axil of the pectoral in Trachrinocephalus. In Synodus, the vent is much nearer base of caudal than base of ventrals. This must be Synodus brevirostris Poey, said to have 10 anal rays and ventral under middle of pectoral. In most other respects Poey’s description agrees, and is doubtless the same species. EXOCQTIDA. 12. Tylosurus subtruncatus (Poey). One specimen, agreeing entirely with those from Cuba. This is prob- ably the Timucu of Maregrave, but not the Belone timucu of Cuv. & Val. 13. Hemiramphus pleii (Cuv. & Val.). Seales 53; ventralis midway between base of caudal and middle of pectorals. This species is probably identical with Hemiramphus brasil- iensis. The latter name is the older. 14. Hemiramphus unifasciatus Ranzani. Numerous young specimens. MURANID. 15. Gymnothorax moringa (Cuvier). One adult. 16. Gymnothorax funebris (Ranzani). Adult and young. 17. Gymnothorax vicinus (Castelnau). One adult. This is probably Murenophis vicina of Castelnau, but probably not his M. camaruru. The specimen from Cuba ealled by me _ elsewhere Sidera vicina is probably also different. I can not distinguish _ the Murena maculipinnis of Kaup from this species. Brown, mottled _ with darker brown; angle of mouth dusky; dorsal edged with dusky, _ anal with whitish; dorsal mottled like the body ; no black spot at gill . opening; eye, 2in snout; mouth, 24 in head; tail longer than body; _ jaws closing completely ; maxillary teeth in one row; head 1,3; in trunk. CONGRIDZ. 18. Murznesox savanna (Cuvier). Brown above, silvery below; dorsal and anal edged with black; pec- _ toral with black tip; dorsal beginning just before pectoral; pectoral _ as long as maxillary, 24 in head. Hye, 24 in snout; edges, 44 in head. Teeth not lobed, but the surface uneven. This is evidently Conger _ limbatus Castelnau. < 316 FISHES FROM BRAZIL—JORDAN. SYNGNATHIDZ. 19. Siphostoma crinitum (Jenyns). ° Three specimens. Dorsal about 20; dorsal rings 1 + 4 to1l+4 5. Body rings, 17 + 34 to36. Lateral line passing into lower part of tail. The three specimens are differently colored; one female is black, darkest below, with ten cross-bands of white, each with dark beforeit. Another temale is gray, belly black; ten pairs of black cross-bars with whitish between them. Lateral line, opercle, and a bar across the eye, black. The male is wholly different, dark brown, with twenty-two cross-bars sharply defined but unequal; additional white spots on belly, roundish white spots and other irregularities breaking up some of the bands. Snout mostly white, top of head mesially dark; dark on opercle and below eye; white marks around the dark on top of head. Snout very short, turned up, shorter than postorbital. Topof head and supercilium crested, more so in the female. A median ridge on top of snout, more distinct and serrate in the female, entire in the male. Edge of plates more distinet than in the female. = 4 id b . NOTES ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF THE PARID&E, SITTA, AND CHAMAA. BY FrEDERIC A. Lucas, Assistant Curator of the Department of Comparative Anatomy. (With Plate XXVIT). In studying any group of oscinine birds it is impossible, or at the best extremely difficult, to tell where to stop, and the question is quite as often decided by the lack of material as by any other cause. Thus the present paper is the outcome of a study of the Mimina, which naturally included the Wrens also, and from them led by way of Chamea to the Titmice, and but for the cause above mentioned might be indefinitely extended. Dealing chiefly with North American species these notes are naturally incomplete; but, as the accumulation, proper preparation, and study of osteological material are necessarily slow, they are put forth with an apology for not being more comparative in their nature. I give below a list of the species examined and all references to the Paride mean the group as thus represented. Parus major Parus inornatus ater gambeli carolinensis Psaltriparus plumbeus atricapillus minimus montanus Auriparus flaviceps hudsonicus A githalus caudatus cernleus Chameea fasciata bicolor Sitta canadensis. The above are all represented in the collections of the U. S. Museum, but I am indebted to Dr. R. W. Shufeldt for the privilege of examining a large number ot specimens in his collection. In the genus Parus, as here represented, the brain case is large, the beak short, stout, and conical. The interorbital septum is well ossified up to the point of exit of the - olfactory nerves, although small perforations may be present in the septum, as in Parus bicolor, hudsonicus, gambeli, and inornatus. The vacuity in the skull at the point of exit of the olfactory nerves is small; much larger in P. hudsonicus than in any other species ex- amined. The premaxillaries and nasals fuse early in life,and are cut squarely across at their posterior extremities, where they are movably articulated with the frontals, as in parrots, the maxillary being also movably ar- ticulated with the premaxillary. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 830. Proce. N. M. 90 22 337 338 OSTEOLOGY OF PARID&, SITTA, AND CHAMALA—LUCAS. The narial openings are small, a short ellipse in shape, with the ex- ternal process of the nasal continued but a short distance along the premaxillary. The transpalatines are subacuminate and, as well as the postpala- tines, much produced downward and slightly backward. The prepalatines are moderately stout and seem to increase in width with age. The manner in which the palatines join the premaxillaries can be seen only in rather young birds, for, with age, ossification invades the membranous anterior portion of the palatal region, not only conceal. ing the terminations of the palatines, but forming a line across them that so strikingly simulates a suture as to have deceived not only the writer, but so keen an observer as Dr. Parker, who has figured this groove as a suture. Fic. 1.—a, palatal region of a rather young specimen of Parus hudsonicus, showing the anterior ends of the palatines; b, palatal region of an old specimen of Parus bicolor, with the anterior ends of the palatines fused with the premaxillaries. Both tigures enlarged. The mandible has a large elliptical perforation, and there are two . mandibular sesamoids, one behind and one at the outer side of the articulation. In Parus bicolor the vertebral arteries enter the cranium a little above the foramen magnum, while in the other members of the genus Parus these arteries pierce the skull right on the edge of the foramen. Except in this slight particular, I find no difference between P. bicolor — and its near relatives. | In the skull of Awriparus we meet with a departure from that of — Parus in the open orbital septum, this consisting of a very slender bar — of bone; otherwise the skulls of the two genera are very similar in- structure. The mandibular perforation of Auriparus is very small. In Agithalus the interorbital septum is a slender bar, there is no eranio facial hinge, the maxillary and premaxillary are fused, and the — vacuity at the exit of the olfactory nerves is large. The general aspect of the cranium, however, is Parine in spite of the peculiar curve of the beak ; the narial opening are small ellipses ; the ex-— ternal process of the nasal is continued but a short distance along the premaxillary, and the prepalatine bars are broad, although they join the premaxillaries in a slightly different manner than in Parus. oe PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 339 Psaltriparus has searcely a cranial character in common with other Paride, the interorbital septum being open and the vacuity at the exit of the olfactory nerves large, while there is no maxillo-premaxillary nor cranio-facial hinge, the nasals overlapping the frontals for a con- siderable portion of their extent. The narial openings are large, elongate ellipses, although the external process of the nasal is continued but a moderate distance along the premaxillary ; the prepalatines, which are narrow rods, are for some distance in contact with the premaxillaries and the trans and postpala- tine processes are slightly different in shape and arrangement from what is found in other Paride. In short, judging from the cranium alone, Psaltriparus would scarcely be considered a Tit at all. The maxillo-palatines are more slender and less pneumatic in Psal- triparus than in other members of the group, but with that exception these little processes seem to be uniform in pattern throughout the various species, although I am unable to speak as positively on this point as I would like. In a previous paper it was noted that the anterior termination of the vomer was subject to great specific variation, and in this respect the Paride are truly remarkable, the vomer varying from sharply spear- shaped in Parus inornatus griseus to abruptly truncate in Parus caro- linensis. Anterior end of vomer of— Parus MSGR oboe tos tote ace ee en 8 ON) ES UCC UE Nee pera hee rote atajepetece ni aiine non yatiats CEONUNENS US: sete mee cl ciaies ctecieeiete Ree uae 5 orang nes cose a he in sae eh coneeenens | a WUGIONICURT 5252 U So s2 as toon geben = =e) CUT AU CUBS Be es i ee tors eB ek DRC OMM GS ccetod a Sos: ea UROWLOUS | Sat ek ie hares ke St ANGURGLUS COWMATUE 222-152-622 nin= 2s ee sos ARTS RMU fOACHICRN Pe ni ce tA pen oe ( Fic. 2.—All the above are enlarged and drawn to the same absolute scale. The thoracic skeleton of the Paride bears the same stout, compact character that is seen in the external appearance of this group of birds, the chest cavity being deep, the sternum of good size and well keeled. 340 OSTEOLOGY OF PARID#, SITTA, AND CHAMHA—LUCAS. The sternum flares considerably posteriorly and the costal processes are high, acuminate, and directed well forward, their shape being prac- tically the same throughout the group. The varying pneumaticity of the sternum will be treated of further on, but it may be noted that when this bone is pneumatic there is a single opening in the dorsal aspect of the sternum just above the an- terior origin of the keel. The coracoids possess a moderate flange, or ridge, running from the epicoracoid about half way up the shaft, but it is by no means so well developed as in the Thrushes, where this character appears to be carried to its extreme. The hypocleidium is long, slender, and bent upward much as in the Wrens. The scapula is stout and regularly curved downward for its distal half, the various species examined being unusually uniform in respect to the shape of this very variable bone. ; The dorsal aspect of the pelvis, which is constant in shape through- out the group, so far as examined, can be better understood from the accompanying figure than from any detailed description. \ a b c e Fic. 3.—a, pelvis of Campylorhynchus ajinis; b, pelvis of Parus bicolor; c, pelvisof Merula migratoria. — In general pattern it very closely resembles that of the Thrushes, the posterior portion in particular being characterized by the breadth and squareness so marked in that group of birds. The ilio-neural grooves are open, and the obturator foramen is sepa- rated by a considerable bar of bone from the obturator space. The *“ sacrum” is wide, more or lesskeeled and deeply pitted, the pits seemingly marking the intercentral spaces. If Lam correct in my count the following species have the “sacrum” composed of five presacrals, two sacrals, and five caudals: Parus ater, P. carolinensis, P. montanus, P. hudsonicus, P. ceeruleus, P. bicolor, Auriparus flaviceps, Agithalus caudatus. The only specimen of Parus major at hand appears to have but fowr presacrals, two sacrals, and four caudals, but there is an abnormal look about this Seecua; and there seems to be a little uncertainty (if the ¢ perme. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. d41 term is allowable) in the development of the sacral parapohyses in the various species. Fic. 4.—Composite sacrum of Parus carolinensis, the right and left halves being from two individuals. Enlarged. The difference between the last two presacrals of either side should be noted, as well as the fact that there is one more parapopbysis on the left half of the figure than on the right. The species in hand have each six free caudals aud a pygostyle, with the exception of Mgithalus, which has seven caudals and a pygostyle. The fore and hind limbs are respectively made on the same plan throughout the group, and there is little to be said regarding them. The following table shows the pneumatic or non-pneumatic condition of the sternum and humerus in the various species examined, the two species of Polioptila being introduced to show that variation in this respect may occur in closely related species. The columns headed above and below denote that the pneumatic fo- ramina are respectively above or below the septum dividing the pneu- matic fossa, and in two cases it will be seen that foramina exist on both sides of the septum, the opening above being much the larger. Sternum: Humerus. peat Pion et hh lan Above. Below. matic. | P2€%- | matic. | PuC"- matic. | | Imatic. pe = ma =o CULSDD IE: eR ceo eee ee a ere ened UMM Bees Sem. ER Rly | Fria ee io a Enon OUT cuca SEB ABR CERO ODIO: SOOO ers Mame. Sale ane | ibe Si | Pe ees 1 Be Boer x EARDIMIEMRID se tawe crea scan csxactacweeeeseas| | MAG Te SEU ee ioe ee | oe eee ee SAL EAOR TES Seer tans Sete cet omni aa cs See sete anal’ ost eh ee Deno mre | bee NL ae so ae x TOU EG) Eee ce eee Bic (Deere tee pom cee pS tee Ieee Weed = M6 A les sei RUN OWIC TRE Sra Fat as may = Mio neia a de'sle ease stile dace ce Pte ener oreo MeBe Javanese 2s odaana CTU CORE. OSE a ee een Ren) sere re cee eel Wake. seal PARE acl peso P= DICOLOD Pe oan sore xe CO eEE PS a Se eee ee pal Br snk tel oe mad Geet Be eae tx x PENIS a 2 sac Sinsation cat ae ah oreo alors se Mae ic eecsicudly) “OX | Soe ge x x PRAM O We Sates to) ie Se eit) oy aa du daitoee ji Ge ok IMEEM ARIE - TEM DONA, roo teases opige amin no tones fae = 3 32 Pee al ee ere cod are Sen . ARID NG 5 52a stecseeens sc axe aa teases: \oaweenis barnegat Uo a sort cane ee PER UPE NS IMMVIS BNR, si 5 see aoe ainine ci oan et oceans | sdeosec|) Ke aTewacse ee tee ee ene Pa EMER CANRBUUG in tes: sce wn sco siemie eo base sehoes|onsecccs ' See PEW Bey Pet em el Aber ° CEES TEP SS Bae ae a a ee ee oe ee (ees aa le deem en aa een eel eee ibe MO MUMNOUBIR! = 5 couicena dates parse nna Mese tee eel seas ad (Peta (Me Eee Aira et oe ! ee ena a aI Reiniificl soi 2 ee AE ew a2 | 2 Ph athe ate aed eee Lie ote ~ CDi i) os eRe OE a a Boe os 1 ae ee a The x eee 22 eee ae PRS This table shows that the larger Titmice usually, although not al- ways, have a pneumatic sternum and humerus, while in the smaller species these bones are non-pneumatic. It also shows that, while a pneumatic sternum is usually correlated with a pneumatic humerus and 342 OSTEOLOGY OF PARIDA, SITTA, AND CHAMHA—LUCAS. a non-pneumatic sternum with a non-pneumatic humerus, exceptions to this are by no means rare, and that the character is of little taxonomie value. To briefly sum up, the family Parid@ as it now stands comprises birds differing very decidedly in cranial character, and while the genera Parus, Auriparus, Higithalus, and Psaltriparus may becraniologically diagnosed, I confess my inability to assign osteological characters to the group. That the group is not a natural one I should hesitate to assert, but it is by no means so homogeneous as the Swallows, Wrens, or Thrushes, so far as [ have studied them. _ The genus Sitta is sometimes placed among the Paride, but, taking Sitta carolinensis as a typical member of the genus, it differs from the Titmice and especially from Parus in many important particulars. The skull of Sitta resembles that of Parus in having a nearly closed interorbital septum and broad prepalatines. On the other hand, the skull of Sitta is slightly depressed instead of elevated, there is no fronto- nasal nor maxillo-premaxillary hinge, the narial openings are elongate ellipses, the nasals are very peculiar in form, with the external process carried for a considerable distance along the premaxillary, and the transpalatines and postpalatines are but slightly bent downward. The prepalatines of Sitta too overlie and fuse with the premaxillaries, while in the Paride the prepalatines run along the inner edge of the premaxillaries and the bones are soldered together by the deposition of osseous matter in the surrounding membrane. Sitta also has what is unusual in the smaller Passeres, a large, free lachrymal, much as in the Corvide, and the quadrate is so compressed vertically that the pterygoid lies immediately under, and almost in con- tact with, the ascending process, as in the Caprimulgide. The pelvis of Sitta is anteriorly much narrower than in any of the Paride, the ischium and pubis project farther downward and backward than in this group, and the obturator foramen is connected with the very large obturator space. Fic. 5.—Dorsal aspect of left wings of Sitta carolinensis and Parus bicolor. Enlarged. Sitta, moreover, is peculiar in having—compared with the humerus— a somewhat elongate fore arm and manus, differing in this respect from the Tits, and very much resembling the Corvide. a vor. | \ PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 343 The tibia of Sitta is characterized by the curious shape of its proxi- mal portion, where it is thin and bent inward; but as something very similar occurs in Certhia this would seem to be a teleological moditica- tion from climbing. The tibia is also proportionately shorter in Sitta than in Paride, while the first phalanx of the first digit is remarkably long. Taking all skeletal characters into consideration, the differences be- tween Sitta and the Paride are such as would seem to preclude their being grouped together, while the peculiarities in the wing of Sitta, slight as they may appear, when added to the other characters, seem sufficient to warrant the assigument of the genus to a separate family. At the same time I wish to qualify this by saying that until more species of the genus and those genera apparently allied toit have been worked out the matter cannot be considered as settled. The last form to be considered in this paper is Chamea. This genus was placed by Sundevall in his group Toxvostomine feet Galeoscoptes, and in Gray’s Hand List stands as a family between Par- ide and Mniotiltide. Professor Baird in the Birds of North America makes Chamcine a subfamily of Wrens and in his Review of American Birds elevates it to family rank between Paride and Sylvicolide, with the remark that ‘it may properly belong to sone Old World group.” Dr. Coues, in the Key to North American Birds, puts the family Chameide between Syiviide and Paride, adding that it may be placed with the Timeliide as justly as many other forms. Mr. Sharpe, in the British Museum Catalogue of Birds, Vol. VL, creates the group Chamee in the family Timeliide, the Wrens also being relegated to this family. He says: The curious little bird which forms the single representative of the present group possesses characters which seem to ally it to several other groups; and it is not surprising that it has been considered by Professor Baird to belong to a separate family, Chamewade. The wing is essentially Timeliine, being concave and rounded, with a large first primary ; the legs, too, are strong; but in other respects the gen- eral aspect of the bird is Titlike, and Professor Bain places it in close proximity to the Tits in his ‘‘ Review.” In the A. O. U. Check List Chamea appears with other genera in a subfamily (Chameine) of Paride, and in Ridgway’s Manual of North American Birds it also figures under Paride, but with the following note: I have been obliged to assign different limits to the subfamilies Parine and Cham- eine from those given in the A. O. U. Check List, on account of the impossibility of giving characters which would cover the extremely different genera there inadvert- ently placed under Chameine. The latter properly includes only Chamea ; and it is extremely doubtful whether this genus has any real affinity with the Paride, its relationship being probably much nearer to the Troglodytide. In the Standard Natural History, Mr. Stejneger is “‘ most inclined to regard the Chameine only as a subtamily of the Wrens,” and my own a 344 OSTEOLOGY OF PARID®, SITTA, AND CHAMAA—LUCAS, expressed opinion was that Chama appeared “most decidedly to be- long with the Wrens, and not with the Titmice.” Finally, Dr. Shufeldt, in a paper in the Journal of Morphology, says that, so far asits topographical anatomy and characters are concerned, Chamea shows a far closer kinship with Psaltriparus than it does with any of our typical North American Wrens.” Craniologically Chama is much like Psaltriparus, and in those points in which Psaltriparus differs from Parus, by just so much does it ap- proach Chama. This bird has an open interorbital septum, a large cardiform vacuity at the exit of the olfactory nerves, no maxillo-premaxillary nor cranio- facial hinge, elongate elliptical narial openings, and the external pro- cess of the nasal continued but a short distance along the premaxillary, All these characters, save the last, are found in the Wrens as well as in Psaltriparus, and probably in numberless other Passeres and simply illustrate the great similarity of structure obtaining in the order. In the Wrens, the external process of the nasal runs nearly the entire length of the narial opening, there is usually a small, laminar lachrymal present and the maxillo-palatines have a peculiar hamate form and are non-pneumatic. In Chamea, as in the Paride, the maxillo-palatines are pneumatic although the shape of these processes differs in the two groups. The shoulder-girdle of Chamcea is extremely feeble, the keel of the sternum being lower than in Psaltriparus minimus, and the wing much shorter than in Parus carolinensis. The distinctions between the shoulder-girdle of Chama and the Tit- mice are teleological rather than morphological, and this is equally true of the same parts in the Wrens and Titmice, the Wreus being narrow- chested weak-armed birds, while the Tits are sturdy, full chested, and strong armed. Like the Wrens Chamcea has the ridge running upward from the epi- coracoid almost obsolete, and this is a point of some value, its presence or absence apparently having nothing to do with power of flight. The coracoid of Chamcea seems unusually long, but the length is ap- parent, and not real, being due to the small size of the associated parts. The sacrum of Chamea, like that of the Paride, is broad and deeply pitted, but here similarity between the pelvic girdles of the two ceases. Viewed from above, the pelvis of Chamca is anteriorly narrow and posteriorly contracted, as in Wrens, possessing the characteristic an- gular aspect peculiar to the pelvis of that group. Viewed laterally the dorsal outline of the pelvis is alike decurved in Chamea and the Wrens, the dorsal outline of the pelvis in the Paride— as in the Thrushes—being much straighter. The renal fosse in Chamea are shaped as in the Wrens, being more sharply triangular than in the Paride. eee PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 346 - In proportionate length of hind limb Chamaa surpasses any of the Wrens and greatly exceeds any Titmouse. The tibia and tarsus of Chamea are as long as the corresponding bones in Campylorhynchus, and but for the shorter femur of Chamaa the hind limbs of the two birds would be of the same length, although Cam- pylorlynchus is almost one-half the longer of the two, and certainly four times as heavy. In the arrangement of the phalangeal articular facets Chamaa is wren-like, the second and fourth being in the same plane, while in the Paride the secoud is above the fourth. Chamea is characterized by a cousiderable development of the pro- cnemial ridge, this probably bearing some relation to its ground-haunt- ing habits; still the amount of development of the pro and ectocnemial ridges is variable, both among the Wrens and Tits. It appears, then, that in its cranial characters Chamea is much like Psaltriparus, while the shoulder girdle is slightly and the pelvie girdle decidedly wrenlike. Dr, Shufeldt’s conclusion that Chamwa finds its nearest relative in Psaltriparus was therefore more correct than my own, that Chamaa be- longed with the Wrens, and I can only say that at.the time I ventured this opinion Psaltriparus was not available. On the other hand, none of the characters shown in the skeleton of Chamea seems sufficient to warrant placing the genus either with the Wrens or Tits, but rather bear out the intermediate position indicated in the name of Wren-Tit. That Chamea should show resemblances to or leanings toward more than one group of birds is not at all surprising, for, as Professor New- ton most truly says: This last and highest group of birds (Oscines) is one which, as before hinted, it is is very hard to subdivide. Some two or three natural, because well differentiated, families are to be found in it. G2. . But the great mass, comprebending incomparably the greatest number of genera and species of birds, defies any sure means of separation. Here and there, of course, a good many individual genera may be picked ont capable of the most accurate definition, but genera like these are in the minority and most of the remainder present several apparent alliances from which we are at a loss to choose that which is near- est. * * * We may take examples in which what we may call the Thrush form, the Tree creeper form, the Finch form, or the Crow form is pushed to the most extreme point of differentiation, but we shall find that between the outposts thus established there exists a reguiar chain of intermediate stations so intimately connected that no precise lines of demarkation can be drawn cutting off one from the other.” Limited as my studies of the skeletal characters of the Oscines have been they are sufficient to emphasrize the above remarks, and it is probably not assuming too much to say that with a sufficiently large series of specimens any two oscinine birds may be osteologicaly linked together. _—_— - —— * Art. Ornithology, Ency. Brit., 1x, vol. xvu11, p. 47. U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. XXVII ey OSTEOLOGY OF PARIDA, SITTA, AND CHAMAA. 1. Parus major. 3. Parus bicolor. 6, 7. Psaltriparus plumbeus. 2. Auriparus flaviceps. 4,5. Afgithalus caudatus. NOTE ON THE ASPREDINID&. BY THEODORE GILL, M.D., PH.D. Dr. and Mrs. Eigenmann, in their very important and well consid- ered contributions to the systematic history of the Nematognatks of South America, have substituted for the Aspredinide the name Platy- stacide. This was evidently done on the ground that the name As- predo, although early used by Linnzus and Gronovius, was abandoned by Linneeus in the later editions of the “Systema Nature” and was not used by a binomial writer till after Bloch had given to the correspond- ing group the generic name Platystacus. The logic in this case was good but there are other elements to be considered and a more complete survey of the literature will reveal that Aspredo can still be retained as a generic name and consequently Aspre- dinide as a family name. I. Aspredo was framed by Linnzeus as a name for the species generally known later as Aspredo levis or batrachus. It was given as a unino- mial name and apparently because the author had not satisfied him- self as to the proper generic relations of the species; it was not given as a true generic designation.* Ji Aspredo was first taken up as a generic name by Gronow (Gronovius) who, in the first volume of his Museum Ichthyologicum (p. 8, 1754), made known a species now generally called Aspredo cotylephorus, but supposed by him to be the Linnzan species. 1OGE Aspredo was adopted as a genus by Linneus in the ninth edition of his ‘Systema Nature,” which was edited by Gronovius, and in which the system and genera of Gronovius were adopted for the class of fishes *The description and figure in the Ameenitates academic (vy. I, p. 593, pl. 2, f. 5) are in the dissertation entitled ‘‘ Laurentii Balk, Gerali-Gestric, Museum-Adolpho- Fredericianum,” Balk being a student who defended the thesis (May 31, 1746) and ‘not the real author. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XITI.—No. 831. “7 3 348 NOTE ON THE ASPREDINIDA. (1756, 6).* The only reference under the genus was to Gronovius, viz: “Aspredo. Gr. M. Ichth. n. 26. 5, 8. 6. 55. 9.t LV; Aspredo was abandoned as a generic term by Linnus in the latter editions of his Systema Nature, wherein the well-known arrangement of his own invention was applied and the species referred to the genus Silurus, the fish originally figured in the “Ameoenitates Academic” and the Gronovian species being both referred to the * Silurus aspredo.” Ve Aspredo having been previously only published in non-binomial works, and having been repudiated as a generic name by Linnzeus, was thus left in abeyance, and in accordance with the rules of nomenclature adopted, if not previously reénforced, would be superseded by any other name later given. Bloch long afterward gave the name Platystacus to a compound of Aspredinide and Plotoside, and that name has been log- ically adopted for the chief Aspredinoid genus by Dr. and Mrs. Eigen- mann, who were unacquainted with any use of the name Aspredo be- tween the tenth edition of Linnieus and the work of Bloch. But the generic name Aspredo was actually reénforced. VI. In 1777, J. A. Scopoli published an “ Introductio ad Historiam Natur- alem,” in which he adopted most of the Gronovian as well as Linnean genera, and among them was Aspredo. The genus was defined in the following terms: 271. Aspredo, Gronoy. Membrana branch. oss. 4. Radius pinnz pectoralis anterior validissimus, dentato-serratus. The name is thus validated as a binomial generic term, whatever may be considered to be the typical species. But some difference of opinion is possible on account of certain complications resulting from the publication of Swainson’s unscientific work. WIT. Platystacus was a name introduced by Bloch in 1794 for the species of Aspredo of Gronovius and cousequently Seopoli, but he also con- founded, under the same name, species of the genus later called Plotosus. ta Practically, however, Platystacus Bloch is a synonym of Aspredo (Gron.) Seopoli. *Characteres in singulis partibus eosdem agnovi, quos in priori editione recitavi ; Scilicet ...... ; Ichthyologiam vero secundum Membranas Branchiostegas et pinnarnm radios compendiose tali ordine proposui, quali exstat in Gronovii Museo Ichthyol- ogico, cujus nova detecta Genera hue introduxi. Linnaeus, o. c., Lectori, 3d leaf. tThe numbers indicate the radial formula, viz: D. 5, P. 8, V. 6, A. 55, C, 9.—A diagnosis of the genus was given. pay | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 349 ViTT, The genera Aspredo and Platystacus contained, besides the first species made known (characterized by a long tail and anal fin), one species with a short tail and analis. To the latter type Aspredo was restricted by Swainson, and to the former a new name (Coftylephorus) was given. The name Platystacus was transferred to the genus later called Chaca, but of which no species was known to Bloch. CONCLUSIONS. Various views may be taken of the questions thus indicated. Some might contend that the typical species of Aspredo was that first made known under that name. Others might claim that inasmuch as Grono- vius was not a binomial author, all the species were on the same level and that consequently Aspredo, adopted from Scopoli, might be re- stricted to any genus represented by species comprised (by implication) in his genus. Still others might urge that the species figured by Grono- vius and not the Linnean fish shculd be the type. I do not propose to waste time by supposing and meeting the arguments that might be urged. The most expedient course, it seems to me, will be to accept the genus as from Scopoli, but, inasmuch as he adopted it frow Grono- vius, to take as the type a species first known to him. Gronovius, in his turn, adopted the name from Linneeus, and accordingly the Linnean species nay be considered as the type. Weare thus led to the nomen- clature of Bleeker and most modern authors, Bleeker has chosen to retain the name Platystacus for a genus (probably rather a subgenus) of the family, and inasmuch as he has limited the name to one of the species known to Bloch, he appears to have been justified in doing so. The fact that a Plotosus was figured in the ‘Systema Ichthyologiae” as illustrative of Platystacus is not, I think, sufficient to attach the name to the genus Plotosus. The synonymy of the family and included groups may be useful as a synoptical expression of the facts detailed. ASPREDINIDZA. Synonyms as family names. Drie | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 369 coming off almost as well as the membrane bones. The separate bones are as well differentiated as in an ordinary fish, although certainly not readily distinguishablein ashrunken skull. In other words, the various bones are entirely distinct and do not coalesce, although from their way of overlapping and meeting, the sutures are frequently quite obscure. The anterior portion of the infraorbital ring is well developed, and appears to be membranaceous posteriorly. Nothing is said of the enlarged lamelliform third infraorbital or ‘‘ stay,” although it is very conspicuous, and developed as in the illus- tration herewith published. The humerus is long, and composed of two broad lamelle; the pectoral rays are joined to a long series of six carpal bones, the series extending nearly to the lower end of the humerus. q The humerus, or proscapula, is morphologically developed as in the Cottoidea. In the “six carpal bones” are confounded the normal num- ber (four) and the hypercoracoid as well as hypocoracoid. In other words, there is no anomalous morphological deviation from ordinary fishes, but a close resemblance to the Cottoidea. There are thirteen abdominal and fifteen caudal vertebre ...; only the last ab- dominal and the first caudal vertebre have short and feeble ribs attached to their neural spines. 2 In the skeleton now before me there are twenty-nine vertebre (includ- ing the last semivertebra), which are separable into ten abdominal ver- tebre and nineteen caudal—i. e., bearing hemal spines. The eighth to the twentieth bear slender ribs on their centra near the lower edges or on their hemal spines. The entire skeleton of Cyclopterus is so peculiar in some respects and yet morphologically so similar to that of an ordinary cottoidean fish that it would well repay a detailed and critical study. As my only ob- ject at present is to point out the characters and relations of the includ- ing groups I refrain from further notice, and indeed the want of fresh material would deter me from such a study. It may be hoped that so interesting as well as common a fish may receive attention from some one or other of the numerous zoological stations now existing in Europe. Fresh specimens are indispensable for a successful investigation of its skeleton. It is with reluctance that I submit herewith the accompany- ing illustrations. The skeleton figured, although preserved in alcohol, collapsed when in the artist’s possession, so that the illustrations will be found to disagree with fresh specimens. The chief use of the pres- ent illustrations will be to demonstrate that the type is a true mail- cheeked fish and that there is no myodome. The most noteworthy illustrations of the skeleton of Cyclopterus are three, viz: Cyclopterus lumpus Rosenthal, Tab. Ich. (Ich. Tafeln.), pl. 19, f. 1, 1812-22. Cyclopterus lumpus Rathke, Archiv f. Phys., v. 7, pp. 498-524, pl. 6, f. 1-4, 6 (ven- - trals), f. 5 (P.), £.7 (branchiost.), f. 8-11 (vert.). Cyclopterus lumpus Borckert, Anat.-phys. Unt. Haftscheibe C.lumpus,pp. 7-34, pl. 1 (sucker and scap. arch), 1839. Proce. N. M. 90 24 370 THE RELATIONS OF CYCLOPTEROIDEA—GILL. GENERA. Three well-defined genera represent the Cyclopterida, viz: 1. Cyclopterus Linnzus, Syst. Nat., 10. ed., p. 260, 1758=LZwmpus Cuy. Type C. lumpus Linn. 2. Eumicrotremus Gili, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila., 1864, p. 190. Type EL. spinosus=Cyclopterus spinosus Miller. 3. Cyclopterichthys Steind., Ich. Beitr., x, p. 14, 1881. Type C, ventricosus=Cyclopterus ventricosus Pallas. LIPARIDIDZ. Synonyms. = Liparidide, Gill, Arrangement Families Fishes, p. 4 (name), 1872. = Liparidide, Putnam, Proc. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 1873, v. 22, B, p. 337 (diagnosis*), 1874. = Liparidide Collet, Norweg. North Atlantic Exped., Fishes, p. 50 (name), 1880. = Liparidide Jordan and Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 738, 1882. = Liparide Jordan, Cat. Fishes N. Am., p. 115, 1885. Discoboles gen., Cuvier, et al. Cyclopteride gen. Bonaparte, Giinther, et al. Gibiesocoidei gen., Bleeker, 1859. DIAGNOSIS. Cyclopteroidea with an oblong or elongate body, the abdominal cavity very short, the neural and hemal spines moderately deflected back- wards and moderately elongated, the interspinals bent backwards from the vertebral spines, ribs not continued backwards on the caudal ver- tebre, dorsalis and analis elongated and commencing forwards near the head, spinous and soft rays not segregated into distinct fins, cranium with the chrondrocranium much reduced by ossification and with the stay styliform, elongated, and crossing the preoperculum to connect with its external margin. DESCRIPTION. Body elongate, antrorsiform, more or less attenuated to the caudal fin. Scales entirely absent, the body being naked and smooth (except in males during the breeding season) and the skin more or less lax. Lateralis obsolete. Head moderate or rather large, covered by skin continuous with that of the body and concealing all the bones. Eyes lateral, mostly or entirely in the anterior half of the head. Nostrils double; the anterior and posterior separated by a narrow bridge. *The union of the suborbital chain into one long bone reaching from the maxiliary to the posterior edge of the preoperculum and the long slender ray-like interopercu- lum overlying the branchiostegal rays are marked characters of the Liparidide. Put- nam, 0. ¢., p. 338. a | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 371 Mouth terminal or subterminal, with the cleft nearly horizontal. Jaws normally developed; intermazillines with the ascending pro- cesses moderate, appressed and laminiform, separated by a shallow cleft from the compressed lateral process ; supramawzillines with the sella extended mesiad behind and with the posterior limb expanded back- wards into a lamelliform portion abruptly terminating in a pointed pro- cess with an inward expansion. Teeth acute or tricuspid, present in the jaws and sometimes on the palate. Lips rather thick. Tongue moderate. Suborbitals entirely concealed by the skin, consolidated and with the third developed as a styliform stay connected behind with the outer margin of the preoperculum. Opercular apparatus much reduced; operculum reduced to a bifid plate, one fork curved backwards and the other downwards and for- wards on a parallel with the preoperculum; suboperculum a strap-like piece under the posterior fork of the operculum ; interoperculum de- tached, ray-like, and appended to the lower jaw. Preoperculum with an upper portion expanded backwards and a lower oblique bar-like portion. Branchiotremes small and entirely confined to the sides above the pectoral axille, the branchiostegal membrane being continuous with the isthmus and scapular arch. Branchiostegal rays six on each side. Dorsalis entire, extending from near the nape backwards, with its anterior rays developed as slender spines, and the posterior simply ar- ticulated, but without external indication of the division. Analis elongate. Caudalis supported by about eight to eleven rays without supplemen- tary smaller ones, sometimes entirely free and in other species more or less connected with the dorsal and anal fins. Pectorales with wide bases procurrent forwards and numerous rays, the inframedian of which are sometimes much shortened, the posterior borders being then emarginated. Ventrales modified to form a subcircular suctorial disk; the rays have _ basal processes extending mesiad, appressed to the pelvic bones and immovable; there are six on each side, mostly converted into osseous tissue and not articulated. . Branchie three and one-half to four, with the slit behind the fourth obsolete or suppressed; gill-rakers moderate. SUBDIVISIONS OF LIPARIDID A. The family of Liparidids is represented by three well-marked types which deviate from each other in characters which are generally of family value; that is, there is generally much less difference in the 372 THE RELATIONS OF CYCLOPTEROIDEA—GILL. character of the pectorals and in the position of the ventrals in @ natural family than is manifested in the present. Therefore, I formerly suggested the isolation of the two then known into distinct subfamilies. A subsequently discovered type—Paraliparis—was later recognized by Jordan and Gilbert as the representative of another (Amitrine) distin- guished by the want of the ventral sucker. In the so-called Amitrina, the complicated ventral sucker, so characteristic of the discobolous fishes, has entirely disappeared, but in the genus Careproctus, the sucker has diminished so much in size and importance as to prepare us for its disappearance in forms in which the same lines of degeneration were pushed to an extreme. COareproctus, in fact, is intermediate be- tween Liparis and Paraliparis or Amitra in the structure of the pec- torals as well as on account of the reduced ventral disk. Nevertheless, the genera of Liparidide are apparently so nearly related in most de- tails of structure and so few in number that it matters little whether subfamilies are admitted or not. If they are admitted, it will only be to bring into relief the general significance of their characters and to harmonize the family with others. The question whether it is best to: retain them may await answer until the comparative anatomy of the several types is known. Meanwhile, only two subfamilies are retained, those depending on the presence or absence of the ventral sucker. LIPARIDIN&. Synonymy. = Liparine, Gill, Cat. Fishes, E. Coast N. A., p. 47, L861. = Liparidina, Giinther, Cat. Fishes, Brit, Mus., v. 3, p. 154-158, 1861.. = Liparidine, Gill, Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., (v. 16.) p, 190, 1864. > Liparidine, Gill, Cat. Fishes, E. Coast N. A., p. 8, 1874. > Careproctine, Gill, Cat. Fishes, E. Coast N. A., p. 8, 1874. = Liparine, Jordan and Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 739, 1882. Cyclopterini, gen. Bonaparte. DIAGNOSIS. Liparidide with a ventral sucker. GENERA. The subfamily is represented by the following genera: LIPARIS. Synonymy. (Non-binomial. ) = Liparis, Artedi, Synonymia Piscium, p. 47, 1738. = Cyclogaster, Gronov., Museum Ichthyologicum, ii, 1756; Zoophylacium, p. 55, 1763. Binomial. PPE ME nie sr a = Liparis, Scopoli, Int. Hist., Nat., p. 453, 1777. < Liparis, Cuvier, Regne Animal, 17 éd., t. 2, p. 227, 1817. < Cyclogaster, Girard, Exp]. and Surv. for R. R. Route o Pacific Oc. v. 10, Fisbes, p.. 131, 1858. f Ting s eet PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 373 < Liparis, Giinther, Cat. Fishes, Brit. Mus., v. 3, p. 154, 1861. = Liparis, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., v. 16, p. 190, 1864. > Actinochir, Gill, Cat. Fishes, E. Coast, N. A., p. 193, 1864 (subgenus). > Neoliparis, Steindachner, Ich. Beitr., iii, p. 54, 1875 (subgenus). Type, L. liparis = Cyclopterus liparis Linn. CAREPROCTUS. Synonymy. == Careproctus, Kroyer, Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift, 3. Rekke, B. 1, p. 253, 1862, = Careproctus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., v. 16, p. 194, 1864. Liparis, sp., Giinther, ete. Type, C. Reinhardii Kr. ENANTIOLIPARIS. Synonymy. = Enantioliparis, Vaillant, Miss. Sc. du Cap Horn, Poissons, p. 22, 1888. Liparis, sp., Putnam, Fischer. Type, Z. pallidus Vaill. PARALIPARIDINZ. Synonymy. = Amitrime, Jordan and Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 739, 1882. Liparidina gen Giinther. DIAGNOSIS. Tiparidide with the ventral fins suppressed. GENERA. Only one genus is known, which was originally based on an injured specimen, very naturally supposed to have had a ventral disk torn off; consequently when perfect specimens were subsequently obtained Dr. Goode was prevented from identifying them with the genus, and there- fore proposed a new generic name for his specimens. PARALIPARIS. Synonymy. = Paraliparis, Collett, Forh. Vid. Selsk. Christiana, No. 14, p. 32, 1878; Norske Nordh. Exped., Fiske, p. 53, 1880. = Amitra, Goode, Proc. U. 8S. Nat. Mus, v. 3, p. 478, 1831 (not Amitrus, Schénh). = Monomitra, Goode, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., v. 6, p. 109, 1884. Type, P. bathybii Collett. NOMENCLATURE OF LIPARIS. By all authors the names Liparis or Cyclogaster have been adopted for the genus in question, the former name being attributed to Artedi by Giinther, and to Linnzeus by Jordan and Gilbert, while the latter has been accredited to Gronovius. A brief notice of the status of the nomenclature will be timely. 374 THE RELATIONS OF CYCLOPTEROIDEA—GILL. - i Tiparis was not given as a generic name by Artedi. That naturalist, after having referred the descriptions and figures of most fishes given by his predecessors to such species and genera as he supposed them to belong to, noticed in an appendix to his ‘“*Synonymia nominum” a number of fishes which he was unable to allocate. Such notices he assembled under names which had been given as specific. Among those undeterminable fishes was the one called Liparis by authors. The various notices were thus brought together. “ LIPARIS. “1, LIPARIS. ‘“‘q, Liparis nostras, Johnson, in append. Willugh., p. 17. “ Raj., p. 74. ‘Forte sequentia synonymia hue pertineant. “8, Liparis, Rondel, 1. 9, ¢. 8, p. 272. ‘*Gesner, p. 483. ‘* Aldroy., 1.3; cy 15) p.296. “/Jonston, le LU; tib. Wie. 2. ous ae heads “‘Willugh., p. 135. * Raj., p. 74. ‘“ Anglis Eboracensibus & Dunelinensibus The sea-snail.” It is thus evident that Artedi did not use Liparis as a generic name. Furthermore, he was not a binomial writer. \ The name Liparis was not used as a generic designation by Linneeus, and that naturalist referred the species so called to the genus Cyclop- terus as C. liparis. By other writers, Liparis has been accredited as a generic name to Cuvier, who took it up in the first edition of his “ Regne Animal ” (1817). Before 1817, however (in 1810), the name Liparis had been used as a generic term by Ochsenheimer for a genus of lepidopterous insects. Therefore its use would have been precluded in ichthyology, had it not — been given to the fish genus before. mt, Cyclogaster was proposed as a generic name for the same fishes by Gronovius in 1763. Girard, in 1858, without giving any reasons for his. course, but possibly having become cognizant of the facts about Artedi’s status, used the name Cyclogaster in place of the generally adopted Li- paris. Gronovius, however, was not a binomial author, and before Oyclogaster was taken up by Girard, the name had been twice used by other bino- mial authors, viz, by Macquart for a genus of Dipters in 1834, and by Westwood for a genus of Hemipters in 1837. UL aaa PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 375 III. If we were dependent on the authors thus cited, neither Liparis nor Cyclogaster could be used for the fish genus, and the name next in suc- cession would be Actinochir proposed for a section of the genus in 1864. These facts would doubtless be soon discovered by some one of the sev- eral active investigators of the literature and morpholology of ichthy- ology, and a change might then be proposed without further knowledge. No change will be necessary, however, as in a binomial work univer- sally overlooked, the name Liparis was used for the genus in question long before it was employed otherwise. In 1777, J. A. Scopoli published an “ Introdvetio ad historiam natv- ralem sistens genera Lapidvm, Plantarvm, et Animalivm hactenvs de- tecta,” in which, among others, he defined the genera of tishes. Liparis was therein (p. 453) first used generically, though attributed to Artedi, and defined in the following terms: 269. Liparis. Arted. Aperture branchialessuperne tantum hiantes. Membrana branch. nuda, oss. 7), Pinne inermes, 5); ventrali spuria, circulari, ut in Cycloptero. Iiparis was referred to the second “ gens” of fishes characterized by the approximation of the anus to the head, the second “ divisio” of the gens (dentati) having teeth, and the second ‘ordo” of the “dentati” having teeth in the jaws and throat. Cyclopterus was kept by Scopoli, as by Linneus, in the Amphibia with chondropterygious fishes (p. 465). It is, therefore, Scopoli who has preserved the genus Liparis for ich- thyology. The type, of course, is the species mentioned by Artedi. The facts in the case are Summarized in the synonymy already given, (p. 372). EXPLANATION OF PLATES. PLATE XXVIII. Fig. 1. Cyclopterus lumpus (reduced from Goode). 3. Eumicrotremus speirosus (reduced from Collett). 3, Scapular arch and pelvis of Cyclopterus lumpus, the right-hand figures repre- senting the external surface, and the left-hand figures the internal surface of those bones (reduced from Borckert). EXPLANATION OF LETTERS. a. Actinosts 1-4. p. 3. Lateral process. hype. Hypercoracoid. pel. Postclavicle. hypo. Hypocoracoid. prt. Posterotemporal. ic. Interscapula. pt. Posttemporal. p. 1, Anterior pointed process. ps. Proscapula. p.2. Anterior broad process. 376 Fig. 1 Fig. or Ww = THE RELATIONS OF CYCLOPTEROIDEA—GILL. PLATE XXIX. Liparis Fabricii. . An adult individual with papille, and with the bases of the dorsal and anal fins concealed by adipose tissue and skin. . An immature individual with color markings and with bases of the dorsal and anal fins apparent through the skin. . Head, from above, of adult. . Head, from below, of adult. . Teeth of two individuals (a, b). (All reduced from Liiken’s Bidragt., tab. 15, fig. 4-6). PLATE XXX. . Skull and shoulder-girdle of Cyclopterus lumpus. . Cranium of Liparis liparis from side. . Cranium of Liparis liparis from above. . Cranium of Liparis liparis from below. . Cranium of Liparis liparis from behind. EXPLANATIONS OF LETTERS. Actinost. pel. Postelavicle. Basioccipital. pfr. Prefrontal. Exoccipital. po. Preoperculum. Epiotic. pro. Prootic. Ethmoid. prt. Posterotemporal. Frontal. ps. Parasphenoid. Hyomandibular. psc Proscapula. Hypercoraeoid. pt. Post-temporal. Hypocoracoid. ptf. Postfrontal. Interscapula. pto. Pterotic. Interoperculum. 81,2,3. Suborbitals. Operculum. 80. Suboperculum. Opisthotic. 80. Supraoccipital (cranium), Parietal. vo. Vomer. XXVIII BE PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIll U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM CYCLOPTERIDA. ye U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIli PL. XXIX LIPARIDIDA. U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. XXX ae : Ss ae Ng } << ADEE! Sele Ee the: Rif PS pro opo plo CYCLOPTERIDAZ AND LIPARIDIDA. tne See ie ‘THE OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY HEMI- TRIPTERID£. BY THEODORE GILL., M. D., Pu. D. (With plate xxxXI.) Much difference of opinion has prevailed respecting the relationship of the genus Hemitripterus and its taxomomic rank. By the older au- thors it was approximated to the cottiform genera. In the “ Catalogue of the Fishes of the Eastern Coast of North America” (1861, p. 42), it was referred to the family ‘‘Cottoide” as distinguished from the “ Scor- penoide.” Dr. Giinther subsequently removed it to the family Scor- penoide. Influenced by Dr. Giinther’s views, I also subsequently (1865) transferred the genus to the family Scorpenide, isolating it, however, as a subfamily type. Later (in 1872 and 1876), I elevated it to family rank and approximated it to the Cottide. By most American ichthyolo- gists, the genus has been referred to the family Cottide. A reéxamina- tion of the genus was undertaken to ascertain what more detailed study would indicate. The results may be formulated in three dicta: - (1) The genus Hemitripterus is unquestionably very closely related to the Cottide. (2) The genus and the Cottide agree in so many respects and differ so much from others that they may be segregated in a peculiar super- family, the Cottoidea. (3) The difference between Hemitripterus and the other Cottoidea war- rant the isolation of the genus in a peculiar family, the Hemitripteride. The detailed description of the family and the accompanying illustra- tions will furnish the data for judgment by others. HEMITRIPTERIDZ. Synonyms as family name. =Hemitripteride Gill, Arrangement Family of Fishes, p. 6, 1872 (not defined). =Hemitripteride Gill, Johnson’s New Univ. Cycl., vol. 2, p. 873, 1876 (defined). =Hemitripteride Gill, Standard Nat. Hist., vol. 3, p. 254, 1885 (named only). Triplide gen., Bonaparte. Cottoidei gen., Bleeker (1659). Scorpenide gen., Giinther. Cottide sub-fam., Jordan and Gilbert. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII.—No. 835. 378 CHARACTERISTICS OF HEMITRIPTERIDZ—GILL. Synonyms as subfamily names. Hemitripterine Gill, Canad. Nat., N. 8., vol. 2, p. 251 (defined). 1865. Hemitriptering Jordan and Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 683, 1882. DIAGNOSIS. Cottoidea, with a dorsal consisting of a very elongate acanthopterous and short arthropterous portion, incomplete subjugular or thoracic ventrals (I, 3), inflated head with depressed crown and prominent orbits, branchial apertures confluent, but with the branchiostegal membrane broad and continuous below, with the trunk antrorsiform, the vertebre numerous (e. g , 16+23), and the myodome contracted behind and other- wise peculiarly developed. DESCRIPTION. Body elongate and antrorsiform or slightly dosadiform, and with the anus in the anterior half of the length. Scales replaced by spiniform or prickly dermal appendages. Lateral line decurved from the scapular region and submedian behind. Head moderate or small, with turgid cheeks. Eyes mostly or entirely in the anterior half of the head. Nostrils double, separated by a narrow bridge, nearly midway between the snout and eyes. Mouth terminal, with the cleft little oblique or almost horizontal. Jaws normally developed ; intermaxillines with short ascending proc- esses; Supramaxillines with wide inferior margins and with the termi- nal portions deflected. Teeth acute, in broad bands on the jaws and palate. Lips thin, obsolete in front. Tongue well developed and free all around. Suborbitals well developed ; anterior extending forwards; third cross- ing the cheek nearly horizontally and articulating with most of the upper half of the preoperculum. Opercular apparatus peculiar ; operculum moderate, inclined upwards; suboperculum reduced, under the operculum and produced behind it in a linguiform lobe; Suteuecaioe contracted under the preoperculum, leaving a part of the branchiostegal membrane exposed. Branchiotremes continuous below. Branchiostegals six; two arising from the inner side of the ceratohyal and four from the outer edge of the ceratohyal and epihyal. Dorsalis developed into two parts, a long anterior composed of slen- der spines and a short posterior of articulated rays ; the spinous dorsal typically has a sigmoid emargination, the first spine being longest, the two succeeding gradually cecreasing, and the fourth to sixth shorter than the preceding or succeeding. Analis elongate and without spines. a | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 379 Pectorales moderate, with extended procurrent bases, and with all the rays connected by membrane, the lower at least being unbranched. Ventrales thoracic, imperfect, being composed each of a spine and three unbranched rays. Branchie four, with the slit behind the last arch obsolete. Gill rakers short, developed as two rows of dentigerous plates on three arches and one (anterior) row on the fourth. Branchial skeleton normal (cottoidean); three basibranchials ossified ; hypobranchials of three pairs in line with the ceratobranchials of fourth arch suppressed ; ccratobranchials and epibranchials of four arches well developed; pharyngobranchials reduced to one pair of basin-shaped den- tigerous epipharyngeals convex on the dentigerous surface and excavated in the opposite, connected with all the epibranchials ; hypopharyngeals divergent and each with a submarginal inferior keel. ~ REMARKS. Externally the Hemitripterids are distinguishable by a peculiar phys- iognomy and especially by the proportions of the dorsal fin. But the chief differences which are manifested on comparison with other forms are revealed by an examination of the cranium. The principal pecu- liarity lies in the mode in which the floor of the cranial cavity is modi- fied. The myodome is much contracted behind by the depression and appression of the ledge of the basioccipitine to the body of the bone and the parasphenoid and its upheaval only towards its anterior margin; the ledge from the walls of the periotics are tilted very obliquely upwards and connected with each other and the ledge of the basioccipital by broad bands of cartilage; the basioccipital is also peculiar in being sur- mounted in front of the exoccipitines by partitions nearly parallel but incurved about the middle and sloping outwards, these being connected by cross bars inclosing recesses, one bar being formed by an uptilted shelf of the exoccipital and an anterior one by a thin oblique uplifted shelf; the lateral walls project much beyond these and terminate in trenchant edges.* A character of less importance but still noteworthy is the atrophy or suppression of the median occipital crest, which,-in the Cottide, is well developed on the posterior wall of the cranium These differences seem to be supplemented by others of minor impor. tance but whose systematic significance can only be determined when more is known of the osteological details of the numerous genera of Cottide. The scapular arch is typically cottoidean, the upper three enlarged actinosts articulating directly with a cartilaginous extension of the *The relations to the soft par.s of these structures can only be. determined by a. careful study of the soft anatomy, for which I have uot the material. 380 CHARACTERISTICS OF HEMITRIPTERIDEZ—GILL. proscapula, while between the fourth and the proscapula intervenes the hypocoracoid ; the hypercoracoid might well be mistaken for an actinost by one unacquainted with the morphology of the skeleton, as in fact it has been in the case of Cyclopterus by Dr. Giinther. Only one genus is known, viz: HEMITRIPTERUS Cuvier, Régne An., 2. ed., vol. 2, p. 164, 1829. Type H. americanus=Scorpena americana Gmel. PLATE XXXI. Fig. 1. Hemitripterus americanus (reduced from Goode). 2. Cranium from side. 3. Cranium in medisection. 4. Cranium from above. 5. Cranium from below. EXPLANATION OF LETTERS. bo. Basioccipital. pfr. Prefrontal. eo. Exoccipital. pro. Prootic. epo. Epiotic. ps. Parasphenoid. eth. Ethmoid. ptf. Postfrontal. fr. Frontal. pto. Pterotic. opo. Opisthotic. so. Supraoccipital. par. Parietal. v. Vomer. U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIIl PL. XXXI HEMITRIPTERIDA. PLAYING CARDS FROM JAPAN. BY Mrs. J. KING vAN RENSSELAER. (With plate xxxII. ) The history of playing cards, their introduction into Europe from the East by the gypsies or by the home-returning crusaders, the change and development they underwent, while being adapted, from the cards of the Orient and altered into those that are familiar to our eyes, has been dwelt upon by numbers of writers; but the cards used in Japan have not been mentioned in any of the best known histories, although they are more distinctly original than any others, and they show no marks of the common origin which the Italian, Spanish, Ger- man, French, Hindoo, and Chinese ecards display. The Japanese cards are oblong, and are made of pasteboard; the backs are painted black, with none of the checkered dotted marks which usually decorate European cards. The designs seem to be sten- ciled, and are brightly and appropriately colored, and then covered with an enamel or varnish, which makes them quite as slippery as our own. They are very much smaller than our cards, being a little more than 2 inches long by 1 inch broad. Forty-nine in number, they are divided into twelve suits of four cards in each suit. One card is a trifle smaller than the rest of the pack, and has a plain white face not embellished with any distinctive emblem, and this one is used as a ‘“‘joker.” The other cards are cov- eredwith designs that represent that twelve flowers or other things ap- propriate to the weeks of the year. Each card is distinct and different from its fellows, even if bearing the same emblem, and they can be easily distinguished and classified, not only by the symbolic flowers they bear, but also by a character or letter that marks nearly every card, and which seems to denote the vegetable that represents the month. The only month that has no floral emblem is August, and that suit is marked by mountains and warm-looking skies. January is represented by pine trees, that, on two of the cards, are shown against a lurid sky.; the third one has a grayish background, that throws the trees into strong relief, and the fourth has a setting sun flecked with light clouds, the pines barely indicated in front of it, and the greater part of the card covered with the figure of a huge white bodied, red-eyed, stork. Proceedings National Museum Vol. XIII.—No. 836. 381 382 PLAYING CARDS FROM JAPAN—VAN RENSSALAER. February displays, as its emblem, a plum blossom; the four cards - devoted to this month bearing its flower in various positions. March has a red cherry blossom, and April the hanging tendrils of the wistaria vine. On one of the cards of this suit is a wee yellow-bird, which is flying across its surface under a crimson cloud. For May there are beautiful blue Iris springing from long spiky leaves. One card shows in one of its corners part of a dock or pier, and also the water out.of which the flower is lifting its lovely head. June is represented by blood-red peonies, over one of which two he low butterflies are hovering. On July’s cards star-shaped leaves, some yellow, some red, and some black, are scattered over their surfaces. These leaves resemble those of our “* Gum” or “Liquid amber” trees, but they bear the Japanese name of Haigi. On one of the cards belonging to this suit a deer is repre- sented standing under the branches of this strangely-hued tree. This is the only figure which recalls in anyway the emblems used on cards belonging to other nations, as on one of the Chinese cards is found either a deer or else Chinese characters which have been translated to mean “ This is a deer.” August is represented by four pictures of grass-covered mountains, in three of which they are sharply defined against a clouded blue sky, and in the fourth the sun, looking hot and sultry,.beams down on a treeless hill. Three birds fly across the sky on one of these cards. September bears the Mikado’s flower, a yellow and red chrysanthemum. October, a maple tree with red or yellov leaves; and on one card is a yellow boar trotting off towards the symbolic tree. November shows on one of its cards a willow sharply outlined against a leaden sky. The willows on a fellow-card look wind-tossed, and a long-tailed bird skims across the sky. A third card is covered with inky clouds, torrents of rain, and strange zigzags resembling forked lightning. The fourth card of this suit bears a quaint figure of a man rushing through the storm under the willow trees and dropping his san- dals in his haste, his head covered with a huge yellow umbrella; streaks of lightning surround the little figure, and the storm of rain is well de- picted in the picture. December bears the imperial Japanese plant kiri, and over one of these flowers hovers a beautiful red-crested silver-winged pheasant. An infinite variety of games are played with these cards, as there is a shade of difference in each one cf each set, and in some games each has a separate value. The favorite game in Japan at the present mo- ment is very like casino, in which any card of a set may take any other, but all have their own values in the final count. PL. XXXII PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM JAPANESE PLAYING-CARDS. = a AY, > ar NOTES ON NORTH AMERICAN MYRIAPODA OF THE FAMILY GEOPHILIDZA, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE GENERA, BY O. F. Cook anp G. N. COLLINs, of Syracuse, New York. (With Plates xXXIII-xxXv.) When, in 1814, Leach erected the family Geophilide, he proposed but the one genus, Geophilus. From that time until 1866 thirteen genera were described, four by Newport, one by Gray, and eight by ©. Koch. The characters employed by these writers were external and extremely variable, and the genera established upon them did not, for the most part, represent natural groups. The character of the work done on this family previous to 1866 may be inferred from the fact that the investigators were not sufficiently careful to count the legs accurately, at least half the species described being credited with an even number of pairs. At that date Bergsoe and Meinert published a revision of the classification of the family, and among other things announced, having counted the legs of some six handred specimens, that the number of pairs of legs is always uneven, and since that time writers conversant with the work of these authorities have not been reporting an even number of pairs of legs. Indeed, there is no well authenticated case of a Chilopod being possessed of an even number of pairs, and Latzel * remarks in his characterization of that order: All accounts of an even number of pairs of feet, which one can find in so many - works on Myriapoda, are false, and occur either through mistakes in counting or through the fact that the last pair of feet has been separated from the others as anal appendages, and not counted with them, which is unreasonable. But the writers on Geophilide can not be acquitted of miscounting, for if the last pair were omitted the number would invariably be even, while the earlier writers are continually mentioning species with both odd and even numbers of pairs. 4 American writers, with the exception of Mr. McNeill, have continued to describe species with an even number of pairs of legs, and the last paper mentioning species of this family, pubiished during the present year, mentions Himantarium teniopse as having one hundred and forty- eight pairs. * Die Myr. d. Ost.-Ung. Monarchie, Erste Hiilfte, s. 11. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 837. 3 38 384 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDA—COOK AND COLLINS. : The characters of the mouth parts were put forward by Bergsoe and Moeinert as the principal means of separating genera, external characters being largely disregarded in generic descriptions. The genera of pre- vious writers, with the exception of Geophilus Leach, Mecistocephalus Newport, and Himantarium C. Koch, were ignored. This may appear to have been a very summary method of disposing of them, but the characters on which they were based were too unimportant to have warranted their establishment in the first place, and any attempt at adapting the old names to the new classification would have resulted in wholesale confusion. Recent European writers have adopted this new Classification, but as no characterization of the genera as at pres- ent defined has appeared in the English language, we have thought best to present a tabulation of the more salient characters of all the now recognized genera, as an introduction to some notes on American forms. Site J’nts | Claw pat dats CE a Labrum. Pleural Anal) of of matics. || aieiles:| bean | pores. |pores.| anal | anal legs. | feet Mecistocephalus.........-...------ 0 | Many.| 3 HB): ee | Many...| 1 6 0 Geophilus .........--------+--+---- aa 0 3 | Tei con sete 0-Many.| 0-1 6 0-1 Cheetechelyne ....--..-------+-++2+ 1 0 Coe Ee) Many...| 0-1 | 6 | 0-1 Scotophilus...-...--. ac seodesbo5T: 1 0 3 ITGGr ernie 1-Many.| 0 5 0 Dignathodon......0----02-e200+---- 1 0 3 Te cic=5-5 Many...| 0 5-6 | 0-1 Stigmatogaster .......---.-.------- Many.| 1 1 Free .....- Many...| 0 6 0 Himantarium .......---0+----+----- Many.| 1 1 GG ee = | Many...| 0 6 0 Scolioplanes -..ceee----e-eeee seen 1 0 3 Free ....-. | Many...| 1 6 1 Bothriogaster.....2.-ees-eeeeess-e Many. 1 1 Free (?) ..-| Many...| 0 6 0 Mesocanthus ......--++2+---+------ t5 0 1 Free .....- 0 0 {6 0 Orphneus - ...--.-----+++---- --| 45 0 1 TeGr sane 0 0 {6 0 OLY... 22 eee nee ere re ne cen een eencee 7-8 0 2 Coalesced. 0 0 {6 0 Notiphilides -......-----++---++---- 4 0 1 Coalesced . 0 0 {5 0 Chomatobius .......---++---+-+---- Many 1 1 Free...... Many 0 6 1 Schendyla§.....-------0+---.e--+-- 1 1 1 Coalesced.| 2 0 6 0-1 Pectiniunguis ...... .---++--------- 1 3 1 Coalesced. 2 0 6 0 ESscaryus .---.2---20-ccncecces sens 1 3 1 Free||-.... Many 1 (ih) Stylolamus]] ..-----------20 222 22-|-- eee ene |e en eee eels n eee eee eee n ee teen eee eee een ee seGinesi| sen 'aeal lena ; * With regard to this genus, Meinert says (Nat. Tiddskr., vil, 44): ‘‘Labrum free, entire, sinuate, armed with long hairs.’’ Latzel (op. cit., 201) expressly contradicts this statement, declaring that a labrum is not distinguishable, and that Meinert’s labral hairs are on the cephalic lamina; his generic characterization is ‘‘Labrum evanidum.” + We tabulate them as pectinate lamellx, out of deference to Meinert’s statement (op. cit., 34). In his diagram they appear to be very similar in structure and shape to the dentate lamelle of Himan- tarium and its allied genera; but they do not bear any apparent resemblance to what have been called pectinate lamella in any other genus. t In these genera the so-called ‘‘pleura of the last segment” are not enlarged or provided with pores, and do not apparently differ from the joints of the legs. In such cases, legs with five or six joints are said to be, respectively, pseudo-six- or seven-jointed. s §In Schendyla eximia Meinert the labrum is free in the middle, and the anal legs five-jointed. || Or slightly coalesced at the lateral angles. 4 The description of Stylolemus Karsch (Troschel, Archiv. f. Naturgesch. XLyu, 9, und Taf. 1, fig. 3, a, b) is so meager as not to give even the characters covered in the tabulation. From the diagram it would appear that the prehensorial feet are more different from those of other Geophilide than the latter are from those of the other families of Chilopoda, and the configuration of the posterior seg- ments is not less remarkable. -_ Eieegr | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 385 Meinert’s terminology of parts has, with very unimportant exceptions, been used in the descriptions of genera and species; not, however, with any intention of implying that we can indorse all of the views of that writer in regard to the development of the various organs and their homologies with corresponding parts in Hexapods, in which matters he and Latzel differ so widely. But Meinert has made important contri- butions to the literature of the North American species, and it would seem that until these questions meet with some generally recognized settlement, the convenience arising from uniformity in descriptions should be a greater consideration for continuing Meinert’s terms and methods than any advantage to be gained by changes in accordance with the momentary probability which may attach to the views of suc- cessive investigators. While the characters drawn from the mouth parts are of most im- portance, it may nevertheless be occasionally convenient to separate genera without dissection. The following synoptic table is based on the least variable external characters; it is a translation from the Rus- sian of Sseliwanoft’s “ Geophilide museja imperatorskot Akademii nauk,” so amended as to contain the new American genera. Peay CMUrdl POred IN GEMNITC ATEAS.... 000 secces scvese seccenccecs SIGADES einle’e sieeiyawey meye PUPA COMMU IOAN cin cus oawice aw stnssteas ten cas uae tes Cty ear 10 PRPADIUGHN CUAHO FUR OLITIO. © cece accels csi clewslcla sevice wis sewles ccceesee ce eeeeee een ee 3 HL UPORIM Reesor een siaioen aiore Man etl coin wh Sais elcleibvine mid ae See Met: ee 7 BMGT LOS LO OUP ALCAN cio cs me wi ciclsissinkula)sh we mes eatin e «Sci em 5 ses ahaha Orphneus ONG CORUEAL DEW ea ee cocoate < otha wisieseinn de Ueupe Una oy beancen 4 A. Anal legs pscudo-seven-jointed .... ose. ccec cece ecepee scccec saat Mesocanthus BIS [OUMCO ow ccion cates ice wets cee tiem eras sccieics cetiecen seem erect mee 5 5. Sterna without pronounced depressions. ..-... ......--2- sence enenee Himantarium WiGlt PEONONN Ged MepressiONss .-5/5 ose Sansct wes seh swotinelst Ase ekinds 6. 6. A deep, horse-shoe-shaped depression on the anterior margin of some of the BUOTMG ~~~ 222 ne oon wee cee wwe s cone een woe sewn rene tees ceccess Bothriogaster A deep, stigmate-like depression near lateral margin of some of the SUED 26.56 3085 Sed4c0665655 CES G05 S055 Dobe SeSrigoSSeCmSsoe45oS8oueaa. Stigmatogaster MRR Ay CrIORULOO «ccacr cous woes cas ewerscaew cvub een widmseta vemuet Scotophilus BIZOINTCE 6.05 ows csevecewce eereeteteiete ere etetctenis vets veces Sec ceeuee 8 merscurce Of last segment enlarged)... .5.< s2c0 ccec cccs wocu seus cove sevens scceces, G MOWOULVUFC casos ss ciscaive wails c wins ce acces of Chetechelyne 9. Spiracle-bearing scutellum adjacent to the scutum.................-. Pectiniunguis separated from the scutum by another scutel- IGE Wextrasis bntnns te atens avhvetetee cece Chomatobius SRP OLGH WOTGIN ES oicnisl va aet ones ide sca sauce once. cco see's been dapatee a 11 PLESONU. Vee sce cites eta bein foc eters mate aistwaibaldce we Me ehckldececer 12 11. Claw of prehensorial feet simple at apex ............ 225-220 - ee eee eens Escaryus divided at apex into three teeth.......... Dignathodon REC HEO SUOTHStADOTING | ga wenisdh sanlacdu sacdee'va wis vbenst ccteseckdswp dwesiisne 13 POULGMML awa Souk beatae dae va cee wueks su pelea cs selty cc Suet actu eck eteiae 14 ie 13. Anal legs six (pseudo-seven)-jointed ..... 0.2.0. nee eee ee cee e cone ceccne cece Orya five (pseudo-six)-jointed .. .... 20. cess once conn --00---s. .--5 Notiphilides 14, Claw of prehensorial feet with a large tooth at base......-....-....--...---- 15 unarmed, or with a small tooth.................... 16 Proc. N. M. 90-———25 s 386 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDZ—COOK AND COLLINS. 15. Cephalic lamina not narrowed anteriorly ..--.......--. ...e- eee eee Scolioplanes much narrowed anteriorly. -2- so. .cpsceienaesaiaaemeees Strigamia* 16. Cephalic lamina narrowed posteriorly -....... Jctiere ser ceeerete Mecistocephalus broad, narrowed anteriorly ...--.-.--...--.-. ... » bade ee 17 17. Ventral pores on posterior part of sterma .... .... 2... .-20 -cecce cece ones Geophilus middle of sterna...-....... See coc dopchane eG otemneteen Schendyla Schendyla Bergsoe and Meinert. Nat. Tiddskr., 4 Bd., p. 103. Body subdepressed, fusiform or elongate. Antenne rather short, subfiliform. Frontal lamina coalesced; cephalic lamina not entirely covering the sides of the prehensorial feet; prebasal lamina exposed; basal lamina broad, the sides converging anteriorly. Labrum more or less united with the frontal lamina, entire, sinuate, medianly dentate. Mandibles with one dentate and one pectinate lamella; condylus - large. Labial sternum entire; interior labial processes conic; palpi two- jointed, the basal joint with a small process. Claw of maxillary palpus large, simple or pectinate. Sternum of preheusorial feet without chitinous lines, anteriorly me- dianly emarginate; claw with a tooth at base, or unarmed. Scuta bisuleate, prescuta rather large. Spiracles small, round; spiracle-bearing scutellum rather small, about half as large as the prescutellum ; post scutellum large and sep- arate; median and episternal scutella and prescutella nearly obsolete. Ventral pores small, situated in the middle of the anterior sterna. Pleural pores two on each side, unpigmented ; last ventral plate large, triangular, obtuse, its presternum large and distinct. Anal legs five to six jointed, enlarged in both sexes, but especially in the male, unarmed, first joint small. Genital palpi of male simple or two-jointed. Anal pores wanting. ’ Schendyla nemorensis (C. Koch). Geophilus nemorensis C. Koch, Deutschl. Crust, etc. (1837). Poabius bistriatus C. Koch, Syst. d. Myr., p. 183 (1847). Linotenia nemorensis C. Koch, Die Myr., 11 Bd., p, 26, f. 148 (1863). Schendyla nemorensis Bergs. et Mein., Nat. Tidssk., tv Bd., p. 105 (1866). Geophilus tyrolensis Bergs. et Mein., ibid. Body slender, yellowish or wax-colored, head ligbt brown, sparsely pilose with short rigid bairs. : Cephalic lamina of nearly equal length and breadth; prebasal lam- ina scarcely visible; basal lamina nearly twice as broad as long (3:5), nearly half as long as the first scutum. *Sseliwanoff divides Scolioplanes Meinert and resurrects Strigamia Gray for one of the divisions. The differences do not seem to us of sufficient importance to justify the separation. 5 4 j Revco e | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 387 Labrum entirely coalesced with frontal lamina; labral teeth 13-20, Labial palpi with a small transparent process on the basal joint. Claw of maxillary palpus simple. Prehensorial feet scarcely attaining the frontal margin; sternum broader than long (8:5), longer than coxa (5:3), moderately sinuate in front, unarmed ; coxa unarmed or with an obtuse tooth; claw, with a Small tooth at base. Scuta smooth, manifestly bisuleate; prescuta of moderate length, the median longest. Spiracles small, round, smaller posteriorly. Sterna elongate, the anterior trifoveolate, the posterior obsoletely bisulcate. Pleure of last segment but little enlarged, with two large pores on each side; last sternum large, concealing the pores, its sides converg- ing posteriorly. Legs short and slender, the first pair scarcely shorter than the sec- ond ; anal legs longer than the preceding pair, six-jointed, more strongly hirsute, enlarged in both sexes, but especially in the males, unarmed or with a very small and slender claw. Genital palpi of male two-jointed. Anal pores wanting. Pairs of feet 39-47 in European specimens; Algerian specimens are recorded by Meinert with as high as fifty-five pairs; all the American Specimens which we have collected have forty-one pairs. Length, 25 milimetres and under. HABITAT.—Clyde, New York, December, 1889, one specimen; Clyde, New York, July 1890, five specimens ; Staten Island, New York, April, 1890, Dr. L. M. Underwood, three specimens. The specimen found in December was under a board; those taken in July were in the same location, but were six or eight inches under- ground. The Staten Island specimens were in sandy soil among Hep- atice. The American specimens resemble, in every important particular, Swedish specimens communicated by Staxberg to Dr. Underwood. Meinert (op. cit., 56) says that the labial palpi are simple. and Latzel (op. cit., 198) declares that they are without a trace of processes, but all the specimens which we have examined, both European and American, have a process attached to the exterior edge of the basal joint of the palpus. It may be that the species varies in this regard, but we think it more probable that the writers above cited have overlooked the structure in question as itis very thin and transparent and usually lies folded close upon the dorsal side of the palpus. We have therefore modified both the generic and specific descriptions in accordance with this view. According to Meinert’s description the palpus of S. eximia has a small process, and hence this character is common to both species _ of the genus. 388 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDZ—COOK AND COLLINS. Meinert and Latzel have both figured this species, but their diagrams show some very noticeable differences. The labrum in our specimens resembles Latzel’s figure much more than that of Meinert, but the teeth are proportionally shorter, and the exterior ones are slender and appressed to the edge of the labrum. The teeth of the dentate lamella of the mandible differ from those of Latzel’s diagram in being of the same structure as their common base, and in tapering slightly toward a broad rounded apex; the arrange- ment of the teeth is more like that of Meinert’s figure, but the teeth are not so sharp pointed, and this diagram does not represent the common base of the teeth as distinct from the mandibulary stipe. In 1872 Uarger* described Geophilus gracilis as follows: Very light orange, head much darker, slender, small, Cephalic segment nearly quadrate. Antenne hairy, filiform, joints short obconic. Mandibles unarmed. Scuto- episcutal sutures distinct posteriorly. Feet pilose, 39 or 41 pairs, occasionally 40, last pair thickened and elongated. Sterno-episternal sutures distinct. Body slightly hairy throughout. Length, 15 milimeters. "% This species is not uncommon under stones and rubbish in moist places about New Haven. This description agrees with the species under discussion except in the character ‘mandibles unarmed.” In S. nemorensis the claw of the prehensorial feet is armed, but the teeth vary greatly in size, and are trequently so small and so close to the base of the claw asnot to be noticeable except on very close examination. As the species was ‘‘not uncommon” it is reasonable to suppose that individuals of both sexes were under examination, but Schendyla is the only genus known north of Mexico to which the character “last pair of legs thickened” would apply in both sexes. That the number of pairs of feet was ‘ occasionally forty” also corroborates our view, in- ~ dicating both that several specimens were examined and that the ex- amination was not so careful as to make it improbable that the tooth on the claw of the prehensorial feet was overlooked. PECTINIUNGUIS Bollman. Proc. U. S. Nat. Museum, XII, 212 (1889). Body depressed, narrowed posteriorly. Antenne filiform. Frontal lamina coalesced ; cephalic lamina not covering the sides of — the. prehensorial feet; prebasal lamina exposed ; basal lamina broad, its sides con verging anteriorly. i Labrum entire, united to the frontal lamina, deeply sinuate, me- — dianly dentate. Mandibles with one pectinate and three dentate lamelle. Labial sternum entire, coalesced with the maxillary sternum, a large — process attached to its exterior edge; interior labial process sharply — “Am. Journal of Science and Arts, VI, 117. RS Beis | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 089 conic; palpi broadly conic, rounded, with two processes, one of which is large and attached to the exterior edge of the basal joint.. Claw of maxillary palpus broad, spoon-shaped, the concave side facing inward, margin fringed with a pectinate row of spines. Sternum of prehensorial feet without chitinous lines, anteriorly medianly emarginate; claw unarmed at base. Scuta bisulcate. Spiracles long elliptic to nearly circular; spiracle-bearing scutellum of moderate size, considerably larger than the postscutellum and about half as large as the elliptical prescutellum ; middle and interior scu- tella and prescutella present. Ventral pores in suboval median areas. Pleural pores two on each side, large, unpigmented. Last ventral plate large, broad, its presternum large, undivided. Anal legs six-jointed, all the joints well developed, enlarged in male, unarmed. Genital palpi of male two-jointed. Anal pores wanting. This genus differs from Schendyla in the three dentate lamellx, the coalesced labial and maxillary sterna, the large processes, the excavate claw of the maxillary palpus, and the elliptical spiracles. On account of these and other points of difference this genus can not possibly include Schendyla eximia Meinert, which Mr. Bollman placed here, evidently not being aware that his genus possessed the above characters. Acccording to Meinert’s description, evimia differs from nemorensis in having the labrum free in the middle, the claw of the maxillary palpus pectinate, and the anal legs five-jointed. This last character is, by reason of its constancy in other genera, a most impor- tant one. Meinert’s diagram would make it appear that the labrum is free along nearly its whole anterior margin. In his generic characterization of Schendyla, Latzel gives the genital palpias simple or two-jointed, and those of S&. nemorensis being two- jointed, without recorded variation, we can only infer that in eximia they are simple. If our information and inferences are correct and well drawn, eximia differs from nemorensis in at least three particulars which are each greater than any corresponding difference known to exist between the species of any genus of the family, aud there is most sufficient warrant for the elevation of Mr. Bollman’s subgenus Nanno- pus to generic rank. But withoutspecimens we can not give the ques- tion a final discussion. Pectiniunguis Americanus Bollman. Plate xxx111, Figs. 1-5, and Plate xxxIv, Figs. 6-8. Body depressed, narrowed slightly anteriorly, moderately posteriorly ;- - brownish-yellow, with a line of medianly divided dorsal dark spots, ex- tending from the second to the penultimate segmeuts, ufter the manner of Geophilus cephalicus. 390 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDH—COOK AND COLLINS. Antenne with the last joint equalling in length the two preceding taken together. Frontal lamina coalesced; cephalic lamina of equal length and breadth, anterior margin forming a semicircle, sides nearly straight, converging posteriorly, posterior margin slightly incurved; prebasal lamina ex- posed; basal lamina three times as broad as long. Labrum obtusely notched at the points of support; median teeth short and blunt; those of the margins outside the sinus long and slen- der, closely appressed to the edge of the labrum. Mandibles with the two dentate lamelle next the pectinate with three teeth each, the other with two; the last is coalesced with the edge of the mandibulary stipe, while the others have no chitinized connection. Labial sternum entire, coalesced with the maxillary sternum for the middle third of its breadth; interior processes conic, coalesced on the basal portion of the exterior side with the basal joint of the palpus. This joint bears on the apical exterior angle a small process, while attached to its exterior side, and perhaps also to the labial sternum, is. another process half as broad as the palpus, and nearly as long, which lies folded on the dorsal side of the palpus. To the lateral edge of the labial sternum, is attached a still larger long-oval process, folded back on the labial sternum, and reaching to the apical edge of the basal joint of the palpus. Both these large processes are of thin, transparent structure. Prehensorial feet attaining the frontal margin of the head; sternum nearly twice as broad as long (5:3), longer than the coxa (7: 5), slightly sinuate anteriorly ; coxa unarmed; claw unarmed at base. Seuta of moderate length, slightly more than twice as long as the prescuta, both becoming longer posteriorly. Spiracles large, elliptical, longitudinal diameter of the anterior 0. 095: millimetres, which is about twice the transverse; gradually smaller and rounder posteriorly, diameter of last spiracle 0.055. Sterna bisulcate, anteriorly with a slight median foveola, which soon: becomes obsolete; ventral pores in a transversely oval median area which lies nearer to the posterior margin. The anterior areas are about one-third as broad as the space between the sulcations; the areas increase in size until about the fifteenth segment, and then gradually decrease, until on the penultimate segment there are but four pores in the specimen examined. Pleure of last segment moderately enlarged, pilose, with two large: pores concealed under the ultimate sternum, which is very hairy and nearly twice as broad as long (7:4). _ Legs with very sparse short hairs, the first pair much shorter than the second, from which the length gradually increases to beyond the middle, where it again decreases. Anal legs longest, very densely hirsute with short hairs, enlarged in the male. . ae | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. ook Pairs of feet in the male, sixty-five; length of body 50 millimetres, width 1.55 millimetres. This species is described from an apparently adult male collected by the Albatross expedition of 1887-88, at Pichiliugue Bay, Gulf of Califor- nia. Through the kindness of the curators of the department of insects of the National Museum, we have had opportunity to dissect and study the type and only specimen, No. 958. A comparison of our description with the original of Mr. Bollman will show that we differ from him in saying that the labrum is entirely coalesced, that the claw of the maxillary palpus is excavate, that the prehensorial feet attain the frontal margin of the head, that the sterna are bisulcate, and that the specimen is a male. The condylus in this species is very similar in shape to that of Schen- dyla nemorensis, and is correspondingly larger. The completely coalesced condition of the labial and maxillary sterna is, aS far as we have been able to ascertain, entirely unique in Geophil- ide. The sides of the anterior margin of the maxillary sternum are strongly defined, almost chitinized, but the margin is transparent next the coalesced portion. The coalescence is complete; no trace of a divis- ural line being apparent in the reticulated integument. The only species of the family which we can suggest as having struc- tures at all likely to be homologous with the large lateral processes of the labium is Orya barbarica, as figured by Meinert. The spoon-shaped claw of the maxillary palpus, being fringed with spines all around its margin, appears to have two rows of spines until its true shape is made out. The claws of all the feet are, like those of the maxillary palpi, exca- vate, or rather grooved, on the under side, and the ends of the claws appear blunt or truncate. This character is more prominent in the feet of the posterior end of the body. Escaryus, gen. nov. Body scarcely depressed, moderately narrowed posteriorly. Antenne filiform. Frontal lamina coalesced ; cephalic lamina not covering the sides of the prehensorial feet; prebasal lamina exposed; basal lamina broad, sides converging anteriorly. Labrum entirely free, or slightly joined at the lateral angles, medianly deeply emarginate and dentate. Mandibles with one pectinate and three dentate lamelle; condylus present. Labial sternum entire; interior labial processes and labial palpi ob- tusely conic, the latter with 2 small process on the basal joint. Maxillary sternum obtusely notched in the middle, claw of maxillary palpus with an interior thin edge which is provided with one row of spines. 392 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDEZ—COOK AND COLLINS. Sternum of prehensorial feet with chitinous lines, anteriorly scarcely emarginate; claw with a small tooth at base. Scuta strongly convex, not sulcate. Spiracles round, decreasing posteriorly; spiracle-bearing scutellum one-third as large as the prescutellum and about equal in size with the post and middle scutella, and between two and three times as large as the episternal scutella; episternal prescutellum very small. Ventral pores wanting. Pleure of last segment with many pigmented pores; last sternum oblong, its presternum divided. Anal legs six-jointed ; armed with a large claw, sparsely clothed with long hairs; not enlarged in the female. Anal pores present. From Schendyla this genus differs in the free or nearly free labrum, the three dentate lamellie, the chitinous lines, the ventral pores want- ing, the divided presterna, the numerous pigmented pleural pores, the anal pores, and the large claw of the anal feet. From Pectiniunguis it is distinct in the free or nearly free labrum, the free labial and maxillary sterna, the large processes wanting, the claw of the maxillary palpus not excavate, the chitinous lines, the round spiracles, the ventral pores wanting, the numerous pigmented pleural pores, the divided presterna, the anal pores, and the large claw of the anal feet. The teeth of each of the dentate lamelle are graded in size, the one toward the pectinate lamella being in every case the largest; their number varies from three to five. The condylus is rounded conic, similar to that of Schendyla, but broader, its base also extending considerably beyond its sides. The interior labial processes are not coalesced with the basal joint of the palpus, except possibly a very little at base. The process of the basal joint of the palpus is covered with fine, hair-like papille. The claw of the maxillary palpus is not fringed on the basal third, nor does the fringe extend quite to the apex. There may be other spines on the base of the claw, and not in line with the fringe. The number of hair-like spines which compose the fringe varies from three to seven, the usual number being six. Escaryus phyllophilus, sp. nov. Plate xxx1v, Figs. 9-11, and Pl. xxxy, Figs. 12-15. Moderately robust, slightly attenuate anteriorly, strongly posteriorly ; pale yellowish-brown ; feet and body sparsely hirsute. Antenne of moderate length, the last joint equaling the two pre- ceding joints taken together. } Cephalic lamina subquadrate, slightly longer than broad (13:11), the ee ae eo.’ | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 393 anterior corners considerably rounded, the posterior edge slightly emarginate; basal lamina scarcely three times as broad as long. Labrum joined at its lateral angles to the frontal lamina, anterior and posterior edges convex outwardly on each side of the middle; ends of the labrum deeply and acutely notched at the point where they meet * the supports (lamine fulcientes). The anterior margin has two deep notches which run behind the arch of teeth. Teeth about fifteen ; starting from the posterior edge of the labrum are several transverse wrinkles which run across to near the anterior edge, where there are a. few long transverse wrinkles. Mandibulary stipe with a few spines beyond the last dentate lamella, giving the appearance of another small pectinate lamella. Teeth of dentate lamellz sharp-pointed, especially those distant from the pecti- nate lamella. Prehensorial feet not reaching the frontal margin of head; sternum broader than long (9:7), nearly twice as long as coxa (7:4); anterior margin medianly broadly sinuate, with nearly obsolete concealed teeth ; coxa and two succeeding joints each with an acute tooth; claw strongly curved, with a nodiform tooth at base. Scuta not sulecate; anterior prescuta moderately long, the middle and posterior very long, except the last three. Spiracles largest in front, 0.045 millimetres in diameter, gradually decreasing posteriorly to 0.03 millimetres. Sterna, anterior, deeply bisulcate, and with a deep median foveola ; these depressions become gradually less pronounced posteriorly. The foveola becomes obsolete on the middle segments, but shows a ten- dency to reappear near the end of the body. Pleure of last segment moderately inflated, with about twenty-five pores, which differ much in size (0.01 to 0.04 millimetres in diameter). Last sternum narrow, oblong, the posterior angles rounded, the sides scarcely converging. First pair of legs shorter than the second; anal legs longer than the penultimate, sparsely clothed with longer hairs, strongly decurved, as are all the legs, armed with a large claw, not enlarged in the female. Anal pores present. Pairs of legs in the female forty-one; length of body 32 millimetres, greatest breadth 1.3 millimetres. Described from two females found among fallen leaves near Oak- wood Cemetery, Syracuse, New York, January, 1890. The considerable number of characters which this species has in common with Geophilus urbicus Meinert* makes it appear probable that that species belongs under the present genus. There is nothing to indicate that Meinert dissected the mouth parts of the single specimen in the Cambridge collection. Should our suspicion prove to be well * Myr. Mus. Cantabrigensis, 218. 394 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDZ—COOK AND COLLINS. founded, Meinert’s species, as he describes it, will be distinct in the possession of the following characters: Claw of prehensorial feet reaching beyond the frontal margin of the head. Cephalic lamina transversely sulcate near its poste1ior margin. The anterior corners of the basal lamina covered by the cephalic lamina. The basal lamina four times broader than long. The dorsal laminz sulcate. The first pair of legs equal to second pair. Anal legs shortened and thickened in the female. Anal pores wanting. Escaryus liber, sp. nov, Body slender, slightly narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, waxy white, sparsely hirsute. Antenne of moderate length, the last joint scarcely as long as the two preceding. Cephalic lamina considerably longer than broad (4:3), posterior cor- ners much rounded; basal lamina more than twice as broad as long (7:3). Labrum entirely free, the anterior and posterior margins nearly straight, subparallel except at the sinus; transverse wrinkles run from the ends to the middle. The ends notched, and two notches on the anterior margin run behind the teeth, which number about thirteen. Mandibulary stipe with one or two spines beyond the dentate lamellz. Teeth of dentate lamellz with rounded points. Labial sternum not different from that of EL. phyllophilus. except that the processes of the palpi are more deeply divided into papille. Prehensorial feet not attaining the frontal margin of the head; sternum much broader than long (3:2), longer than coxa (3:2), moderately sinuate in front, without prosternal teeth; coxa with a small, obtuse tooth, or | unarmed; other joints armed; claw strongly curved, with a small, obtuse tooth at base. Scuta not sulcate; prescuta Jong, increasing posteriorly, where they become more than half as long as the scuta (3:5). Spiracles round, largest in front (0.04 millimetres), decreasing poste- riorly, the last measuring 0.02 millimetres. Sterna short in front, becoming very long caudad, bisulcate, the anterior ones medianly foveolate. Pleurz of last segment moderately inflated, with about seventeen pores of different sizes on each side; last ventral plate narrow, oblong, the posterior corners rounded, the sides scarcely converging. Feet gradually longer posteriorly, the first and penultimate pairs: shorter than the others; anal legs slightly longer than the penultimate, armed with a large claw. Anal pore small. “ ea | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 395. Pairs of legs in the female forty-nine; length of body 26 millimetres,. greatest breadth 0.9 millimetres. Described from one female found among leaves and rotten wood at Kirkville, Onondaga county, N. Y., April, 1890. Pl. xXx, Fig. 16-17. SyRACUSE UNIVERSITY, September, 1890. EXPLANATION OF PLATES. PLATE XXXIII. Pectiniunguis Americanus Bollman. Fig. 1. Dorsal aspect of head: B, cephalic lamina; C, prebasal lamina; D, basal lam-- ina; E, first scutum; d, pleura; e, coxa of prehensorial feet; f, claw of same. Fic. 2. Ventral aspect of head, showing prehensorial feet: a, sternum; b, prosternal teeth; d, e, f, as in Fig. 1. Fic. 3. Seuta, sterna and pleura of the thirty-first and thirty-second segments: L, scutam; M, prescutum; O, sternum; P, presternum; a, spiracle-bearing scutellum; b, spiracle ; c, post-scutellum ; d, median scutellum ; e,episternal scutellum ; f, pre- scutellum ; g, median prescutellum ; h, episternal prescutellum; i, anterior part of episternum; j, posterior part of episternum; k,k, parts of coxa; 1, second joint of leg; p, ventral pores. Fic. 4. Ultimate segments and anal legs, ventral view: O, penultimate sternum ; P, presternum ; Q, pleurz of last segment; the pores are concealed under the ventral plate; R, last sternum; m, first joint of genital palpi; n, second joint of same, Fig. 5. Labrum, ventral view: b, b, lamine fulcientes. PLATE XXXIV. Pectiniunguis Americanus (continued). Fic. 6. Labium and maxille, ventral view: a, labial sternum; 3, b, interior labial processes ; c, labial palpus, basal joint ; d, apical joint of same; i, small process of basal joint; j, large process of same; m, maxillary sternum; n, basal joint of maxil- lary palpus; 0, claw of same. Fic. 7. Labium and maxillx, dorsal view: k, large process of the lateral edge of the maxillary sternum; other letters as in Fig. 6. Fig. 8. Mandible: a} cardo; b, mandibulary stipe; c, condylus; d, dentate lamelle;. ~ e, pectinate lamelle. Escaryus phyllophilus, sp. nov. Fig. 9. Dorsal aspect of head. Letters as in Fig 1. Fig. 10. Ventral aspect of head. Letters as in Fig. 2. Fig. 11. Mandible and half of tongue (H)., Other letters as in Fig. 8. PLATE XXXV. Escaryus phyllophilus, (continued). Fic. 12. Scuta, sterna, and pleura of the sixth and seventh segments. Letters as in Fig. 3. Fig. 13. Ultimate segment and anal legs, ventral view: 0, anal pores. Other letters. as in Fig. 4. Fig. 14, Labium and maxilla, ventral view. Letters as in Fig. 6. 4 . Fic. 15. Labrum, ventral view. Letters as in Fig. 5. ; a 396 NOTES ON GEOPHILIDZ—COOK AND COLLINS. Escaryus liber, sp. nov. Fic. 16. Ventral aspect of head. Letters as in Fig. 2. Fig. 17. Labrum, dorsal view. Lettersasin Fig.5. The edge of the “ Gaumenplatte” of Latzel, adhering to the dorsal side, is represented by the fringed line. The areolated integument of the head anterior to the labrum in this figure and in Fig. 15 is, of course, not confined to the amount represented. Only enough is drawn to show that labrum is free in Fig. 17, but joined to the head-integument at the anterior lateral angles in Fig. 15. 43 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII PL. XXXII Figs. 1-5. PECTINIUNGUIS AMERICANUS. $~ sere U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIll PL. XXXIV Fics. 6-8. PECTINIUNGUIS AMERICANUS. Fias. 9-11. ESCARYUS PHYLLOPHILUS, new species. ‘ga Th eee 4 ee’ hee f : : bs he Y-* % Re Pills he ~ i aon . - : j 4 ae d } : iain 2 iit a =f ‘ + = Me » 4 ~ 7 ” _ —— ~ . n+ , ~" - ae - pea P r at ‘ 2 , 4 a : * MW a ; f ; U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. Xili PL. XXxXv Fics. 12-15. ESCARYUS PHYLLOPHILUS, new species. Fics. 16,17. ESCARYUS LIBER, new species. CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD A MONOGRAPH OF THE NOCTUID Zz OF TEMPERATE NORTH AMERICA. REVISION OF HOMOHADENA, GROTE, BY Joun B. Smiru, Professor of Entomology, Rutgers College, New Jersey. Genus Homohadena Grt. (1873. Bull. Buff. Soc. N. H., 1, 1890.] Medium-sized species with the habitus of Hadena, but with rather distinctive maculation. Head moderate orsmall; front smooth; tongue strong; palpi stout, attaining middle of front. Eyes naked, with variably distinct lashes—this character becoming evanescent here. Antennze nimple, scarcely ciliate even in the male. Thoracic vestiture mixed scales and hair. Collar with crest marked but scarcely prominent. A very small, indefinite, basal thoracic tuft, vestiture else smooth. Abdomen untufted. Legs with rather long, loose hair; tibi# unarmed, not spinose. Primaries rather elongate-trigonate, apices and outer margin slightly rounded. Ovipositor of female somewhat exserted. - The male genitalia are of the same type as in Oncocnemis, and this genus is its close ally, differing chiefly in the lack of the claw to fore- tibia. : The species are fuscous gray or brown, with the median lines some- times wanting, and when present, distinct, black, and single, often con- nected by a longitudinal black streak or by an inward tooth from the t. p. line. Fig. 1.—Genitalia of H. badistriga; 2, of H. induta. The genus is very compact and the species scarcely form distinct groups, though readily separable into series on characters of macula- Proceedings National Maseum Vol, XIII.—No, 838. 397 398 REVISION OF HOMOHADENA—SMITH. tion. Some of the species are unknown to me, but all are readily place- able even into a synoptic table, “a the descriptions, as the maculation is So simple. There are three series: In the first, the median lines are wanting or punctiform; in the second, the median lines are present, but there is no basal longitudinal line; in the third, the median lines and basal dashes are all present. In all the species the ordinary spots are faint, or more usually entirely wanting. In the first series are three species—two of them unknown to me, and they seem closely related. So far as can be made out the differences are as follows: Incomitata has the median lines faintly indicated by venular dots; the veins are more or less evidently black marked, and there is a row of distinct terminal lunules. The coloris dark fuscous or red brown. It is from Texas and not uncommon. In picina, as far as I can gather from the description, the veins are not black marked and there are no terminal lunules. Itis from California. Inconstans is fuscous gray, the collar paler, the lines all lost, the veins darker in the female only. It is from Arizona. The second series also contains three species, two of them unknown to me. Figurata lacks the s. t. line, and the median lines are connected by an inward tooth from the t. p. line. The species is recorded trom Nevada and California, and must be close to retroversa, in which the basal line is faint, and the s.t. marked by a pale shade only. An obscure specimen of retroversa might readily serve as the type of figurata. Chorda is a simply marked species, the basal and median lines only distinct, the latter not in anyway connected. The s. t. line is vague, barely traceable; in color it is fuscous gray, the t. p. line nearly straight below the costal angulation. The head is white, with a black line between the antenne. Epipaschia is clayey gray, much shaded with black, the t. p. line widely bent, with an acute costal tooth toward base of wing. It is from New Mexico. The third series contains six species, five of which are known to me. Vulnerea, the only species with which I am unacquainted, differs prominently from all the others by lacking the t. a. line—a rather un- usual feature. Deserta and induta lack the black dash from the reniform outward. Deserta has the basal streak extending only to the t. a. line, while in induta it crosses the median space to the t. p. line. In the latter species a Specimen may occasionally show a faint line over reniform, but in that case the t. a. line will suffice to distinguish it from badis- triga with which it might else be confounded. Jnduta has the line out- wardly oblique and distinetly sinuate, while in badistriga the line is evenly outcurved. a Pe sab0, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 399 Retroversa and kappa have the ordinary spots, somewhat pale-ringed and usually rather distinct. The former is distinguished by having the t. p. line inwardly toothed at middle, the tooth extending to the t. a. line, but not beyond; basal dash very faint. The latter has the basal dash rather more distinct, becoming prominent before’the t. a. line and extending through median space to t. p. line, the connection thus not formed by the tooth of the t. p. line. Of retroversa I know only the type. Badistriga, the type of the genus, is as arule paler, more grayish. The basal dash is very distinct and prominent, and the outer black streak starts from the orbicular and extends through the reniform to near the outer margin. SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. Transverse lines wanting, or indicated by venular dots only. Brownish fuscous, median lines faintly indicated. Veins black marked ; a row of terminal black lunules.......... ----INCOMITATA. Veins not black marked; no terminal lunules.....-.-...- Hee -PICINA. Fuscous gray, collar paler; lines all lost; veins ake in fae 9 ale INCONSTANS, Transverse lines distinct, the t. p. at least. Basal longitudinal streak wanting. S. t. line wanting. Median lines connected by an inward tooth from t. p. line ........-FIGURATA. S. t. line distinct or at least traceable ; median lines not connected. Fuscous gray ; t. p. line nearly straight, not as much inflected as usual. CHORDA. Clayey gray, much shaded with black; t. p. line widely bent, with an acute costal tooth toward base of Wing ........-00sssccscceee . -EPIPASCHIA. Basal longitudinal streak present. liepel FLING OVSOLELS ch ajceiee ta eicie « oiciafu See aiciteid acne ered dacic eet totes aw clues VIUIENGU ERA T. a. line distinctly present. No line from reniform outwardly, crossing t. p. line. Basal dash extending only to t. a. line......-....-.--...-...------DESERTA. Basal dash extending through median space to t. p. line......--.- INDUTA. A black line crossing reniform, and extending outwardly across t. p. line and t. space. T. p. line with astrong inward tooth connecting with t. a. line. RETROVERSA. ‘T. p. line not toothed ; median lines connected by a continuation of basal streak. Basal streak faint ; the line crossing t. p. over reniform obscure, shaded ; secondaries faecous Caters atau e ewe ore Meee cts Chace Soe aeee KAPPA. Basal streak very distinct, as is the streak over reniform ; secondaries PRIDE s oackre mt paiiaarn lees Seer neue etan Wee Guide Jax dieciee vee RADIOTEIGAS Homohadena incomitata Harv. 1875, Hary. Buff. Bull., 111, 6, Homohadena. 1875, Harv. Can. Ent., vu, 136, Homohadena. Deep dark, somewhat fucous brown, somewhat variable in intensity. Head and collar a richer, more reddish brown. The ordinary lines of primaries are obsolete. Median lines sometimes entirely wanting, usually traceable as a series of black venular dots. S. t. line entirely 400 REVISION OF HOMOHADENA—SMITH. wanting. A row of small terminal lunules; veins more or less evi- dently black marked. Ordinary spots wanting. Secondaries smoky outwardly, paler basally, with a variably distinct discal dot. Beneath primaries dark smoky fuscous, paler toward inner margin. Secondaries. whitish powdery, most evidently so along costal and apical region. A row of outer venular dots; a discal Innule. * Expands 1.25 to 1.36 inches=31 to 34 millimetres. HABITAT.—Texas. An easily recognized species, distinguished by its lack of markings. It varies very little, principally in depth of ground color and in the presence or absenee of the venular points. The species is common; yet unfortunately, of the numerous specimens in the accessible collections there was but a single male in which I could fully examine the genitalia. The harpes, however, are very like those of badistriga, except that they lack the heavy corneous spine at upper angle of tip. Homohadena picina Grt. 1880, Grt. Can. Ent., x11, 257, Homohadena. ‘¢ Thorax and primaries unicolorous, dusky fuscous; the median lines indicated by venular dots, incomplete; the posterior line not as flexed as usual; fringes concolorous. Hind wings whitish at base, washed with fuscous exteriorly, the veins soiled; faint traces of a mesial line. Beneath the secondaries are paler, with a distinct dotted line. Hyes naked; body untufted; tibie unarmed. A stout, obscurely colored and simply marked form.” Expands 40 millimetres. HABITAT.—California; Mr. Hy. Edwards, No. 7174. This must be a rather close relation to that form of fortis which was. named vorax by Dr. Behrens, though Mr. Grote would scarcely have called the eyes naked, and he says positively ‘‘tibiz unarmed.” Homohadena inconstans Grt. 1883 Grt. Can. Ent., xv, 28, Homohadena. ‘Male and female. An obscure fuscous gray species with naked,. lashed eyes; third palpal joint small, female ovipositor visible. Size and appearance of induta, but with the look of an Agrotis belonging to the silens or lagena group. Transverse lines all lost; stigmata wanting. In the female the veins are marked with black, the median vein most decidedly so. In the male there are no marks. The head is smoky and the collar paler. Hind wings fuscous, paler at base, and paler in the male; the veins soiled. Beneath pale and without mark- ings; there is a faint indication of a common line which appears dotted on hind wings of female.” HABITAT.—Arizona (Neume@gen). Unknown to me in nature. —iigean igceiaieae iieaaiaalin a ay \\ Rettoet | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 401 Homohadena figurata Harvey. 1875, Harv. Can. Ent., vu, 117, Homohadena. “The body vestiture is scaly, mixed slightly with hairs. The size is that of induta. The color is more grayish than usual, and the basal streak is wanting in the specimen. The uniformly dark griseous pri- maries have the median lines alone visible; these are narrow, black, approximate, of the usual gothic shape, fused by a black dash below median vein. * . he i 4 ‘ i ’ » ; i - u A i ( v, \ sd + , \ : ; : den’ re i? if al, >, ay . Y, Aaeey, . lt M acl Ts ; | : oy a PAU ol fi i hy ate ; as ‘ aS, M, r # co —— 4 PL. XXXVII PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIII U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM GENITAL STRUCTURE OF XYLOFHASIA. SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U.S. FISH COM- MISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. [Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner of Fisheries. } No. XIX.—A SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF FISHES COLLECTED AT THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS AND PANAMA, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF ONE NEW GENUS AND THREE NEW SPECIES. | BY CHARLES H. GILBERT, Professor of Zoblogy, University of Indiana. The collections of fishes made by the Albatross in 1887~88, at the Galapagos Islands and in Panama Bay, were reported on by Jordan and Bollman in Proceedings of the U. 8. National Museum, 1889, pp. 149-183. A small portion of the collection, however, failed to reach the authors in time for their report, and is here listed. It is noteworthy as containing the remarkable new genus Dialommus, which repeats in the Blenniide the peculiar structure of the eyes seen in the Cyprinodont genus Anableps. 1. Galeus dorsalis Gill. Numerous young specimens from Panama. 2. Opisthonema libertate Giinther. Three young specimens from Indefatigable and Chatham Islands. This seems to be the species listed by Jordan and Bollman as “ Clupea sp. (very young).” 3. Cyclothone lusca Goode and Bean. Four small specimens from Station 2806. This species, which seems to occur everywhere in deep water from the Galapagos Islands to Ber- ing’s Sea, I am unable to distinguish from the Atlantic form, to which it is here referred. 4. Stolephorus opercularis Jordan and Gilbert, One specimen from Station 2802. Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII—No. 840. Proc. N. M. 90—-—29 449 450 FISHES FROM GALAPAGOS AND PANAMA—GILBERT. 5. Ophichthus triserialis Kaup. Two specimens from Chatham Islands. Ophichthus rugifer Jordan and Bollman, to which these specimens belong, seems not to differ from triserialis. : 6. Neoconger vermiformis Gilbert. A single specimen from Station 2799, agreeing perfectly with the original description. 7, Ophiosoma nitens Jordan and Bollman. One young specimen from Stations 2799. 8. Tylosurus stolzamanni Steindachner. rom Chatham and Albemarle Islands. The young of this species have the lower jaw much longer than the upper. 9. Fodiator acutus Cuy. and Val. Two specimens from Panama. 10. Hemirhamphus roberti Cuy. and Val. Panama and Chatham Island. 11. Hippocampus ingens Girard, One specimen from Station 2795. 12. Querimana harengus Giinther, Panama, 13. Remora remora Linn, One specimen from Albemarle Island, 14. Vomer setipinnis Mitchill. Stations 2797 and 2800. 15. Stromateus palometa Jordan and Bollman., Three specimens, Station 2805. 16. Epinephelus labriformis Jenyns.= Hpinephelus sellicauda Gill. Six young specimens, Station 2797. 17. Serranus psittacinus Valenciennes, One specimen Chatham Island. 18. Priacanthus serrula sp. nov. A single specimen, 1} inches long, from Station 2797. Head 2% in length; depth 14. D. X,11; A. III, 11. Lat, 1. 36 (pores), Mouth very oblique, the maxillary scarcely reaching vertical from middle of eye, half length of head. Teeth in a very narrow band in ha PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 451 both jaws and on vomer, none of them enlarged; palatines with a single series. Posterior nostril elliptical, not twice as long as it is wide. Eye 24 in head; interorbital width 34; length of snout 5, Preopercular and preorbital margins serrate, a group of stronger spines at angle of preopercle. Gill rakers short, about half diameter of pupil, 16 developed on horizontal limb of outer arch. Spinous dorsal high, the longest spine = length of head; the first and last spines much shorter, about equaling the soft rays. Anal spines similar but shorter, the first two equal and longer than the third, their length half that of head. Pectorals short, barely reaching verti- eal from vent. Ventrals elongate, the spine reaching base of second anal spine, the longest soft ray reaching base of first soft ray of anal. Seales on upper and lower parts of body very small, those on mid- dle of sides conspicuously enlarged. Entire head, including maxillary, mandible, gular and branchiostegal membranes wholly covered with spiny scales. Dorsal and anal fins in a sheath. All spines rough- serrate. Color in spirits: Light olive, with four dark cross-bars on sides wider than the interspaces, the last one on base of caudal peduncle, Verticle fins dusky, the soft portions more or less speckled. Ventrals black. Pectorals pale. 19. Lutjanus viridis Valenciennes. A single young specimen, 14 inches long, showing coloration of adult, the blue streaks being well marked. It agrees with all the characters ascribed to viridis, except the notched preopercle, the spines next the angle being all largely developed, and the margin of the bone showing no notch for the reception of an interopercular knob. This is doubt- less due to the immaturity of the specimen. 20. Apogon dovii Giinther. One very young specimen from Station 2797. 21. Upeneus grandisquamis Gill. Stations 2795 and 2797. 22. Bollmannia chlamydes Jordan. Stations 2799 and 2800. Agreeing well with the original descrip- tion, having 15 rays in the soft dorsal, and the black spot on spinous dorsal very distinct, ocellated posteriorly with white. 23. Tyntlastes brevis Giinther. Two half-digested specimens, said to have been taken from the stomach of a Centropomus at Panama. The dorsal formula is apparently VIII, 14, and the head 43 in length. The teeth are long, wide-set, in a single series. 452 FISHES FROM GALAPAGOS AND PANAMA—GILBERT. 24. Gobiesox zebra Jordan & Gilbert. Two young specimens, agreeing in all respects with the original de- scription, except the fin formula, the dorsal having six and the anal five rays. The dark cross-bars are evident. Duncan Island. 25. Labrosomus delalandi Cuv. & Val. One large specimen, 64 inches long, from Albemarle Island. Dialommus gen. nov. (blenniide) Teeth conic, strong, in a narrow band in the front of both jaws, this narrowing to a single series laterally ; outer teeth enlarged in both jaws. Teeth on vomer in a single series; palatines smooth. A single slender tentacle above orbits, and one on each side of nape. Body with moderate cycloid scales; lateral line high in front, de- clining behind pectoral fins, not strongly developed, evident on a few scales near head, the remainder of its course traceable by occasional pores on bases of scales, or by their notched margins. Dorsal beginning on the nape, its anterior five-sevenths composed of slender flexible spines, the remainder of soft rays, unbranched. Anal without spines. Caudal distinct, rounded. Ventrals well developed, I, 3. Eyes as in Anableps, the cornea divided by an oblique pigmented band into an anterior lower and a posterior upper half. (Type, Dialommus fuscus sp. nov.) 26. Dialommus fuscus sp. nov. Elongate, slender, scarcely tapering. Head short, transversely evenly rounded, with very short, blunt, decurved snout. Width of head greater than its depth, and more than two-thirds its length. Mouth horizontal, at lower outline of snout, the maxillary nearly reaching ver- tical from posterior margin of orbit, 23 in head. Teeth strong, conical, the outer series enlarged in both jaws, a narrow band of villiform teeth behind the outer series. Vomer with a single series. Palatines tooth- less. Byes large, round, closely approximated, their diameter greater than length of snout, twice the width of interorbital space, 34 in head. Gill membranes very widely joined, free from isthmus. No hook on inner edge of shoulder girdle. Head, 5 in length; depth 6 to 7. D. XXV, 13 or 14. A. I, 28. Lat. 1. 52. Dorsal fin beginning on the nape, over front of opercle, its spines slender and flexible, much lower than soft rays. Height of anterior and middle spines about equal, one-third length of head, the posterior spines shortened, about half that length. Height of soft rays one-half head. wren. | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 453 First anal ray short and spinous, the succeeding rays articulated, but not branched (like those of dorsal). Interradial membranes of anal fin very deeply incised. Caudal fin wholly free, rounded, its length nearly equaling that of head. Pectorals slightly shorter than head, posteriorly pointed, the longest rays below the middle of the fin. Veutrals comparatively broad, inserted but little in front of pec- torals, their bases separated by a space equal to one-third diameter of orbit. Color in spirits: Brownish above and on sides, becoming blackish on head; under side of head, belly, and a line along each side of anal fin light. Back with traces of about ten black cross-bars, which invade base of dorsal fin and extend onto middle of sides. In one specimen the scales of the interspaces are marked each with a light spot (prob- ably blue in life). Fins all dusky, the caudal variegated with lighter in fine pattern. Ventrals light at base. Two specimens from the Galapagos Islands, one from Duncan Island, 72 millimeters long, the other from Albemarle Island, 75 millimeters long. 27. Runula azalea Jordan and Bollman,. Three specimens from Indefatigable Island. Teeth fixed, not bristle-like, those in upper jaw slightly compressed, much larger than those in lower, which are close-set and form an almost uniform cutting edge. D. 40 or 41. A. 25 or 26. Sides with a median dusky streak becoming most conspicuous poste- riorly, terminating in an elongate blackish blotch on tail. Traces can usually be seen of six faint dusky cross-bars, which are continued as black blotches on dorsal and anal, six on the former and four on the latter. On the dorsal fin a smaller intermediate blotch serves to con- nect each two larger ones, and the fin has in addition a narrow light margin. Eye, in specimens 14 inches long, equals interorbital width, is longer than snout, and is contained 3 to 34 times in head. 28. Otophidium indefatigabile Jordan and Bollman. Four specimens from Station 2797, from 3 to 4 inches long. These differ slightly from the original description. Head 3? to4 in length; depth 54 to54. Maxillary 24 in head; snout 43; interorbital width 43. Ethmoidal ridge terminating anteriorly in a sharp compressed spine, posteriorly in a much lower point, both being concealed under the skin. Four short gill-rakers on horizontal limb of outer gill-arch. The black blotches on marginal part of dorsal fin correspond in position with the broader cross bars on back. 454 FISHES FROM GALAPAGOS AND PANAMA—GILBERT. 29. Citharichthys gilberti Jenkins and Evermann. One specimen, Station 2812. This species represents the Citharich- thys spilopterus of the Atlantic, but differs from it in having fewer gill- rakers and larger eyes. The true spilopterus seems not to have been taken in the Pacific, and all references to it should be ranged in the syn- onymy of gilberti. Citharichthys sumichrasti Jordan, identical with gilberti. 30. Citharichthys platophrys sp. nov. One specimen from Station 2799. D. 78; A. 62. Lat. 1.43. Body ovate, the depth 2 in length; head 3. Caudal fin subsessile, the free. portion of caudal peduncle about half as long as diameter of pupil, its depth one-third length of head. Mouth very oblique, maxillary 24 in head, reaching vertical from middle of lowereye. Teeth slender, close set, in a single series in each jaw, those in front of upper jaw largest, but not canine-like. Kyes large, the lower much in advance of the upper, their horizontal diameter 33 in head. Interorbital space very wide for a Citharichthys, concave, divided by an oblique ridge running backwards from middle of upper orbit. Interorbital width 83 in head, nearly half as wide as. eye. Distance from tip of snout to front of lower eye two-thirds diameter of eye, from tip of snout to upper eye one-third head. Gill rakers short and very slender, less than diameter of pupil, nine present on horizontal limb of outer arch. Seales large, those on blind side very weakly ctenoid. Dorsal beginning behind nostril on blind side of snout, its longest ray 21 in head. Pectoral of eyed side long and narrow, 4 in length, containing 11 rays, that of blind side but half its length. Ventrals short. Caudal. rounded, 12 in head. Color in spirits: Uniform light-brownish (olivaceous in life), without distinctive marks. Fins somewhat dusky. Ventral of eyed side jet- black, that of blind side blackish on distal portion of inner rays. 31. Engyophrys sancti-laurentii Jordan and Bollman. One specimen, Station 2805. 32. Spheroides fiirthi Steindachner. Five young specimens from Station 2802. 33. Canthigaster punctatissimus Giinther. Two specimens, Station 2797. 34. Lophiomus setigerus Wahl. A single specimen 23 inches long, from Station 2805. D. II-III, 9. A. 5. Floor of mouth black posteriorly, but without white spots. Pectorals and ventrals pale on basal half, black distally.. beer mrad | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 455 Caudal and anal black, with some white spots. Soft dorsal translu- cent, with black specks. First dorsal spine with its membranous tip white, the latter provided with two black eyelike spots. Head above orbits and laterally with numerous spines and prickles. Humeral bone ending in three blunt points. Numerous cirri scattered along sides of head and body. Vertebre 18. 35. Malthe elater Jordan and Gilbert. Stations 2794 and 2795. INDIANA UNIVERSITY, December 1, 1890. XI} PL. XXXVIII LES TO RN HOUSE ALBANY HO K LAKE we .o) < E oc ° a k < iy ' . } A 7 * THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA.* BY Ernest E. THoMpsOoN, OF TORONTO, CANADA, Associate Member American Ornithologists’ Union, etc. (With plate XxxVIII.) INTRODUCTION. BOUNDARIES OF THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. In treating of the birds of this region it seemed most convenient to make the political boundaries of the province, those also of the district included, though this is scarcely defensible from the scientific standpoint. According to the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1886, chapter 47, the boun- daries of the province of Manitoba were fixed briefly as follows: On the south, at the forty-ninth parailel of north latitude, which is the interna- tional boundary line; on the west by a line along the middle of the road allowance between the twenty-ninth and thirtieth ranges of town- ships west of the first principal meridian, which line falls between 101° and 102° longitude west of Greenwich; on the north by the middle of the road allowance of the twelfth base line, which is north latitude 52° 50’; on the east by the meridian of the northwest angle of the Lake of the Woods which, according to Professor Hind is 95° 50’ longitude west of Greenwich. . In preparing my own map fall use has been made of the maps pub- *Tn offering the following observations in their present shape, i. e., as they were made on the spot, without material condensation or generalization, I believe that I have taken not merely the best but the only right course under the circumstances. My original plan, as may be seen by the ‘‘notes” throughout, was to prepare something after a very old-fashioned model, but widening experience caused a considerable change of view. Noone regrets more than myself their imperfectness, and, in some eases which I have pointed out, their unreliability. If I could see my way clear to revisit Manitoba in the near future I would gladly defer publication in the hope that I might first remove numerous doubts and fill many unfortunate blanks, but under existing circumstances there seems to be no course but to carefully revise my old journal and let it go forth for judgment. My own observations are supplemented by those of numerous observers in various parts of the province, and I have also endeavored to include all available records relat- ing to distribution and all valuab.e published matter relating to the ornithology of Manitoba that has not appeared in a special work on birds. This excludes only Dr. Coues’sfield notes * * * forty-ninth parallel, which, however, is constantly cited. In all the records I have given the exact words of the writer are quoted. Altogether { spent about 3 years in the province, my first visit extending from March 28, 1882, to November 16, 1883; my second from April 25, 1884, to January 27, 1885; my third from October 25, 1886, to January 12, 1887, broken only by occasional Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XIII.—No. 841. 457 U. & NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XIll_ PL. XXXvVIII {sey NoRway NOuKE & MELSON A. AS =152°50 86 rf “0 mies TO 710f aboveme Sea, = STO SEVERN MOUSE s i» 4% Lt i wee : : {MANITOBA 4, HOUSE cy Vd Dar SWF ae i) ro 30! J LN3 mt San ons TAGE Cas . | Brann Ge / . y) FERRY ¢ us 4 = Q PEN x" Ba. gs Bachar tk. % ps Os 2 S0e PEMGINA . 3 FORESYS—CNIEFLY POP ULUS TRE Map of the FORESTOMCORIFE SOUS. CMIEFL: <* <> 10 Ae AREA, PIMC, Gxnueiame, PROVINCE OF MANITOBA, | LARAN, CANA 7 i bl : y } ._" , eal “on 7 Showing the distribution of Forest, etc., m 1885 | SANDHILLS OR DUNES N - at? sae "Compiled by ERNEST E THOMPSON, |899. 458 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. lished by Professor Hind in 1860, by the Dominion Government in 1874, and by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company at various times be- tween 1880 and 1890, also those drawn by Mr. Shawe for Phillip’s Im- perial Atlas, and those issued by the Tenth Census Report of the United States. I have also supplemented these by information gained in my own travels, as well as that supplied me by Messrs. Tyrrell, Nash, Macoun, Christy, and other observers. PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE PROVINCE. The general features of the country have been ably and concisely described by Dr. Dawson in the report of the boundary commission (1875), as follows: The first or lowest prairie level, is that of which {he southern part lies along the Red River, and which, northward, embraces Lake Winnipeg and associated lakes, and the flat land surrounding them. A great part of its eastern border is con- terminous with that of Lake Winnipeg, and formed by the rocky front of the Laurentian; but east of the Red River it is bounded by the high lying drift terraces surrounding the Lake of the Woods, and forming a part of the drift plateau of northern Minnesota. To the west it is limited by the more or less abrupt edge of the second prairie level, forming an escarpment, which, though very regular in some places, has been broken through by the broad valleys of the Assiniboine and other rivers. The escarpment, where it crosses the line, is known as Pembina Mountain, and is continued northward by the Riding, Duck, Poreupine, and Basquia Hills. The average height above the sea of this lowest level of the interior conti- expeditions outside of our boundaries. Carberry was my headquarters, and except where otherwise stated all observations were made at that place. My companions, whose names appear, were Mr. Wm. G. A. Brodie, whose untimely death by drowning in the Assiniboine, May, 1883, robbed Canada of one of her most promising young naturalists; my brother, Dr. A. S. Thompson, with whom I lived, and Mr. Miller Christy. The last was with me during the latter part of the summer of 1883 and again for a few days in the July of 1884. He was the first ornithologist of experience that I had ever met, and I have to thank him for correcting in me many wrong methods of study that naturally were born of my isolation. My thanks are due to Dr. J. A. Allen, of the American Museum of Natural History ; Prof. Robert Ridgway, of the Smithsonian Institution; and Dr. C. Hart Merriam, ornithologist to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, for the identification of numer- ous specimens, and other assistance, and especially to the last for placing at my dis- posal the manuscripts of Miss Yoemans, Messrs. Calcutt, Criddle, Nash, Plunkett, Small, and Wagner; to Prof. John Macoun, of the Canadian Geological Survey; Messrs. Christy, Nash, Hine, Hunter, and Guernsey, for numerous manuscripts, notes, and much valuable assistance; to Dr. R. Bell and Mr. James M. Macoun, both of the Canadian Geological Survey; Dr. William Brodie, of Toronto; Dr. Charles Carpmael, of the Canada Meteorological Department, and Mr. Ernest D. Wentle, of Montreal, for help in various ways; and to the Hudson’s Bay Company for access to the Hutchins manuscripts. Indispensable assistance in preparing the manuscript has been rendered also by my father, Mr. Joseph L. Thompson, and my cousin, Miss M. A. Burfield. The measurements throughout are in English inches. ERNEST E. THOMPSON, 86 Howard street, Toronto, Ontario. JULY, 1890. aa PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 459 nental region is about 800 feet; the lowest part being that surrounding the Winni- peg group of lakes, which have an elevation of about 700 feet. From this it slopes up southward, and attains its greatest elevation—960 feet—at its termination far south in Minnesota. The edges of this prairie level are also, notwithstanding its apparent horizontality, considerably more elevated than its central line, whick is followed by the Red River. Its width on the forty-ninth parallel is only 52 miles; its area, north of that line, may be estimated at 55,600 square miles, of which the great system of lakes in its northern part—including Lakes Winnipeg, Manitoba, Winnipegosis, Cedar, and St. Martin’s—occupy 13,900 miles. A great part of this prairie level is wooded more or less densely, and much of the low-lying land near the great lakes appears to be swampy and liable to flood. The southern part, extending from the boundary line nearly to the south end of Lake Winnipeg, includes the prairie of the Red River valley, with an area of about 6,900 square miles; one of the most fertile regions, and, at the same time, the most avcessible portion of the Northwest. The superficial deposits of this stage are chiefly those of a great lake which occu- pied its area after the glacial submergence. This part of the interior of the conti- nent being the last to emerge from the Arctic waters and having been covered for a long time afterward by a sea of fresh water, held back either by drift deposits or by rocky barriers, which have subsequently been cut through, and which must have united all the Jakes now found in the region into one sheet of water, which extended with narrower dimensions about 200 miles south of the boundary line. The Red and the Assiniboine Rivers and their tributaries have not yet cut very deeply into its alluvial deposits and its surface is level and little furrowed by denu- dation. The second steppe of the plains is bounded to the east, as already indicated, and to the west by the Missouri coteau, or edge of the third prairie level. It has a width at the forty-ninth parallel of, probably, 200 miles, though it can not there be strictly defined. Its total area is about 105,000 square miles, and includes the whole eastern portion of the great plains, properly so called, with an approximate area of 71,300 square miles. These occupy its southern and western portions, and are continuous westward with those of the third prairie steppe. To the south, the boundaries of this region appear to become more indefinite, and in the southern part of Dakota, the three primary levels of the country, so well marked north of the line, are proba- bly scarcely separable. The rivers have acted on this region for a much longer time than on the last-mentioned, and are now found flowing with uniform currents in wide ditch-like valleys, excavated in the soft material of the plains, and often depressed from 100 to 300 feet below the general surface. In these the comparatively insignificent streams wander from side to side, in tortuous channels, which they only leave in time of flood. The surface of this prairie steppe is also more diversified than the last, being broken into gentle swells and undulations, partly, no doubt, by the action of denudation, and partly, also, as will appear, from the original unequal depo- sition, by currents and ice, of the drift material which here constitutes the super- ficial formation. The average altitude of this region may be taken at 1,600 feet, and the character of its soil and its adaptability for agriculture differ much in its different portions. The third or highest prairie steppe may be said to have a general normal altitude of about 3,000 feet, though its eastern edge is sometimes little over 2,000 feet and it attains an elevation of 4,200 feet at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Obviously none of the third steppe would fall within our limits were it not for a curious exception that is presented by the Turtle Mountain, which, though belonging to the third steppe, stands like an island upon the open sea of the second. Ofthis Dr. Dawson says: Turtle Mountain, an outline of the third prairie steppe, is a broken, hilly, wooded. region, with an area of perhaps about 20 miles square (400 square miles), and slopes 460 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. gradually upward from the plain around it, above which it is elevated, at its highest points, about 500 feet. Itappears to be the culmination westward of the hilly drift region previously described, and forins a prominent object when viewed across the eastern prairie, from the contrasting somber tint of the foliage of its woods. From the west it can be seen from a distance of 45 miles, and when thus viewed has really much the general outline of a turtle shell. It is bisected by the forty-ninth parallel. According to Mr. Tyrrell’s map, the altitudes of the large lakes, ete., to the west have hitherto been given fully 60 feet too low; as, how- ever, I am without corrected figures for other points whose altitudes are ~ given, [have elected to let older computations stand, and they may be taken as relatively correct. ‘¢ The sand hills,” so often referred to, are certain low sand dunes that cover a considerable extent of country in the vicinity of Carberry. They are in most cases low undulations rather than hills, are sparsely covered with grass and dotted over with beautiful clumps of trees, while the hollows and flats are diversified with lakelets that swarm with waterfowl and lower forms of life. The generalappearance of the sand- hills country is quite park-like, and notwithstanding its unattractive name this region as a whole is the most pleasing to the eye and fullerof interest and varied pleasure for the naturalist than any other that I have seenin Manitoba. ‘The Big Plain” is an unusually level prairie extending from Carberry northward about 30 miles. “The White Horse Plains” form a similar region between Shoal Take and the Assiniboine. “¢ The Souris Plains” include the southwestern corner of Manitoba that is drained by the Souris River. This is a remarkably level region, en- tirely cleared of trees excepting in the river gorges, and diversified by numerous marshes and alkaline flats. “ Bluff” is, in Manitoban parlance, the name applied to any isolated grove of trees on the prairie. The term is never used here, as in the Western States, to mean an abrupt bank or escarpment. Distribution of forest and prairie.—All that portion of Manitoba that lies to the eastward of the lowest prairie steppe, as above defined, is a rocky Laurentian region full of rivers and iakes of fresh water, and thickly wooded, being within the limits of the great coniferous forest. A wide strip of the flat country lying to the westward of Lake Winni- peg, likewise the elevat d plateaus of Riding, Duck, and Poreupine Mountains, are also to be classed as parts of the northern forest. There is good reason for believing that at one time, not very remote, the rest of Manitoba was covered with a forest of aspens or poplars (Populus tremuliodes), slightly varied by oak (Quercus macrocarpa), spruce (Abies alba et nigra), birch (Betula papyracea), etc., which has been removed by fire, so that trees are now found growing only in such places as are pro- tected from the fires by streams, lakes, marshes, or sandy tracts where so little grass grows that the fire can not travel; consequently, notwith- standing the prevalent idea of Manitoba as a purely prairie region, there is more or less timber in nearly all parts of the country as indicated on eee tie el Pe ee enoDS PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 461 the map. Thus I have endeavored to make arecord of the distribution of forests in 1885, for evidently no natural feature is more likely to change in a few years than the extent of woodlands. The line limiting the coniferous forest on the south is copied from the forestry map issued with the Tenth Census report of the United States. It is suspiciously straight and even, but is doubtless correct when understood merely as. a broad generalization. I regret that I am without the material neces- sary to define this limit more accurately. To the southward of Car- berry is a small isolated forest of spruce that is known as the Spruce Bush or the Carberry Swamp, by which names it is herein referred to. Water.—The province is plentifully, almost too plentifully, supplied with water. In addition to the numerous extensive lakes indicated on the map are thousands more of smaller extent, while the region of the Red River Valley in particular is diversified by vast stretches of marsh and lagoon. The various iakes are of two kinds, first the sweet water or live water lakes, fed and drained by living streams, teeming with fish and varying in size from that of a mere pond to that of Lake Winne- peg; second, the alkaline lakes, which are mere drainage basins and depend solely on evaporation for the removal of their accumulated waters. They owe their alkaline impregnation not to anything of the nature of salt-bearing strata, but to the continual influx and evaporation of surface water very slightly impregnated with alkali through running over the prairies strewn with the ashes of the annual fires. These “dead waters” never, so far as I know, contain fish, but they are usually swarming with a species of amblystoma and numerous kinds of leeches and aquatic insects. These lakes abound on the prairies and in the sand hills, but are usually of very small extent. They have, I believe, several peculiar species of sedge, and are especially frequented by cer- tain kinds of birds that seem to avoid the fresher waters, e¢. g., Baird’s: Sparrow, Avocet, etc. Salt springs, etc.—The following extract from Professor Macoun’s well-known work on “ Manitoba and the great Northwest, 1883,” will prove an interesting item of physiography: Lying farther south [than the Silurian], and possibly underlying the greater part o£ the western side of the Manitoba Plain, is the Devonian Series. These rocks are known to be largely developed on both sides of Lakes Manitoba and Winnepegosis. Numerous salt springs are found in connection with them, and during the last sum- mer the writer saw salt springs and brooks of strong brine flowing from them in various localities at the head of Lake Winnepegosis. The subjoined list of salt springs known to occur on Lakes Manitoba and Winnepegosis may tend to excite interest in these extensive deposits: 1. Crane River, Lake Manitoba. . Waterhen River, Dickson’s Landing. - Salt Point, east side of Lake Winnepegosis. . Salt Springs, Winnepegosis. . Pine River, Winnepegosis. . Rivers near Duck Bay. D> oS lo 462 : THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 7. Turtle River, Lake Dauphin. 8. Swan or Shoal, two localities. 9. Salt River, flowing into Dawson’s Bay. 10. Numerous salt springs and bare, saturated tracts of many acres in extent on Red Deer River, which flows into the head of Dawson’s Bay, Lake Winnepegosis. For 10 miles up this river salt springs are quite frequent, and excellent salt was col- lected in three places, where it formed a crust on the surface of the ground. Some springs were examined where a respectable rivulet of strong brine issued from them, as clear as crystal, and evidently quite pure. All the springs and marshes seen were bordered with seaside plants, and one of them, which has never been found from the seacoast before in America, was found in abundance. The plant referred to is Sea- Side Plantain (Plantage maritima). The following extract from Professor Hind’s report (1858) shows that this line of saliferous strata goes right across our province: Near and west of Stony Mountain many small barren areas occur, covered with saline efflorescence; they may be traced to the Assiniboine, and beyond that river in a direction nearly due south to La Riviere Sale and the forty-ninth parallel. These saline deposits are important, as they in all probability serve, as will be shown hereafter, to denote the presence of salt-bearing rocks beneath them, similar to those from which the salt springs of Swan River, Manitoba Lake, and La Riviére Sale issue. Meteorology.—I have not been able to obtain the material necessary for a general chapter on the meteorology of Manitoba, and must con- tent myself with a few statistics taken from Professor Bryce’s article on Canada in the Encyclopedia Britannica. The mean annual temperature for 11 years, (1871-1881, inclusive), taken near Winnipeg, was 33.06°, the maximum 95.34°, the minimum —40.51°; the mean amount ofrain, 16 977 inches; the mean amount of snow, 52.72 inches; the mean total precipitation of rain and snow, 23.304 inches; the mean height of the barometer, 29.153. The mean average temp erature for the years 1880 and 1881 was as follows: Jan- uary, 20.9; February, 3°; March, 9°; April, 30°.2; May, 51°.2; June, 63°.6; July, 659.9; August, 64°.8 ; September, 519.3; October, 40°; No- a aien 14°.6; mecenne 0°.6; the year, 32°.6. The So horas indicated on the map were taken from the map pre- pared to Professor Macouns’ work. Topography.—The topography of Manitoba is somewhat perplexing - through the duplication of names. Many, such as Pelican Lake, Swan Lake, Shoal Lake, Rat Creek, ete., appear several times over. None of these duplications have been entered on the map, with the excep- tions of Shoal Lake and Boggy Creek. In the first case I have added the word ‘“* West” to the name of the lake which is of secondary im- portance and probably of later naming. In the second the three creeks are distinguished as Boggy Creek, Big Boggy Creek, and Little Boggy _ Creek. Every name referred to in the notes, with exceptions noted — herein later, will be found on the map, with many additional ones that are of importance. Frequent allusion is made to Professor Macouns’ jour- neys and the region observed by him in making them. These expedi- winoe. | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 463 tions were as follows: 1879, from Winnipeg to Fort Ellice by water and thence up the Qu’Appelle River ; 1880, from Winnipeg to Grand Val- ley, now Brandon, by water and thence overland to Moose Mountain ; 1881, from Winnipeg to Portage la Prairie by rail, thence overland to Totogon down Lake Manitoba by boat into Waterhen River and into Waterhen Lake, and back by the western channel into Lake Winne- pegosis, and along the western shore of this lake into the larger bays, up Swan River to Swan Lake, then back to Winnepegosis and up Red Deer River to Red Deer Lake, up its southern affluent across country to Livingstone and down the Assiniboine to the railroad at Brandon. Humphrey’s or McGee’s Lake, Hope’s Lake, Smith’s Lake, and Markle’s Lake are small drainage lakes near Carberry. White Horse Hill, Kennedy’s Plain, and De Winton Slough are also close to Car- berry. These have been omitted from the map, as they are too small for the scale on which it is drawn. The following places outside of the province have been mentioned to to extend or explain the distribution of certain species: Carleton House: On the north branch of the Saskatchewan. Cumberland House: On the Lower Saskatchewan. Fort Pelly: On Assiniboine River, 10 miles west of Duck Mountain. Fort Qu’Appelle: On Qu’Appelle River, 100 miles up from its june- tion with the Assiniboine. Moose Mountain: Assiniboia, 35 miles westward of Manitoba, about latitude 49° 40’ north. Nelson River: The outlet of Lake Winnipeg, situated at its north end. Norway House: North end of Lake Winnipeg. Rat Portage: On the Lake of the Woods, where it is touched by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Red Deer River: Flowing into Red Deer Lake, at the northwest cor- ner of the province. Severn House: On Severn Lake, at 54° 5’ north latitude and 929° 30’ west longitude, about 150 miles northeastward of the province. Selkirk: Lake Winnipeg, about 40 miles north of the northern boun- dary. Touchwood Hills: 30 miles north-northwest of Fort Qu’Appelle. Trout Lake House: On Trout Lake, at 53° 50’ north latitude and 91° west longitude, about 200 miles northeast by east of the province. White Sand River: A tributary of the Upper Assiniboine, near the northwest corner of the province. 1. Aichmophorus occidentalis. Western Grebe. Tolerably common summer resident in Red River Valley, chiefly to- wards the northward, as follows: Quite common at Shoal Lake, near Lake Manitoba, and less so at Redburn (Hine). A rare summer resi- dent along Red River (Hunter). Breeding in vast numbers at Shoal 464 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. Lake and Lake Manitoba, not elsewhere (D.Gunn). ‘ Clark’s Grebe,” Shoal Lake (Brewer). Breeding on Lake Manitoba and very abun- — dantly in the marshes of Waterhen River, between it and Lake Winne- pegosis. I took great numbers of eggs on Waterhen River and the south end of Waterhen Lake (Macoun). I did not meet with this bird in any part of western or southern Manitoba, but at Winnipeg I was shown several specimens taken near Redburn, where it is somewhat common, and others from Shoal lake, where it is quite plentiful. These facts, together with the following statement by Professor Macoun, are the more interesting when we con- sider that for a long time this grebe has been considered a bird of the Pacific region. In his work on the Northwest, Professor Macoun writes: On Waterhen River and Lake the Western and Red-necked Grebes breed in great numbers. Their nests are builton the old sedges and rise and fall with the water. Here the Indians collect large numbers of eggs in the proper season, and one old fel- low, last season, astonished me by the remark that he could have fresh eggs all sum- mer. On inquiry I learned that he went regularly to the same nests and never took all the eggs so that he kept the poor bird laying all sumn er. Mr. D. Gunn makes the following remarks on this species at the lake in question: The annual resort of the Podiceps occidentalis to Shoal Lake is, as has been observed, “remarkable.” From the most reliable information that I could obtain from the In- dians at this place it has never been seen on the Red River nor on on Lake Winnipeg, and I have never heard of its having been seen anywhere in what is commonly known as Rnpert’s Land, except at Shoal Lake and Manitoba, and I may add that it is also remarkable that there are very few girebes to be found in any other of the bays con- nected with the lake, although all these bays abound in reeds and rushes. Possi- bly these birds prefer the bay on the north point on account of its being sheltered from the wind, and probably a greater facility for obtainit g food in that locality may influence them in the choice they make. I am inclined to think that the large grebes feed on aquatic plants; I opened several of their gizzards and found nothing in them but grass. The Western Grebes, when seen in groups on the smooth, unruf- fled waters of the lake, make a splendid appearance, sometimes raising themselves out of the water, and flapping their wings, their white breasts glistening in the sun like silver. They are not timorous, but when alarmed they sink their bodies in the water, and if the object of their fear still presents itself they plunge head foremost and dive and continue a long time under the water, often disappointing the expecta- tions of their pursuers by reappearing in a different direction from that anticipated. They make their nests among the reeds on the bent bulrushes of the last season; the ‘frame or outer work is of reeds and lined with grass from the bottom and reed leaves. _ The nest is nearly on a level with the surroundir g water and may be aaid to float at its ‘‘ moorings,” held there by the reeds. We found hundreds of these nests contain- ing two, three, and four eggs each; I believe six to be the highest number we found in any one. We took thirteen grebes, of which the males were larger than the fe- males; the largest male measured, before skinning, 274 by 36} inches and 14 inches round the body at the head of the wings. The largest female measured 244 by 324 inches. We shot not a few of them in the act of leaving their nests, and most of them on being skinned proved to be males, which fact inclines me to believe that the male © bird takes his turn in sitting on the eggs. a Pe Po séon | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 465 2. Colymbus holbcellii. Holbell’s Grebe. Red-necked Grebe. ‘Summer resident chiefly of the shallow, fish-frequented lakes to the northward. Winnipeg: Summer resident; very rare; only 4 specimens taken up to 1585 (Hine). Breeding in considerable numbers at Shoal Lake ; comparatively rare in Red River region (D.Gunn). Specimen from Red River settlement in Smithsonian Institution (Blakiston). Breeds abundantly in the marshes of Waterhen River and south end of Waterhen Lake, where I took great numbers of its eggs (Macoun). Duck Mountain; breeding (Thompson). On June 18, 1884, while hunting at Duck Mountain, above Boggy Creek, with my brother, we came to a small lake and parted to go around it in different directions. When we met, he showed me a nest which he had found among the reeds in 2 feetof water. It was amere floating mass of wet rushes, and had been moored by a few growing rushes whose tops had been incorporated with the structure. It eon- tained 3 eggs, which the bird was hastily covering with more rushes when he first saw her. From his description, and from what I could see at 200 yards distance, it was apparently an adult Red-necked Grebe, but the bird was too shy to admit of the identification being completed in the only perfectly reliable way. As there are no fish in these isolated mountain lakes, these birds probably live largely on amblystome, crawfish, and insects. 3. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. Abundant summer resident of general distribution ; very abundant ; breeding at Pembina and the base of the Turtle Mountain (Coues). Lake Winnipeg (Murray). Red River (Kennicott). Common summer resident in Red River Valley (Hunter). Commonabout Winnipeg (Hine). Very common on Red River, and breed in the marshes near Shoal Lake (Gunn). Portage la Prairie; common summer resident (Nash). Ob- served in the ponds from Turtle Mountain to Brandon, in May, 1882; commonly breeding in all the ponds about the Big Plain, being the most abundant Grebe of the region; common also from Carberry to Rapid City and thence west to Fort Ellice, and in the whole region on both sides ofthe Assiniboine, northward to Duck Mountain (Thompson), Abundant on Waterhen River; breeding; they give the name to the river; the common Grebe of the prairie ponds (Macoun). Shell River; 1885, first seen, two on May 3; afterwards seen every day ; it is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). Trout Lake (Murray). On July 20, 1883, in a lake near “* The Gore,” shot a Horned Grebe. It had saved itself once or twice by diving at the puff of smoke, so I sought the cover of the bushes and fired through an opening, and as no smoke was visible [ got the bird. It was an adult male; length, 14 inches, extent 24 inches; moulting; iris blood red, with an inner circle of white around it; basal region and part of lower mandible adjoining Proc. N. M. 99-—30 466 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. covered with bare red skin ; in examining the eye, Isqueezed outa leech, that was sometimes like a No. 4 shot or again like a small needle. On June 3, 1884, while traveling on the Birtle trail from Rapid City [noticed a pair of Horned Grebes in a small pond. I fired and disabled one. On wading in I found it was shot in the eye and was perfectly blind, though otherwise unhurt. Having heard sundry curious theories about the way in which these birds move their feet, I kept it alive for observation. When ordinarily swimming the feet strike out alter- nately, and the progression is steady, but sometimes both feet struck together, and then the movement was by great bounds and was evi- dently much better calculated to force the bird over an expanse of very weedy water or through any tangle of weeds or rushes in which it might have found itself. When lifted out of the water the feet worked so fast as to be lost to the eye in a mere haze of many shadowy feet with one attachment. When placed on the ground it was perfectly helpless. At nights I laid it by my side on the grass, and each morn- ing I found it still in the same place. During the day I carried it ina bucket swung under the wagon. It often tried to leap out of this, but never succeeded. On the second day of its captivity it laid an egg, which was like a duck’s egg with a heavy coat of whitewash. On the third day, after the wagen had crossed some rough ground, which had set the pail violently swinging, I found the grebe was gone. All the specimens of cornutus that I have examined have the eye all blood- red except a thin ring of white which immediately surrounds the pupil. On August 21, 1884, shot a Horned (?) Grebe in the lake southwest of here. Several young ones were seen. No doubt the species breeds there as in all the small drainage ponds in this region, although they are totally devoid of fish. The only animal food available for the grebes in there is amblystoma, frogs, leeches, and insects. Dishishet Seekeep or Little Diver. This bird differs but little from Mr. Pennant’s small grebe. It weighs 5} ounces, harbors in our fresh waters, where it builds a floating nest of grass, laying from three to five eggs of a white color; the heat of the bird causing a fermentation in the grass, which is a foot thick, makes a kind of hot- bed, for (please to observe) the water penetrates through the grass to the eggs. (Hutchins’s Observations on Hudson Bay. MSS. 1782.) 4. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. American Eared Grebe. Common summer resident, breeding abundantly on Turtle Moun- tain and at points along Mouse River, near the boundary (Coues). Common summer resident in Red River Valley (Hunter). Winnipeg: Summer resident tolerably common (Hine). Breeding in great num- bers at Shoal Lake and on Red River (D. Gunn). Quite common on pools in prairie regions (Macoun). Very numerous in this bay (Grebe Bay, Shoal Lake). They make their nests on the bulrushes, composed of the same material. We found as many as six eggs in some nests, but in the greater number of nests only four. They are very shy and Saeed PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 467 expert divers, are very common on tbe Red River, and breed in the marshes near the lake (D. Gunn). 5. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. Dabchick. Common summer resident in all waters, living and dead; breeding at Pembina and on ponds at the base of the Turtle Mountain (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resident; common; breeds at Shoal Lake (Hunter). Portage la Prairie; very abundant; summer resident on every lake, slough, or pond large enough to give them sufficient “ water privilege ;” arriving as soon as the ice is out and departing when their haunts are frozen over. First seen, May 6, 1884, April 24, 1885, April 19, 1886 (Nash). Frequently observed in the ponds from Turtle Mountain to Brandon; in May, 1882, common and breeding in the ponds about Car- berry, also at Rapid City (Thompson). In immense numbers (killed four ata shot) in August and early part of September on the headwaters and marshes of Swan River; abundant on all pools south of Touch- wood Hills; apparently more northern than the preceding (Macoun). Shell River, May 4 (Caleutt). On June 30, 1882, at Rapid City, found a Pied-billed Grebe lying dead on the road. This species seems to be very abundant throughout the country from here to Carberry, and from Carberry to Turtle Mountain, for the peculiar call note ‘* pr-r-r-r-7 tow tow tow tow” (that I ascribe to this species) is heard in nearly every marsh throughout the region indicated. On August 12,1883, I came on a pair of Pied-billed Grebes in McGee’s Lake, Carberry. Instead of diving they commenced flapping over the surface and excited my curiosity so that I shot them both. They were hoth Dabehicks, and I found they would not dive because the water was very weedy at that place. Their gizzards were full of water insects and feathers. These last are commonly found in gizzards of Grebes. I know of no explanation of this fact, unless it be to muffle the move- ments of newly swallowed living prey. On September 13, 1884, at Portage la Prairie, found Dabchicks here yet. They seem more numerous here than at Carberry. 6. Urinator imber. Loon. Big Helldiver. Summer resident on the larger fish frequented lakes. Summer resi- dent; abundant, and breeding on Lake Winnipeg and the larger rivers (Hine). Swampy Island: 1885, first seen, four, on May 30; next seen May 31; rare around this island; not breeding here; common at northern end of lake in fall; last seen September 27; in 1886, first seen, twenty, on May 14 (Plunkett). Oak Point: 1884, arrived May 1 (Small). Port- age la Prairie: Tolerably common on Lake Manitoba throughout the summer, arriving with the first general thaw in spring and retiring when driven out by the frost (Nash). Common only on the northern 468 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. Sy lakes in the forest country; saw some on Red Deer Lake; never more than a pair together; never saw it in the prairie region (Macoun). Riding Mountain: June, 1884 (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a pair on May 4; afterwards, seen every day ; is common all sum- mer and breeds here (Caleutt). Qu Appelle: Common summer resident, breeds; arrives April 28 (Guernsey). Severn House (Murray). Athinue moqua, or Great Northern Diver. This elegant bird is seldom seen on the seacoasts, but resides among the lakes above 100 miles to the southward of York Fort, for which reason they are called the inland loons. (Hutchins’s MSS. Observations on Hudson’s Bay, 1782.) 7. Urinator arcticus. Black-throated Loon. Recorded by Andrew Murray, from Severn House, and therefore probably Manitoban. 8. Urinator lumme. Red-throated Loon. Winnipeg: Rare (Hine). Norway House (Bell). Assee moqua, or Red-throated Diver. * * * It appearsin these parts when the rivers are open and retires about the end of September. Its note is harsh and disa- greeable, like squalling. They make no nest, only lining the place with a little down from the breast, on which they deposit their eggs towards the end of June; they are of a stone color and only two in number. The young ones fly before the end of August. They live chiefly on fish and are excellent divers, and so very troublesome to the nets that I have this summer taken out fourteen of them that were caught in one tide at a single net. (Hutchins’s Observations on Hudson’s Bay, 1782.) 9. Cepphus mandtii. Mandt’s Guillemot. Severn House (Murray). This species may be named as probably Manitoban on the above grounds. 10. Larus argentatus smithsonianus. American Herring Gull. Summer resident about the larger bodies of water ; breeding in great numbers at Lake Winnipeg (D. Gunn). Specimen from Nelson River, inSmithsonian Institution (Blakiston). Oak Point: 1884, arrived April 21; 1885, first seen, two, on April 18; next seen, two, on 19th; is com- mon, and breeds here (Small). Breeding in all the large prairie lakes (Macoun). PortagelaPrairie: Occurs during the spring and autumn migrations (Nash). Severn House (Murray). ‘The island on which we were detained by a storm, is one of the Gull-egg group, which, with a point of land protruding from the main land, forms a pretty good har- bor on the south side of the neck of the great promontory. The Indians were nearly des- titute of provisions and followed us to the island, where they fortunately got a plenti- ful supply of eggs and young gulls; but having little ammunition, they brought down only a few old ones, although they hovered in countless numbers over the island, screaming at the wiblesald destruction of their young brood. (Hurd, August 24, 1858.) 11. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. Summer resident, near Mouse River, on the boundary, in September (Coues). Winnipeg : Summer resident, tolerably common, and at Lake ey ek fear PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 469 Winnipeg (Hine). North, in summer, to Lake Winnipeg (Brewer). Breeding in all the lakes of any size (Macoun). 12. Larus franklini. Franklin’s Gull. Rosy Gull. Summer resident about the large lakes. Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant; breeding in the prairie marshes of the neighborhood (Hine). Swamp Island: 1885, first seen, two, on May 28; next seen, May 29, after which it was common; it breeds here, and is an abundant summer resident ; in fall, last seen September 25; 1886, first seen, six, on May 18; bulk arrived May 20 (Plunkett). Breeding at Selkirk Settlement, Red River Settlement, and in numbers at Swan Creek, Oak Point, Lake Manitoba (D. Gunn). Shoal Lake: May 15, 1887; common (Christy). Portage la Prairie: Common in spring migration ; in 1884, first seen April 21 (Nash). Breeding abundantly on Lake Winnepe- gosis, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: A common spring migrant (Thompson). Turtle Mountain: Young (Coues). Shell River: 1885, “‘ Black-Headed Gull,” first seen, two, on April 24; next seen, nine, on May 2; a tran- sient visitant passing north and not remaining any time or breeding (Calcutt). 13. Larus philadelphia. Bonaparte’s Gull. Summer resident about the larger lakes. Winnipeg: Tolerably com- mon here in fall (dine). A few breeding in the marsh of Swan Creek, not far from Shoal Lake (D. Gunn). Breeding in great abundance on all the large lakes of the prairie region, chiefly. west of Manitoba (Macoun). One in Snithsonian Institution from Nelson River (Blakis- ton). Portage la Prairie: Abundant during the spring migration, and some probably stay to breed, as I have occasionally seen single birds about the prairie sloughs during the summer (Nash). Severn House; fortunately several specimens of this gull have been received; it is rare in collections, but would appear not to be so in Hudson’s Bay (Murray). 14. Sterna forsteri. Forster’s Tern. Summer resident about the large lakes; bieeding in large numbers on the borders of Lake Winnipeg in the latter part of May; at Shoal Lake, saw Forster’s terns in considerable numbers; they nest among the reeds; Selkirk Settlement (D. Gunn), Shoal Lake, May 15; com- mon (Christy). Breeding abundantly in Lake Manitoba, Waterhen River, and Lake Winnepegosis (Macoun). Portagela Prairie: Abund- ant during the spring and autumn migrations; probably breeds, as I have seen a few in summer (Nash). 15. Sterna hirundo. Common Tern. Sea Swallow. Common summer resident on the large lakes; feeding largely on small fish. Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). One 470 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. taken on Lake Winnipeg, June 16 (Humicalt). Breeding on Lake Manitoba, Waterhen River, and .Lake Winnipegosis (Macoun). Portage la Prair.e: Tolerably common during spring and autumn migrations; a few remain about Lake Manitoba during the summer (Nash). There are numbers of terns breeding annually at Shoal Lake; some of them on small, gravelly islands. These form their nests by removing the gravel, making hol- lows in which they lay their eggs; others of them take up their abode among the reeds and rushes. Here, with great industry and ingenuity, they make their nests of reeds and grass, fixing them in their place to keep them from floating away. When in Lake Winnipeg, in 1862, I observed that the terns which occupied sandy and gravelly islands made their nests as those do on the gravelly islands in Shoal Lake; and the terns found on the rocky island on the east side of the lake chose for their nests depressions and clefts in the surface of the rocks. These they line care- fully with moss; three or four eggs being laid in each nest; thus exhibiting a remarkable example of instinct, which teaches these little creatures that their eggs laid in soft sand and in loose gravel are safe without any lining to protect them, but that when laid in hollows and clefts vf rocks, lining to protect their eggs and young from injury by these hard, and at night cold, materials would be indispensable. (D. Gunn. ) 16. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. Black Tern, or Marsh Tern. Abundant summer resident ; chiefly about the prairie ponds, dead waters; breeding at Pembina; Mouse River at the boundary (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Abundant in Ked River and Selkirk Settlements (Brewer). Prairie Portage; plains of the Souris (Hind). Portage ja Prairie: Abundant summer resident on all the large prairie sloughs, in which they breed; first seen, May 11, 1884, May 25, 1885; last seen, September 9, 1884 (Nash). Breeding very abundantly in all marshes from Portage la Prairie westward, 1879, and in less numbers in the wooded region, but generally dis- tributed (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant; summer resident; breeding also in all ponds along the trail from Carberry to Port Ellice (Thomp- son). Brandon: Breeds in great numbers (Wood). Shell River: 1885, ' first seen, eleven, on May 18; seen every day afterwards; is common all summer, and breeds here; Indian name, ‘ K’ask” (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Commonsummer resident; breeds ; arrives May 18 (Gui rn- sey). Severn House (Murray’. On June 11, 1882, went in the morning with two brothers to the lake in the sand hills east ot old Dewinton; saw there large numbers of marsh terns. They ap peared to be nesting in a weedy expanse far out in the lake, but it was surrounded by deep water, so that I could not come near it to seek for eggs. The birds came flying over my head, in company with numbers of blackbirds, and resented my intrusion by continually crying in their characteristic manner. : August 4. The black terus are beginning to gather in flocks; leave the ponds and skiin about over the open prairie. On July 8, 1883, went southwest to Smith’s Lake; found a number eo | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. A771 of tern’s nests, just finished, apparently, as they were clean, but empty, and the old birds continued flying above us anu screaming their re- sentment. On July 5, 1884, at McGee’s Lake, Carberry, I found the terns just beginning to lay. Eachnestis a mere handful of floating reeds, slightly moored to others growing in the deep water, where they are found. The whole structure is just on a level with the surface of the water and entirely wet; on this are the eggs, much the same color as the reeds, and as wet as eggs can be. It is a remarkable fact that, although this species is abundant in all parts of southwestern Manitoba, and I have often searched in various lakes with a flock of terns screaming about my ears, yet I have never before found either nest or eggs. On this occasion I found three eggs in one nest; several nests with two eggs; one or two with one, and one or two empty nests just completed. On July 9 the terns were numerous everywhere on the prairie. Timed and counted the wing beats of several as a basis for calculating their rate of flight; one made 54 beats in 9 seconds; another, 28 beats in 9 seconds, a third 30 in 10 seconds. July 6, observed one make 27 beats in 10 seconds. July 12, saw another make 15 beats in 5 seconds, show- ing that about 3 is the average number of beats to the second. July 5 I had an opportunity of measuring the distance a tern covers with 8 beats; it was 24 yards. August 14: Terns are abundant now on the open prairie; it isa com- mon sight to see this bird zigzagging about in pursuit of the large dragon flies, until, at length, having secured as many as it could con- veniently carry, it suddenly ceased the fantastic maneuvering for the swifter beeline, and made straight for its twin nestlings in the reedy expanse of some lake far away. To-day, I made a calculation of the speed; one bird covered 70 yards with 14 beats, 7. e., 5 yards per beat; I find they usually give 3 beats per second; this, therefore, is 15 yards per second or 31 miles per hour; much less than I expected. This black inland member of a white marine family is abundant about all the weedy sloughs and lakes of the Mani- toban prairie regions. It seems not to subsist on fish at all, but chiefly on dragon flies and various aquatic insects. It finds both its home and its food in the marshes usually, but its powers of flight are so great that it may also be seen far out on the dry open plains scouring the country for food ata distance of miles from its nesting ground. The voice of the species is a short, oft-repeated scream, and when any known enemy, be it man or beast, is found intruding on the privacy of their nesting ground the whole flock comes hovering and dashing about his head, screaming and threatening ir a most vociferous manner. Under such circumstances it is the easiest thing imaginable to procure as many specimens as may be desired. When one of the flock falls wounded in the water, its fellows will repeatedly dart down and hover 472 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. low over it, but I have never seen any attempts made to assist it in escaping, after the manner ascribed to some of the family. Besides aquatic insects the Black Tern feeds largely on dragon flies which it adroitly captures on the wing. The bird may frequently be seen dashing about in a zigzag manner so swiftly the eye can offer no explanation of its motive until, on the resumption of its ordinary flight, a large dragon fly is seen hanging from its bill and sufficiently accounts for the erratic movements of tae bird. After having captured its prey in this way I have frequently seen a tern apparently playing with its victim, letting it go and catching it again, or if it is unable to fly, dropping it, and darting under it to seize it again and again before it touches the water. After the young are hatched, a small flock of the old ones may be seen together leaving the pond and winging their way across country to some favorite dragon-fly ground. Their flight at first is uncertain and vacillating, but as soon as one has secured its load it returns with steady flight and in a straight line to its nest. Under ordinary circumstances I was always impressed with the idea that the tern was very swift and entered into a series of elaborate cal- culations to ascertain the rate of its flight. A large number of obser- vations resulted in an average of three wing-beats per second, with the greatest of regularity ; another series of observations, not so satis- factory, allowed a distance of 5 yards to be traversed at each beat. This gave only the disappointing rate of-something over 30 miles per hour, but this was at the uncertain foraging flight. Once the mother tern has secured her load of provender, a great change takes place, as already mentioned ; she rises high in air, and I am sure she doubles her former rate of speed, and straight as aray of light makes for home. It is said that many birds can not fly with the wind; not so the tern; for now, if there be a gale blowing her way, she mounts it like a steed and adds its swiftness to her own, till she seems to glance across the sky, and vanishes in the distance with a speed that would leave far behind even the eagle. so long the symbol of all that was dashing and swift. 17. Phalacrocorax dilophus. Double-crested Cormorant. Crow Duck. Summer resident about the large lakes of the westward region when there is plenty of fish; once observed on Red River near Pembina (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; not rare, and found breeding at Lake Winnipeg; occasional on Red River (Hine). Breeding at Shoal Lake and Selkirk Settlement (D. Gunn). Shoal Lake: Plentiful ; breeding; May 16, 1887 (Christy). Ossowa: Breeding (Wagner). Portage la Prairie: Tolerably common during the spring migration, on the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, and the wooded sloughs adjacent to them, but very seldom seen in the autumn; first seen April 24, 1885, April 20, 1886; on October 8, 1886 ; I saw one flying up the Red River southward ; these birds are very wild and difficult of approach when on the water, rising with a great flapping before one can get within 200 > ae ea | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 473 yards of them (Nash). Very abundant; breeding on Lake Winnepe- gosis in 1881 (Macoun). Shell River: 1885, first seen, four, on May 13; next seen, two, on May 14; a transient visitor only; not breeding, (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Rather common summer resident; April 25, breeding north of the Touchwood Hills; nesting on the trees growing on islands in the lakes (Guernsey). Fort Qu’Appelle, May 19, 1885. The Cormorant comes here in large flocks towards the end of April; it is called by half-breeds the Crow Duck; in its flight it flaps for three or four strokes and then sails; itisanexpert diver. The half-breeds say that it builds on islands in the lakes north of here, building its nests on trees. They say that when a man lands on one of their breeding places the birds fly over him and drop their excrement on him. I have been told this by several. They do not breed here that I know of, but there are always several knocking about during the summer; they sit on the bars with the pelicans. (Geo. F. Guernsey). : 18. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. American White Pelican. Common summer resident about the large lakes; one taken at Pem- bina in May; observed at Mouse River on the boundary in September (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident ; common about the large lakes ; breeding at Shoal Lake (Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resident ; common; breeds at Shoal Lake(Hunter). Shoal Lake (Christy). Breeds in the smaller lakes near Lake Winnipeg, and northwestward ; several specimens shot in Lake Winnipeg in October, 1880 (Bell). Swamp Island : 1885, first saw two on May 24; next seen May 31, after which it was common; it breeds here ; in fall, last seen September 12, 1886, first saw, two, on April 29; bulk arrived May 27 (Plunkett). September 1, 1884, saw a flock of five on Lake Manitoba; the only ones I ever saw (Nash). Waterhen River: October 3, 1858, a large flock of pelicans, wheeling in circles far above, suddenly formed into an arrow-headed figure, and struck straight south; Oak Lake, some Pelicans (Hind). In great numbers at the head of Lake Winnepegosis or about half wuy up, and evidently breeding, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: November 5, 1886, found remains of a dead pelican in the hills near Smith’s Lake; only record (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first saw one on May 4; next seen, May 5; rare (Yoemans). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; very plentiful on the lakes last year (1884); towards the migratory sea- son I saw flocks of upwards of 500 birds (Guernsey). Pelican observed in numbers at the Grand Rapids, where the Saskatehewan enters Lake Winnepeg, on the 25th of September, and a few days after a scattered one or two; I believe they do not range east of Lake Winnipeg (Bla- kiston). These birds until the last few years were in the habit of breeding in large numbers at Shoal Lake, 50 miles from Winnipeg. In the summer of 1878, on the Ist of June, I counted six hundred of their eggs (?) in nestson a small island of about half an acre in extent. The nests consist only of a slight depression in the sand. These birds and the cormorants are great friends; the nests of the latter were intermixed everywhere with those of the pelicans. I counted seven hundred eggs of the cormorant on this spot. Although the pelican’s home and nesting place is an abode of filth, they keep 474 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. themselves exceedingly clean. Their flight I consider more beaut ful and graceful even than that of the swan. (Richard H. Hunter in MSS.) Fort Qu’Appelle, May 19, 1885. Some years the pelicans are more numerous than others. Last year they were very thick all summer, and towards the end of summer it was no unusual thing to see forty or fifty in a flock sitting on the water. They are reported to breed in large numbers on Long Lake, 40 miles west of here. (George F. Guernsey in MSS.) 19. Merganser americanus. American Merganser. Sheldrake. Summer resident, frequenting only living water. Winnipeg: Sum- mer resident; rare; Lake Winnipeg (Hine). Red River Valley: Sum- mer resident ; common ; breeds at Shoal Lake (Hunter). Breeds abun- dantly on the rivers emptying into Lake Winnepegosis, and on all the rivers visited by me in Manitoba; I never observed this bird on still water during the breeding season; they feed only on fish, and are found only on clear running streams where fry are abundant (Macoun). Qu’ Appelle: Tolerably common summer resident; May 5 (Guernsey). 20. Merganser serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. Fish Duck. Summer resident, chiefly on living waters. Winnipeg: Summer resi- dent; rare; Lake Winnepeg (Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resi- dent; tolerably common ; breeds at Shoal Lake (Hunter). Breeds in all the northern streams and ponds; feed largely on vegetable matter and are quite edible (Macoun). Carberry: August 21, 1884, at Hope’s Lake, shot a merganser; rare here (Thompson). Qu’Appelle: Tolerably com- mon; summer resident; May 1(Guernsey). Trout Lake, Severn House (Murray). 21. Lophodytes cucullatus. Hooded Merganser. Summer resident, chiefly inhabiting drainage, that is, dead water; breeds; Turtle Mountain and Mouse River along the boundary (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 20 and 25 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Sum- mer resident; common; breeding at Lake Winnipeg (Hine). Portagela Prairie: Tolerably common; summer resident; first seen April 27, 1885, April 23, 1886; abundant on La Salle River and on Horse Creek near Westbourne (Nash). Found in all the smaller ponds and lakes; very common in streams around the Porcupine Mountain; feeding on vege- table substances and quite edible, unlike M. americanus (Macoun). Car- berry: Tolerably common summer resident; breeding (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, eight, on May 11; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives April 20 (Guernsey). Trout Lake (Murray). 22. Anas boschas. Mallard. Very abundant.; summer resident; general distribution in grassy freshwater marshes, ete.; breeds abundantly throughout the region in suitable places, from Pembina along the boundary to the Rockies ce | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. AT5 (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 15 and 20 (Dawson). Winni- peg: Summer resident ; abundant (Hine). Ossowa: Common; breeding ; 1885, first seen, two, on April6; next seen, April 13 (Wagner). Swampy Island : 1885, first seen. two, on April 16; next seen, April 20; became common April 26; breeds here in fall; last seen October 1; 1886, first seen, two on April 16; next seen, April 17; (Plunkett). Oak Point: 1885, first seen, two, on April 7; next seen, April 8; became common on April 11; breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: 1884, very com- mon ; summer resident ; first seen, March 30; a few sometimes remain till after the snow covers the ground (Nash). The most abundant duck of the Northwest, breeding in nearly all the marshes north of the bound- ary (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant in migration; a few breed ; Souris Plain; Turtle Mountain; Long River; Fingerboard ; near Rapid City ; near Two Rivers; Pine River; Portage la Prairie (Thompson). Brandon: April 13, 1882 (Wood). Dalton: 1889, first seen, four, on March 21; next seen on March 23; became common on March 26; breeds here (Youmans). Shell River: Common summer resident 5 breeds ; in 1885, first seen, twelve, on April 6; afterwards seen every day (Calcutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds April 5 to 15 (Guernsey). Trout Lake Station and Severn House (Mur- ray). Near Cumberland House are fuund in vast multitudes (Hearne, 1773). June 11: While roaming in Spruce Bush, to-day, I came suddenly across a wild duck (Mallard) with her newly hatched brvod. She was leading them to the water, which was a considerable distance away, perhaps a quarter of a mile, and in this locality the forest was high and dry. The old duck ran to meet me and then put in practice all the usual stratagems to cover the retreat of her brood; meanwhile the little ones scattered and ran, ‘“‘ peeping ” in all directions, and soon all had hidden themselves from view, except five, which Icaught. The remain- ing four or five I did not try to get, but left them itor the mother to gather together again. My little captives I took home with me, fondly believing I could rear them. On October 30, 1886, saw three Mallard at Smith’s Lake. Ihave often lain in the long grass on the bank of some pond and watched the whole family as they played about on the glassy surface, now splashing the water over the backs, apparently to show how they mean to do it when they are big rather than for any present benefit, and now rushing patter- ing over the surface in pursuit of some passing fly and generally with success crowning the effort, for when young they feed almost exclusively on insect food. I touched one of the tall stems so that the top shook; the watchful mother failed not to observe that there was something in the rushes, and slowly led her brood in another direction ; or if I stood up in full view, she gave to her startled brood the watchword of alarm, which to judge from her actions may be translated ‘scatter and run for your lives into the rushes while I divert the brute’s attention.” 476 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—-THOMPSON. There have been times when it was the necessity for food that led me where I have observed such scenes as that described, but I can say truly that each time the brave mother was allowed to go in peace and the hunt was prolonged until another though perhaps a less palatable victim was found and sacrificed. ; They arrive early in April, frequently before the lakes or large slonghs are free from ice, resorting to the wet prairies and stubble-fields; the great bulk are paired when they reach here and they soon commence nesting. their nests being made in all sorts of places. I have found them in the marshy sloughs on the open prairie, near water usually, and once in the bush at least a half a mile from a very small stream that always dried up during the summer, but which was the only water for a long distance, About the middle of May the females commence to set; the drakes then molt, los- ing their brilliant plumage; whilst undergoing this change they gather together into small flocks of about five or six and hide themselves in the rushes, from which it is very hard to dislodge them even with good dogs. In September they gather into flocks, young and old together, and visit the wheat and barley stubbles, rapidly becoming fat; the drakes at this time begin to show the green feathers on their heads, and by the time they leave they have acquired their perfect plumage. A few frequently remain for some little time after the snow has covered the ground; these I have seen feeding around the base of the stacks and resorting to Lake Mani- toba for water ; in 1885 they were abundant up to November 9, but left onthe day, after, for on the 11th I saw the last of the season, a single bird only. On the 15th of September, 1832, I shot a large drake, which had pure white pinion feathers and a broad band of white from the usual ring around the neck to the.breast ; this bird was with seven others, all of the usual color and size. (Nash, in MSS.) 23. Anas obscura. Black Duck. Dusky Duck. Very rare summer resident. Winnipeg: Summer resident; rare; only two specimens in 10 years, one at Long Lake, one at Lake Winnipeg (Hine). Red River Valley: Very rare; Manitoba is their most western limit (Hunter). I have received a specimen and seen others from York Factory (Blakiston). 24. Anas strepera. Gadwall. Gray Duck. Rare summer resident; abundant throughout the region along the Boundary from Pembina to the Rockies ; breeds (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Red River Valley: Sum- mer resident; tolerably common at Lake Manitoba,(Hunter). Breeding on Shoal Lake (D. Gunn). Only one specimen shot on the Assiniboine, September, 1881 (Macoun). Portage la Prairie: Rare; have shot a few in the autumn near Lake Manitoba (Nash). Qu Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; April 20 (Guernsey). 25. Anas americana. Baldpate, or Widgeon. Tolerably common summer resident ; abundant throughout theregion along the boundary from Pembina to the Rockies; breeds (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 20 and 25 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Sum- Be rae PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 477 mer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Selkirk Settlements: Breed- ing; Lake Winnipeg in the breeding season in considerable numbers (D.Gunn). Swampy Island: 1885, first seen, four,on May 10; next seen, May 11; bulk arrived May 12; is common, and breeds here; in fall, last seen, October 2; 1886, first four on May 10; bulk arrived on May 13 (Plunkett). A specimen from between Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay in Smithsonian Institution (Blakiston). Portage la Prairie: Abundant summer resident ; breeding at Lake Manitoba and in all the sloughs in this vicinity; this is the last duck to arrive in the spring and the first to leave in the fall; in 1884, first seen, April 16 (Nash). Sil- ver Creek: July 5, 1882, shot a Widgeon, female ; apparently breed- ing; length, 18; extension, 33; gizzard full of shell-fish (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a pair on May 12; next seen, four, on May 23; is common all summer, and breeds here (Calcutt). Frequent on the Assiniboine; 1881 (Macoun). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resi- dent; breeds; April 20 (Guernsey). 26. Anas carolinensis. Green-winged Teal. Abundant migrant; many breeding; extremely abundant throughout the region along the boundary from Pembina to the Rockies in August ; doubtless some breed (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between 15th and 20th (Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant; breeding (Hine). Swampy Island: 1885, first seen, two, on May 3; next seen, the bulk, May 6; is tolerably common, and breeds here; in fall, last seen September 1; 1886, first seen five on May 8; bulk arrived May 10 (Plunkett). Verycommon near Norway House; scarce northward (Bell, 1880). Portage la Prairie: 1834, abundant migrant and common sum- mer resident, arriving at about the same time as the Mallard, but leav- ing as soon as the sloughs are frozen over ; I have found flappers as late as the 15th of August (Nash). Rarely found breeding on the plains; apparently goes further north; in immense flocks on the Assiniboine in the fall of 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: common; breeding; Silver Creek, Rapid City (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, two, on April 15; next seen on April 16, when it became common; does not breed here (Youmans). Brandon: April 20,1882 (Wood). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a pairon May 2; afterward seen every day; is common all summer, and breeds here (Calcutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds April 5 to 15 (Guernsey). On June 29, 1882, at Rapid City, Dr. A. S. Thompson shot a Green- winged Teal with his rifle. Although shot through the belly it was not killed, but flew with its entrails trailing, and it required a charge of dust shot to finish it. It was a male; length, 15; extension, 23; gizzard full of shell fish. This species is very abundant throughout the whole of the pondy prairie region from here to Carberry. It is usually met with in pairs and is of a very affectionate disposition, for if one be shot the other either remains to share its fate, or if it does fly at first, usually 478 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. returns almost immediately to the side of its mate. I found it an ex- pert diver, for often one of them would disappear at the approach of the gunner and be seen no more; doubtless it had swam under water to the nearest reed-bed, in whose friendly shelter it was securely hiding. On July 5, at Silver Creek, came across a female Green-winged Teal traveling with her brood of ten young ones across the prairie towards a large pool. The mother bird was in great grief on finding that she was discovered, but she would not fly away ; she threw herself on the ground at my feet and beat with her wings as though quite unable to escape and tried her utmost to lead me away. Bui I was familiar with the trick and would not be beguiled. I caught most of the tiny yellow downlings before they could hide and carried them carefully to the pool, where soon afterward the trembling mother rejoined them in safety. This species, I think, unlike the blue-wing, usually nests quite close to the water, so that it was probably owing to the drying up of the pond . that this newly hatched brood found themselves forced to take an over- land journey of considerable extent before they could find a sufficiency of water. 27. Anas discors. Blue-winged Teal. Very abundant; summer resident; general distribution in the prairie regions; along the boundary, Mouse River, in fore part of August becomes very abundant; doubtless breeds (Coues). Winnipeg: Sum- mer resident; abundant; breeding (Hine). Sparingly at Shoal Lake and Lake Winnipeg (Brewer). Swamp Island: 1885; breeds here; last seen August 26 (Plunkett). Shoal Lake, May 19,1887 (Christy). Port- age la Prairie: Very abundant; summer resident, and like the mallard nesting wherever it takes a fancy to do so; in 1884 first seen April 16 (Nash). Breeds abundantly around marshy ponds in the prairie country; exceedingly abundant in fall of 1880; rare in Assiniboine in September, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Common; breeding; Souris Plains, Turtle Mountain, Long River, Rapid City, and the whole south slope of Riding Mountain (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one on April 18; next seen, May 15, when it became common; breeds here (Youmans). Shell River; 1885, first seen, a pair on May 2, afterwards | every day; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). Qu’Ap- pelle: Common summer resident; breeds May 10 (Guernsey). I have frequently remarked that during the breeding season this species may be seen coursing over and around the ponds in threes, and these when shot usually prove a male and two females. After dark they may be identified during these maneuvers by their swift flight and the peculiar chirping, almost a twittering, that they indulge in as they fly. On August 19, 1882, at Markle’s Lake, shot a Blue-winged Teal. This sheet of water is not more than 3 acres; it has hard banks, almost en- tirely without rushes or other cover, and is a mile or more from the = see a PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. A479 nearest pond. This duck is very abundant in the country, and I think it usually nests much farther from the water than any of its near con- geners. Like the Green-wing it is a good diver, but it is less wary and more easily shot; it seems to prefer the smaller ponds and leaves the large sheets to the Mallard and other large ducks. 28. Anas cyanoptera. Cinnamon Teal. Very rare; straggler; I have taken the Cinnamon Teal at Oak Lake, and I think also at Lake Manitoba, but during fifteen years’ resi- dence in Manitoba I have only seen five or six specimens (R. H. Hun- ter). ; 29. Spatula clypeata. Shoveler or Spoonbill. Abundant summer resident, of general distribution; abundant throughout the region along the boundary from Pembina to the Rockies; breeding on Mouse River (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 20 and 25 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Breeding at Ked River, Shoal Lake, and Lake Winnipeg (Brewer). Swampy Island: 1886, first seen, six, on May 28; abundant summer resident (Plunkett). On Lake Winnipeg, the young were nearly full grown in the beginning of July (Bell, 1880). Shoal Lake: Breeding May 17, 1887 (Christy). Portage la Prairie: 1884, common Summer resident; breeds in most of the sloughs near here; I have only once seen anything like a flock of these birds, and then there were not more than a dozen of them; they arrive late and depart as soon as the shallow waters they frequent are frozen; in 1884, first seen April 16 (Nash). Observed great numbers in August on the prairie ponds about Pleasant Hills; breeding on ponds throughout the prairie, but more abundantly throughout the copsewood region (Macoun). Bran- don, Pembina, and Rapid City: Breeding (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one on April 16; is common, and breeds here (You- mans). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a pair on May 8; next seen, four on May 22; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt), Qu Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; May 1 (Guernsey). Trout Lake (Murray). 30. Dafila acuta. Pintail. Common summer resident of general distribution; abundant through- out the region along the boundary westward from Pembina, in summer as well as in fall (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 15 and 20 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Summerresident; abundant(Hine). Red River to Hudson’s Bay (Blakiston). Breeds near Norway House (Bell, 1880). Osowa: Common; breeding; 1885, first seen, one on April 7, next seen April 16; became common April 20; last seen, thirteen, on November 1 (Wagner). Portage la Prairie: Abundant; summer resident; first seen in 1884, April 16; arriving early, generally with the Mallard, but leay- 480 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. ing much earlier, the first frost driving them out (Nash). Carberry: Tolerably common summer resident; breeding; Souris Plain, Turtle Mountain, Fingerboard, near Rapid City (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, about ten, on March 21; seenevery day afterwards; became common on March 23; breeds here (Youmans). Brandon: April9, 1882 (Wood). Breeding on the prairies south of Pipestone Creek (Macoun). Shell River: 1885, first seen, four, on April 20, afterwards seen every day, male and female; is common all summer and breeds here (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds April 5 to 15 (Guern- sey). Trout Lake Station and Severn House (Murray). 31. Aix sponsa. Wood Duck. Rare summer resident; several small flocks in latter part of Septem- ber, north of Red River, in Minnesota, feeding on wild rice (Kennicott), Rat Portage: October 10, 1886, found the head of a male Wood Duck lying on the shore (Thompson). Winnipeg: Summer resident; rare (Hine). I have seen the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) at Westbourne, and it is always to be found along Cook’s Creek, east of Winnipeg (Hun- ter). Portage la Prairie: A rare and local summer resident, but I think increasing ; previous to September 21, 1884, I never saw any in this neighborhood, though I had heard that a few pairs always bred on the White Mud River, near Westbourne, on that day; I saw two on the Assiniboine the following year; two or three broods were raised here, out of which, in September, I shot several, and on the 9th of October I killed one of the handsomest drakes I have ever seen; its plumage was simply perfect (Nash). Observed on Lake Winnepegosis by Mr. Tyr- rell (Macoun). Carberry: A single pair taken in 1883 (Thompson). Qu’Appelle: I know of one being shot here in five years (Guernsey), A male killed at Cumberlaud House, June, 1827 (Richardson). Mr. Hine, of Winnipeg, showed me some fine specimens taken at Lake Winnipeg ; he described it as regular, though not common, in the mouths of such creeks as flow through the heavy timber into Lake Winnipeg; Devils’ Creek is a favorite place, and here they are found feeding largely on the wild potato which grows on the overhanging banks, so that the bird may gather it without leaving the water; Hudson’s Bay; Moose Factory; Trout Lake Station (Murray). 32. Aythya americana. Red-head. Common summer resident ; breeding abundantly throughout the region along the boundary from Pembina to the Rockies (Coues). Swamp Island: Breeds here; last seen September 11 (Plunkett). Winnepeg; summer resident; abundant (Hine). Breeding at Oak Point Lake, Manitoba, Shoal Lake, and Selkirk Settlement (D. Gunn). Portage la Prairie: Abundant; summer resident ; breeding in all the lakes and large sloughs ; I have frequently shot flappers on the 15th of August; they arrive as soon as the rivers are open and stay until no open water ven | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 481 is left; in 1884, first seen April 16 (Nash.) Breeds abundantly on the marshes of Waterhen River(Macoun). Carberry: Tolerably common; summer resident; breeding (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a pair on May 3, afterwards seen every day; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident ; breeds; April 23 (Guernsey). Oak Point. We procured some duck nests aud among them were two dythya americana, (Red-head ducks’ nests), one containing eight eggs, the other nineteen. Do”) When I was there in 1865 we found one belonging to the same kind of duck con- taining nineteen or twenty eggs. The Indians accuse this duck of dishonesty, stating it to have very little respect for the rights of property, being inclined to rob other ducks of their eggs and place them inits own nest. This species and the canvas-back are both found at Shoal Lake and at Manitoba, but nowhere in great numbers. (D. Gunn.) 33. Aythya vallisneria. Canvas-back. Uncommon; afew breed ; at Turtle Mountain in July (at the bound- ary) I saw several broods of partly grown young; in most of the region, however, the bird is less numerous than the Red-head (Coues). Win- nipeg: Fairly common on Lake Manitoba, but not generally breeding (Hine). Red River Valley: Transient visitant; rare (Hunter). Oak Pointand Shoal Lake: breeding (Gunn). Swampy Islands: 1885, tirst seen, sixty, on May 19; next seen, May 20; last seen May 25; does not breed here; is very abundant in fall and spring amongst open places in ice on lake (Plunkett). Portage la Prairie: 1884, first seen April 16; common in spring, particularly if the lowlands should be flooded; in 1882, during the spring freshet they were abundant, in the autumn ; they are less frequently seen ; some, however, breed on Lake Manitoba, for on the 18th of September, 1886, I saw four young birds in a game dealer’s shop in Winnipeg, the proprietor of which told me he had just received them from there, and a friend who knows the birds well also informed me that he had shot them on the same lake when they could scarcely fly (Nash). Qu’Appelle: Common migrant; April 23 (Guernsey). I am positive that the canvas-back never breeds in Manitoba. I have shot in the spring every year for the past fifteen years, and have not seen ten canvas-back ducks during that time. Ihave occasionally shot them in the autumn, in the proportion of one canvas-back to two hundred other ducks. (Rich H. Hunter, in MSS., May, 1885.) 34. Aythya marilanearctica. AmericanScaup Duck. Big Blue-bill or Black- head. Common migrant; a few breed. Dufferin: Arrived between April 25 and 30 (Dawson). Specimen in Smithsonian Institution, from Red River Settlement (Blakiston). Winnepeg: Abundant (Hine). Red River Valley: Abundant migrants, butI can not concur that it com- monly breeds in Manitoba (Hunter). Breeding at Lake Winnipeg (D. Gunn). A few breeding iy Lake Winnipegosis, June, 1881 (Macoun). Portage la Prairie: Fall migrant; commun in spring, arriving as soon Proc. N. M. 90——31 482 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. as the rivers are open ; not so frequently obtained in the autumn, prin- cipally, I think, because it confines itself to the large lakes, seldom visiting the creeks or sloughs at that season ; it remains until it is fro- zen out; in 1884, first seen April 16 (Nash, in MSS.). Carberry: Abundant; migrant(Thompson). Qu Appelle: Common Summer resident; breeds; arrives April 20 in flocks, with lesser Blue- bills and Ring-neck (Guernsey). 35. Aythya affinis. Lesser Scaup Duck. Little Blue-bill. Abundant summer resident, of general distribution. Winnipeg: Abundant; breeding (Hine). Red River Valley: Abundant, chiefly in autumn; notcommonly breeding (Hunter). Swamp Island: 1885, first seen, four, on May 12; next seen May 13, when it becomes common; is abundant and breeds here; 1886, first seen, two, on May 5; bulk ar- rived on May 11 (Plunkett). Shoal Lake: May 19, 1887 (Christy). Portage la Prairie: Abundant summer resident; breeding on all the prairie sloughs of any size; it arrives as soon as there is-any open water, and remains so long as there is a hole in the ice big enough to hold it; in 1884, first seen April 16 (Nash). Breeding more commonly than the preceding (1881) (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant summer resident; breeding; Brandon, Souris Plain, south slope of Riding Mountain (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two pair, on May 1; afterwards seen every day ; itis common all summer and breeds here (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives April 20 (Guernsey). Severn House (Murray). 36. Aythyacollaris. Ring-necked Duck. Marsh Blue-bill. Tolerably common summer resident. Winnipeg: Summer resident ; common (Hine). Swamp Island: 1885, first seen, six, on May 9; next seen, the bulk, on May 10; tolerably common; breeds here (Plunkett). Breeding in the marshes of Waterhen River, 1881 (Macoun). Portage la Prairie: Common summer resident; frequently confounded with the last, and they are both frequently more than confounded by persons who shoot them, for if there is only one kick left in them when they drop they will utilize that to such good purpose that they will get under cover beneath the water, where they conceal themselves so well that it is almost useless to try to retrieve them (Nash). Qu’Appelle: Com- mon summer resident; breeds; arrives April 20 (Guernsey). 37. Glaucionettaclangula americana. American Golden-eye. Whistler. Tree Duck. Rare summer resident. Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably com- mon(Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resident; tolerably common ; I have taken twenty-one eggs out of one nest in an old oak tree at Shoal Lake, near Winnipeg (Hunter). Swampy Island: 1885, first seen, Six, on May 5; next seen on May 6; became common May 8; is Sere | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 483 tolerably common, and breeds here (Plunkett). ‘‘Common Golden-eye or Tree Duck ;” also breeds near Norway House (Bell, 1880). Portagela Prairie: Rare; summer resident; comes late and leaves early ; is scarce in the shooting season ; shot one in August, and as I see them more or less all summer, I assume that they breed here; arrives about the end of April and departs early; I have rarely seen one after the 1st of September; first seen April 27, 1885, April 20, 1836 (Nash). A few breed in the Waterhen River marshes (Macoun). Carberry: Very rare; summer resident; June 23, 1883; at a small lake in the woods to the south, to-day, Isaw a Whistler, and I think the species breeds here (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, one, a male, on April 25; a transient visitor, passing north and not remaining any time or breed- ing (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Tolerably common summer resident; breeds ; arrives April 15 (Guernsey). 38. Glaucionetta islandica. Barrow’s Golden-eye. I shot a brace at Lake Manitoba in 1879, and a drake at Shoal Lake in the spring of the following year; and Isaw a drake which was killed at the mouth of the Red River (Hunter). Winnipeg: Rare; straggler (Hine). 39. Charitonetta albeola. Buffle-head. Common summer resident ; breeding in deep ponds that are fringed with trees; among the commonest species after the fall migration, along the boundary (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 20 and 25 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Transient visitor; abundant (Hine). Swamp Island: 1835, first seen, about twenty, on May 21; next seen on May 22; last seen, May 25; is common in migration but does not breed ; 1836, first seen, six, on May 10; bulk arrived May 13; last seen, May 19(Plunkett). Portage la Prairie: Abundant in spring and autumn, some few remaining to breed ; at Lake Champique, near Hedingly, I once found young, unable to fly, on the 15th of August; they were ona prairie slough, at least three miles from any trees (Nash). Abundant in ponds in the autumn; not seen in the prairie regions (Macoun). Carberry : Common summer resident; breeding also at west slope of Duck Mountain, Portage la Prairie (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on April 27; next seen, May 20; is common all summer and breeds here (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident ; breeds; arrives September 20 (Guernsey). Severn House; Trout Lake Station (Murray). 40. Clangula hyemalis. Old squaw. Swallow-tailed Duck. Coween. Severn House (Murray), and during winter found in many parts of the Mississippi valley (Cook), therefore probably Manitoban. 484 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 41. Histrionicus histrionicus. Harlequin Duck. This bird will probably be found in Manitoba, as it has been recorded | from near Hudson’s Bay (Hutchins). Breeds in British America; * * * throughout Illinois in winter, and has been taken at St. Louis, Missouri (Cooke). Breeding in the Rocky Mountains, near the boun- dary (Coues). Pow is tic on sheep; two specimens, both drakes, ete. * * * These birds are found in small rivulets, seldom in large rivers, about 90 miles inland. They migrate to the southward with the yeese; feed on grass and small worms at the bottom of the creeks; have a whistling note; they build their nests in the grass, and lay ten or more eggs, resembling those of a pigeon in size and color, The name in the Algon- quin language implies a species of ducks that frequent the waterfalls or cataracts. The young brood are very prettily speckled. (Hutchins MSS, Obs. H. Bay, 1782.) 42. Oidemia americana. American Black Scoter. Rare ; migrant. Winnipeg: Transient visitor; rare (Hine). Swampy Island: ‘‘ Black Duck,” 1885, first seen, four,on May 19; next and last seen on May 20; is rare here and does not breed (Plunkett). Trout Lake (Murray). 43. Oidemia deglandi. White-winged Scoter. Rare ; migrant; possibly breeding. Winnipeg: Summer resident; tol- erably common; Lake Winnipeg (Hine). Red River Valley: Tran- sient visitor; tolerably common on rocky localities (Hunter). Occurs between Hudson’s Bay and Lake Winnipeg (Murray). Near Russell, July 6, 1882; Bitter Lake, Washington, shot a velvet scoter, female ; length 20, extension 36; all over dusky; bill gray; alight patch near bill and one behind eye; secondaries white; legs dull reddish ; appar- ently breeding (Thompson). Qu Appetle: Common; migrant; May 1 (Guernsey). Trout Lake Station; Severn House (Murray). 44. Oidemia perspicillata. Surf Duck or Surf Scoter. Uncommon; migrant; common at Lake Winnipeg (Hine). Qu’Ap- pelle: Rare migrant; May 1 (Guernsey). Red River Valley: Tolerably common; transient visitor; abundant (Hunter). A specimen from Nelson River in the Smithsonian Institution (Blakiston). 45. Erismatura rubida. Ruddy Duck. 4 Summer resident; breeding; common and breeding in suitable places throughout the region along the boundary ; at Turtle Mountain nesting in numbers in the pools (Coues). Winnipeg: At few are seen each year about Long Lake when it breeds; also Lake Winnipeg, and at Shoal Lake (Hine). The Ruddy Duck is sometimes found in swamps near the Red River, but they are more numerous at Shoal Lake and Mani- toba(D. Gunn). Portage la Prairie: Shot a female here September 10, 1884; she was with two buffle-heads at the time (Nash). Seen at ea | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 485 Touchwood Hills in September, but not in Manitoba (Macoun). Shell River: 1885, first seen, one male, on May 23; breeds here; flaps for a few yards on the water and spreads its tail and shakes its head like a fan-tail pigeon (Caleutt). QuwAppelle: Common summer resident; breeds May 1 (Guernsey). 46. Chen cerulescens. Blue Goose. Winnipeg: Rare; transient visitant (Hine). 47. Chen hyperborea. Snow Goose; White Wavy. Abundant spring migrant; less common in the fall; abundant dur- ing migration along the boundary (Coues). Winnipeg: Transient visitor; abundant; going north to breed (Hine). Red River Valley: Transient visitor; abundant (Hunter). Swampy Island: 1885, first seen, four, on May 7; next seen on May 10, after which it disappeared ; never common; does not breed, and is rare on this lake (Plunkett). Migrant at Shoal Lake (Gunn). Ossowa (Wagner). Portage la Prairie: 1884, abundant spring visitor to the large grass marshes near Portage la Prairie, but rarely seen in the autumn in that neighbor- hood ; near Winnipeg it is, however, not uncommon in October; first seen April 25, 1884 (Nash). Carberry: Seen in enormous numbers in spring, and in much less numbers in the fall (Thompson). Little Sas- katchewan, near St. Martin’s Lake: Wavies, as the half-breeds term them (Wa-wain Cree) (Anser hyperboreus), flying to the south early this morning in large flocks, were regarded as a sure sign of approach- ing winter (Sept. 27, 1858, Hind). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, one, on April 6; next seen, four, on April 18; migrant (Criddle). Qu’ Appelle: Transient ; passing over May 3 to 28 (Guernsey). Severn House (Mur- ray). In Hudson’s Bay they are the shyest and most watchful of all the species of geese, never suffering an open approach, not even within two or three gunshots. Yet in some of the rivers near Cumberland House and at Basquian the Indians frequently kill twenty at one shot; but this is only done in moonlight nights, when the geese are sitting on the mud and the sportsmen are perfectly concealed from their view. (Hearne, 1795.) In April the ducks and geese return in great numbers, become plentiful, and feed in numerous flocks in all the marshes fringing the lakes for at least a month anda half. The gray geese and ducks draw off by degrees in May, but the white geese (wawee) come generally in the last week of April, and begin to clear away for Hudson’s Bay on the 13th or 14th of May, where they invariably arrive on the 15th of Mar. The last of them leave here from the 20th to the 25th of the same month. (D. Gunn.) These birds pass over the country in countless numbers each spring, generally ar- riving in large bands about the 15th of May, although I have seenstragglers as early as the 28th of April. A great number of immense flocks generally remain in the Province for a couple of weeks to ‘‘take in sand” and feed. They are very easily shot while on the gravel grounds; they appear very stupid (i. e., in the morning and even- ing). When not taking in sand and gravel they are very difficult to approach and are as wary as any geese. These birds are rarely seenin the autumn. The half- 486 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. breeds say that they do not pass over Manitoba on their return, but take a more western course. Although I havespent two weeks every October for the past 15 years in shooting, I have never seen more than an Genbelunal flock of perhaps fifty birds in the autumn. (Hunter, in MSS.) 48. Anser albifrons gambeli. American White-fronted Goose. Laughing Goose. Specklebelly. Winnipeg: Migrant; transient visitor, rare (Hine). Anser frontalis of Baird from Red River Settlement (Blakiston). Ossowa: Migrant; May 11 (Wagner). Shell River, 1885, first seen, eighteen, on April 10; a transient visitor, passing north and not breeding or remaining any time (Calcutt). Near Long River, May 19, 1882, C. T. shot a pair of White-fronted Geese, but secured only the male; length, 274; extension, 58; testes but little developed; gizzard full of young shoots of aquatic plants; a peculiar wart or excrescence grew on the tibio-tarsal joint. No others of the species were seen (Thompson). Near Cumberland . House and Basquiau they are found in such numbers that the Indians in moonlight nights frequently kill upwards of twenty at a shot (Hearne, 1795). 49. Branta canadensis. Canada Goose. Wild Goose. Wavy. Abundant; migrant; afew breed; common at boundary along Mouse River in late September (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abun- dant; a few breea(Hine). Red River Settlement: April 2, 1856, April 1, 1858 (Blakiston). Red River Valley: Abundant in migration; a few breed (Hunter). Breeding on Lake Winnipeg in June (Kennicott). Swamp Island, 1885: First seen, eighteen, on April14; next seen April 15, when it became common; breeds here; in fall; last seen Septem- ber 23, 1886; first seen, four, on April 8; bulk arrived April 16 (Plun- kett). Ossowa: Common; breeding, 1885; last seen, fifteen, on No- vember 28 (Wagner). Oak Point, 1885, April 7 (Small). Portage la Prairie: Common in spring and fall; a few breed in the marshes near Lake Manitoba; arrives about the middle of April or before should there be open water; departs when all the lakes and rivers are frozen over, usually about the 10th of November (Nash). In 1879, breeding on the Assiniboine, where Brandon now is; also above the rapids (Ma- coun). Two Rivers, 1885: Great flight April 1; next April 3; common in spring and fall (Criddle). Brandon: Two young takeu on the river August 25, 1882 (Wood). Dalton, 1889: First seen, about fifteen, on March 21; next seen on March 22; became common on March 26; was last seen May 10; rarely breeds here (Yoemans). Shell Kiver, 1885: First seen, fifteen, on April 9; afterwards seen nearly every day in the migrating season; odd pairs breed near here (Calcutt). Qu’ Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds April 1 to 10 (Guernsey). Carberry: Abundant in migration; rarely breeding south of Souris River; mi- grant; breeding near Shoal Lake, west (Thompson). Oren PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 487 On October 4, 1883, near Shoal Lake, west, I chanced to eall at the home of Mr. McMillan, a farmer. There was a flock of six full-grown tame Canadian Geese feeding about the door. Mrs. cMillan informed me that in the spring they found the old goose nesting in the slough near by. The bird was shot, and her seven eggs brought into the house and laid by the stove during the daytime, and at night they were wrapped in flannel and putaway. At length they began to hatch. The good wife assisted six of the goslings into the world, but, fearing she had done wrong, allowed No. 7 to work his own passage. The six lived and throve, while No.7 died. (In the spring of 1884 she still had the brood of swan-like birds; they were living in the barnyard in a state of perfect domestication.) The fact that these eggs must have been chilled nightly, and in the daytime exposed to a dry, unnatural heat, shows the wonderful vitality possessed by wild eggs. Another farmer, living near Carberry, added some geese to his barn- yard in the same way, but, I believe, they did not breed in confine- ment. b) 49a. Branta canadensis hutchinsii. Hutchins’s Goose. In September a very small young bird, taken on Red River by Robert Kennicott (Baird). Portage la Prairie: Common in spring and fall only; have not been able to discover that it breeds near here (Nash). 50. Branta bernicla. Brant. Migrant; observed only during the migration along the boundary (Coues). Winnipeg: Transient visitor (Hine). Red River Valley: Transient visitor; I have taken it at Shoal Lake (Hunter). Carberry : Observed as a migrant; not common; no specimen taken (Thompson). 51. Olor columbianus. Whistling Swan. Occasional about the large lakes; not demonstrated to breed. Win- nipeg: Transient visitor; rare(Hind). Oak Point, 1884: Arrived May 4 (Small). Always seen in flocks high up (Macoun). Portage la Prai- rie: In the autumn of 1886 saw one that had been shot on Lake Man- itoba, and in previous years have seen this or the next species there myself (Nash). Some years ago, when I built Cumberland House, the Indians killed those birds (swans) in such numbers that the down and quills might have been procured in con- siderable quantities at a trifling expense. (Hearne, 1769-1772.) 52. Olor buccinator. Trumpeter Swan. Rare migrant; observed on a few occasions in Dakota late in Sep- tember and in the first half of October during the migration; said to breed in Minnesota (Coues). Winnipeg: Transient visitor; rare (Hine). Swamp Island, 1886, first seen, eight, on May 1; bulk arrived May 6; last seen May 10; tolerably common this year (Plunkett). Portage la 488 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. Prairie: Occasionally seen in spring and autumn, I am informed, but as I never actually identified the bird myself Iam not positive about it (Nash). ¥ 53. Botaurus lentiginosus. American Bittern. Common summer resident in all extensive marshes; apparently rather common on Mouse River, at the boundary, in September (Coues). Duf- ferin: Arrives between April 25 and 30(Dawson). Morris: Often seen April 29, 1887 (Christy). Winnepeg: “Summer resident; abundant (Hine). A specimenin Smithsonian Institution, from Nelson river (Blak- iston}. Ossowa: Breeds (Wagner). Oak Point: 1884, arrived May 15 (Small). Portage la Prairie: Common summer resident; first seen May 17, 1884; May 22, 1885; April 19, 1886; last seen October 16, 1884 (Nash). Abundant in all marshes throughout the country; shot June 11, 1881 (Macoun). South slope of Riding Mountain, on Little Saskat- chewan, August 28, 1858; in the marshes, herons, cranes, and bitterns were distributed in groups (Hind). Carberry: Common; southern slope of Riding Mountain, abundant; Portage la Prairie; Sewell; Fort Ellice; Rat Portage, 1886 (Thompson). Shell river 1885, first seen, one on May 4, afterwards seen every day; is common all summer and breeds here (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives May 21 (Guernsey). Severn House (Murray). On May 23, 1884, at Sewell Plain, heard a bittern pumping in the slough after dark; the sound has been very aptly likened to the syllables ‘“‘ pump-o-ga;” the first two notes are like the stroke of a pump, the last is exactly like the swish and gurgle of waterin a deep pipe. This sound is not at all ventriloquial, as is that of the European Bittern according to many accounts, and I had no difficulty in following and flushing the bird, but it was too dark to shoot, as I could only see the dim form against the sky when it rose after flying, apparently 50 yards, and pres- ently he was heard again working his pump in the distance. On June 2, on the south slope of the Riding Mountain, I was led toa bittern, atten sundown, by its pumping; I watched it catching insects until dark, and then shot it, and found in its stomach a most miscella- neous collection of insects, etc. Same day, near the Fingerboard, I traced a bittern by his notein theevening, and shot him; ¢ adult; stom- ach contained crawfish, insects, a garter-snake, a mouse, and a meno- branchus. June 3, at Rapid City Trail, south slope of Riding Mountain. The bittern is one of the commonest of the large birds that are to be found inthis region. Its long brown form on flagging wing, with beak pointed one way and legs another, is to be seen flying over nearly every exten- sive slough of this region. Suddenly, in the midst of his flight, he may be seen to dangle his legs, ‘‘reverse action” his wings, and drop into the marsh. There, for a moment, he stands, not deigning to notice the blackbirds that are trying to terrify him into a retreat, his long neck = ean | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 489 straight up at full length. Then, having satisfied himself that all is right, he touches a hiddenspring, and instantly the preposterous neck is tucked away somewhere in a surprising way, and so effectually that the head looksas though stuck on the shoulders without any intervening structure at all. In taking its prey the bird either waits until the rash victim comes within reach of its spear-like bill or goes stalking about after it among the rushes. Its food is of such a varied character that one only has to collect the stomachs of about a score of bitterns to have an extensive natural history museum. The specimen taken yesterday contained, as already stated, a garter-snake, a mouse, an amblystoma or water liz- ard, sundry crawfish, and an innumerable company of various insects; and to this list may safely be added every kind of small animalism that may be secured about the marshy home of whe bird. Misled by sundry printed statements, I once cooked an individual of this species, but will not be so misled any more. It is sufficient to say that it tasted of all the creatures it feeds on. I have somewhere read that this bird is strictly diurnal. This I have long doubted. Indeed, I begin to doubt that any bird is strictly any- thing. When we find a hawk gorging itself with choke cherries, a night- owl hunting by sunlight, and sandpipers that never pipe or go near sand, one is prepared to give up, on behalf of the birds, all rules of life and conduct, and expect the strictly ‘‘diurnal” bittern to be up and stirring during the hours of darkness and gloom, as, indeed, the fore- going notes lead me to suspect he does. . Contrary to the usually expressed opinion, this bird is strictly diurnal in its hab- its; quitting its resting places in the reedy bogs early in the morning, feeding out along the margins of ponds, streams, etc., during the day, and returning to its close cover at night. When alarmed, the bittern, instead of rising, frequently erects its head and neck and depresses its tail between its legs, until the whole body is-almost vertical, and so stands perfectly still until the danger is past ; when in this position it so closely resembles a dead branch that it requires a practiced eye to detect it. Bitterns are most frequently heard to boom or pump in the spring, but I have also heard them all through the summer; the latest date being in August. (Nash.) 54. Botaurus exilis. Least Bittern. Accidental visitant. Winnipeg: Summer resident: only one speci- men in 10 years in Manitoba (Hine). 55. Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron. Uncommon summer resident, of erratic distribution; common summer resident in all Red River Valley; not noted by me anywhere in the Assiniboine region; observed during our passage down the Red River to Pembina (Cones). Pennawa River, September, 1887 (Hind). Win- nipeg: Summer resident; tolerably rare (Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resident; common at Shoal Lake, township 16, range 3, east 490 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. (Hunter). Portage la Prairie: 1884; rare;-summer resident (Nash). South slope of Riding Mountain, on Little Saskatchewan River: In the marshes herons, cranes, and bitterns were disturbed in groups (Hind). Occasionally seen, but not very common; shot on Swan River, April 28, 1881; not observed breeding (Macoun). Breeding in numbers on Rid- ing Mountain (Green). Qu’Appelle: Tolerably common; summer resi- dent; breeds; arrives May 6 (Guernsey). My summer of 1880 was spent in the Northwest Territory of the Dominion. The 20th of July last found me in the Duck or Riding Mountain, at the headwaters of Bird’s Tail Creek, about 51° north, and on the one hundred and first meridian. These moun- tains are covered with a dense forest of tall poplars and birch and thick underbrush of hazel aud raspberry, making it impossible to get through without cutting a trail in advance. This 20th of July was a very hot day. We had started at 6 a.m. with a train of thirteen heavily loaded carts, and by 11 a.m. had made about 3 miles, when a very peculiar noise saluted our ears. Knowing this forest to bo full of bears, we at once came to the conclusion that we were in the vicinity of a family (sisters, cousins, and aunts) of those affectionate creatures. The train was ordered to halt while the chief of the party and myself went forward to prospect. As we advanced the noise grew louder and louder, till we called a council of two to decide what had bet- ter be done—face the enemy or draw on our reserves and advance in full force. While deliberating, the chief happened to cast his eyes heavenwards and the mystery was explained. We had struck a heroary; hundreds of these birds were passing to and fro; and on going forward a hundred yards or so we found the tops of the pop- lars covered with their nests, the young birds, ful! grown but not able to fly, perched on the highest branches of the trees. Here in the heart of a dense forest, probably never trodden by man before, were thousands of nests of our common Blue Heron (Ardea herodias Linn.) We cut down several trees and captured the young, which were cooked and eaten by some of our men with relish, probably because it was the first fresh food for three months. The nests were made of the small dead branches of the poplar and were placed as near the tops of the trees as possible. I kept two of the young birds alive for a few days, when, becoming able to fly, they took their departure. These mountains are full of small ponds and bottomless marshes, which swarm with lizards and small fish, on which the herons feed, and on getting to an open space near the herony we could see the old birds coming and going in every direction. Those coming home were stuffed to the bill with food for their young, making them present a very ungainly figure, as they lazily flopped their way towards the woods. On pushing our way through this mountain forest, we discovered three good-sized lakes, about one-half mile wide, and from 1 to 2 miles in length each. We tried them for fish, but only caught a few common chub. 56. Ardea virescens. Green Heron. Rather common in the Assiniboine, near the mouth of Shell River, September 25, 1881. This was certainly a heron, and was certainly not the Night Heron, as it was much smaller; it had no plumes, and was green on the wing shoulders; there were at least a dozen of them; they were in the trees along the river, not far from Mr. Henry Denmark’s house (Macoun). Taken them at Shoal Lake, near Winnipeg, and am told that they breed in the sloughs around Turtle Mountains; they are rare compared with the number of Blue Herons (R. H. Hunter). | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 491 57. Nycticorax nycticorax nevius. Black-crowned Night Heron. A somewhat common summer resident in Red River Valley; one individual seen during our passage down Red River to Pembina (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident, tolerably common, especially about Rea- barn Marsh in August and September (Hine). In great numbers at Shoal Lake, nesting among the reeds (D. Gunn). Red River Valley: Summer resident; common (Hunter). I have seen several specimens that were taken near the southeast end of Lake Manitoba; have never seen any on the Big Plain (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, one, on May 16; a transient visitant; not breeding here (Calcutt). I never met with it in six years of observing near the Red and Assini- boine Rivers (Nash). I may here observe that great numbers of Night Herons breed here. They fix their nests to the reeds 8 or 9 inches above the water and deposit in each 4 or 5 roundish blue eggs. I think this is the only place in Rupert’s Land where this species is found. We gave them the “go-by” last summer. The Indians call them Kitché geskman, i. e., big king-fisher. (D. Gunn.) 58. Grus americana. Whooping Crane. Flying Sheep. Tolerably common migrant and rare summer resident; frequent im Mouse River country in August, September, and October (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Oak Point: 1884, arrived May 1, 1885; first seen, three, on April 15; next seen on April 17; iscommon and breeds here (Small). Rare summer resident near Westbourne, arriving in April; seen all summer (Nash). Carberry : In migrations only ; rare; have seen specimens from Shoal Lake, where it is said to breed (Thompson). Breeding in the marshes between Moose Mountain and the Pipestone (Macoun). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on April 30; next seen, a pair, on May 3; a transient visitant, passing north and not breeding (Caleutt). White Sand River (Christy). Qu’Appelle: Transient, passing over; April 28 to May 1 (Guernsey). On April 19, 1882, saw two Whooping Cranes; the residents call them “ Flying Sheep.” They flew at a great height and were loudly croaking. This beautiful bird is common in the Qu’Appelle Valley and in the Touchwood Hill range. It is a dangerous antagonist when wounded, striking with unerring aim and great force with its powerful bill. When the bird is wounded, the best way to avoid its attacks is to present the muzzle of the gun as it approaches; it will fix its bill in the barrel, and may then be destroyed without danger. Instances have been known of this bird driving its bill deep into the bowels of a hunter when not suc- cessful in warding off its blow. (Hine.) 59. Grus mexicana. Sandhill Crane. Tolerably common summer resident; common along the boundary after leaving Pembina; breeding (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resi- dent ; tolerably common (Hine). Dufferin: Arrives between April 25 492 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. and 30 (Dawson). Swamp Island: 1885, first seen, one, on June 10; rare and does not breed here; in fall, last seen September 7; 1886, first seen, two, ou May 1; bulk arrived May 3 (Plunkett). Norway House (Bell, 1880). Oak Point: 1884, arrived April 19, 1885; first seen, two, on April 15; next seen on April 16; is common and breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: Tolerably common summer resident; breeds near here; arrives in April; first seen in 1884, April 21 (Nash). Carberry: Common; in migration, a few breed; also at Fingerboard, Shoal Lake, west, and Russell (Thompson). Assiniboine, near the White Sand, and at the mouth of the Shell, 1881; also, saw young ones near Moose Mountain, June, 1880 (Macoun). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, two, on April 16; next seen, one, on April 19; became common April 23; is pretty common here and breeds (Criddle). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one, on April 12; next seen on April 13, when it became common (Youmans). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on April 19; seen every day afterwards; is common all summer and breeds here (Caleutt). White Sand River in May (Christy). Qu’Appelle: Tran- sient; passing over, April 28 to May 1 (Guernsey). Trout Lake Station (Murray). The first intimation that we usually have of the advent of the crane is the loud trumpeting or croaking that seems to shake the air for miles. But soon we begin to see the birds themselves, usually in pairs, even at this early season. Their food now is chiefly rosepips, and as they stalk over the bare plains gathering this manna of the feathered race, ample opportunity is offered for observation. At first one sees little to note beyond their excessive wariness, but as the warmer weather quickens their feeling, these majestic stalkers, these stately trumpeters, may often be seen so far forgetting their dignity as to wheel about and dance, flapping their wings and shouting as they “‘ honor their partners,” and in various ways contrive to exhibit an extraordinary combination of awkwardness and agility. This dance is no doubt one of the courting maneuvers, for I have observed it only during the pairing season. It has been asked if these cranes breed in communities. To this I reply, I never saw anything to lead me to such a conclusion; all cases of their nesting that have come under my notice were those of isolated pairs. The localities they select are generally damp meadows, not necessarily near the sand hills, the chiefly desired surroundings being rank grass wherein to forage, and scrubby or undulating land for cover. When first they enter the wide world the two or three young ones are provided with a coat of reddish yellow down and an apparently superfluous length of limb. I perceive by reference to authorities, that the cranes are “ preecoces,” which being interpreted meaneth “ they are clothed and can run and feed themselves as soon as hatched.” Not having seen the young cranes at this interesting period, I can not gain- say the above statement; but know that a young one taken at the end eee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 493 of June, and evidently 2 or 3 weeks old, made such a poor attempt at walking that he reflected but little credit on the noble order of praecoces to which his family belongs. And yet I must admit that when I first came on him he ran with very fair speed, and as his parents contrived to monopolize my attention for a time he escaped into the scrub, but later on was found squatting as still as death. He looked then decep- tively like a red rabbit or a small fox. On being touched he sprang up uttering a gentle “ peeping” which contrasted strangely with the strong croaks of his parents. He ran for a few yards with the grace and ce- lerity of a Cochin fowl, but soon weakened and was obliged to sit on his heels. I took him home and found that he spent fully half his time in this elegant position, and that, moreover, although he ate well and seemed in good health, he was scarcely able to stand erect excepting in the heat of the day, and when he attempted to rise he was almost sure to fall once or twice through his neck getting entangled with his shanks in a most unprecocial manner; nevertheless, he grew and fledged and became quite tame. Then came two other pets to share the building wherein he had so long dwelt alone; they were a Peregrine Falcon and a Swainson’s Buzzard. For a time all went well; the crane seemed to have strength enough and beak enough to take care of himself. Then I found out that he would even share the Falcon’s food, so I offered him a sparrow; he seized it savagely and, uttering a peculiar harsh note, pinned it to the ground with his bayonet-like bill, then stabbed it again and again, and at last, having reduced it to a shapeless mass, he swal- lowed it. So that, although I have found only berries, grain, grass, and insects in the gizzards of old ones so far, I think it is likely that they will also eat frogs, mice, or small birds. How it came about I never could tell, but one morning after a storm I found the peregrine sitting on the dead body of the crane; I did not at once remove it, and when I came again the two bandits had nearly eaten my gentle pet. Several of the neighbors also have tried to rear young cranes and almost always with success and satisfaction, for, although it is difficult to keep them over winter, they become so tame and are so interesting during their stay that their owners feel amply rewarded for what little trouble they have taken with them. Asa game bird I am inclined to place the present species first on the Manitoban list, as the White Crane and the swans are too rare for insertion on a list of species that the sportsman may pursue with regularity and success. An average speci- men weighs about 9? or 10 pounds, and the quality of the flesh is un- surpassed by that of any of our ordinary birds unless it be the par- tridge. I should strongly advocate the protection of this bird by the game law were it not that it is so thoroughly well able to take care of itself that legislation in its favor seems altogether unnecessary. The young cranes are apparently strong on the wing in August, for 494 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. at this time small bands of the species may be seen sailing high over the prairie, apparently strengthening their wings before they are com- pelled to journey southward for the season. As September draws nigh their numbers are increased, and the long array of the grand birds pre- sent a most imposing spectacle as in serpentine lines they float away after the sun. 60. Rallus elegans. King Rail. Mr. Hine claims to have seen this near Winnipeg. At Carberry I once got a flying glimpse of what I took for this bird, but it was 30 yards away, and I failed to get either a secon1 glimpse or a shot at it (Thompson). 61. Rallus virginianus. Virginia Rail. Winnipeg: Common summer resident (Hine). ? Nest found at Car- berry (Thompson). The fine specimen of this bird in Manitoba \\useum, ‘taken at Rea- burn, where, Mr. Hine says, it is plentiful. It is, no doubt, more com- mon in this country than is generally supposed; for, as Dr. Coues remarks, ‘‘ their habit of skulking and hiding in the most inaccessible places they frequent, renders them difficult of observation, and they are usually considered rarer than they really are.” The call of this species is rendered “ crik-cuk-rik-k-k-k.” It is said to be partially nocturnal. A nest was brought to me from a slough near Carberry, July 30, 1884. It was found in a tussock of coarse grass, and was built of dry stems of the same; the eggs, eight in number, were quite fresh, and differed from those of the Carolina Rail only in being of a lighter color, and with reddish instead of umber spots, and chiefly about the large end; one was 14 by 13, the others similar. The nest was of rushes and built precisely likethat ot the Carolina bird, but it was situated rather in a damp meadow than in a marsh. I did not see the bird, but have little doubt that it was the present species. Mr. Nash sends the following note: ‘It haunts low ground like the rest of the order, but, so far as I have seen, they never go into deep- water marshes; in fact, they keep where there are bushes and low trees—alders, willows, and the like; and, when flushed, instead of taking to the rushes, they invariably fly in amongst the bushes.” 62. Porzana carolina. Sora. Common Rail. Common summer resident of all marshes. In September along Mouse River, at the boundary, appeared to be rather common (Coues), Win- nipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Red River(Brewer). York Factory (Bell). Portage la Prairie: Very abundant summer resident; arrives about the middle of May; leaves about the end of September (Nash). Carberry: Abundant summer resident; breeding; and in the ecu | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 495 country from Fingerboard to Birtle, nesting ; very abundant; breeding in Duck Mountain, June, 1884 (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on May 12; is common all summer and breeds here (Cal- cutt). Severn House (Murray). June 28, 1882, at Rapid City Trail near Fingerboard, found the nest of a Sora. It contained fourteen eggs, which were within a few days of being hatched. The nest was placed in a bed of rushes, about 10 feet from the water, and was built of dry stalks of reeds, ete. The eggs were placed in two tiers, one on the other, as the nest was but 4 inches across. The question naturally suggests itself, however, how does this indefatigable little ovipositor contrive to warm the whole of this large clutch under her own little bosom and wings ? Late in the autumn, just before migrating, this bird develops startling powers of flight, though I am inclined to believe it does not rely entirely on its wings in its travels to and from its winter quarters, for just about the time of departure it may be found in most unlikely places; and it is just possible that when so found it may have been traveling southwards on foot. (Nash, in MSS.) 63. Porzana noveboracensis. Yellow Rail. Water Sparrow. Summer resident. Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Fort George (Bell). Hudson’s Bay (Hutchins). In a marsh near Fort Pelly I saw a few that I took to be this species; they would fly and drop in the sedge; did not collect any (Macoun). At Carberry there is a small rail that is very common, but whether this or P. jamai- censis I can not be sure (Thompson). On April 29, 1882, in the evening, while walking in the moonlight, by the slough, with W. Brodie, we heard a peculiar ‘ tap-tap-tap”-ing that seemed to come from something in the near sedge. When we described the sound afterwards, at the house, old residents said it must have been a Stake-driver. (Since writing the above I have become quite familiar with the Stake- driver, or bittern, and know now that the tapping was certainly not produced by it. This peculiar sound is a characteristic one of Mani- toban marshes, and, unless it is the sound ascribed by Hutchins to the Yellow Rail, and described as resembling the striking of a flint and steel, I am at a loss to account for it.) On August 3, 1883, a specimen of a little dark rail was brought to me. I put it, along with two young Killdeer Plovers, into a pen, wherein was already a Brahma hen with a large brood of young prairie chickens. As soon as the hen descried the strangers she made a dash and cruelly ill-treated one of the gentle killdeers before I could interfere; then she saw the rail gliding through the grass and ran towards it with murder in her eye and fight in every feather. But the rail ran to meet her. Both flew up together—the diminutive rail and the vast Brahma hen. The rail rose high enough to give the hen one peck on the head with his beak, and immediately a change took place. The hen straightened 496 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. her feathers, became a “ peace-at-any-price” partisan, and never after took the slightest notice of the tiny Porzana. It finally escaped through a hole less than an inch across. It was almost impossible to hold it in the hand, so great was its power of forcing its body through the smallest opening. This rail I took for Porzana jamaicensis, but had delayed making a careful diagnosis to a more convenient season, which never came, for the bird disappeared on the first night of its captivity ; so that I do not - consider the identification at all safe. It may have been P. novebora- censis. One is as likely as the other, and 1 believe both will yet be found in the province. Certain it is that a little rail, other than the Carolina, is often flushed in the rushes, and flies with its legs dangling; never, however, for any great distance; generally, it merely dashes out of the sedge at one place and along:a few yards to drop into an- other. Its diminutive size and aquatic habits have, in some localities, procured for it the name of Water Sparrow. 64. Fulica americana. American Coot. Common summer resident; extremely abundant along the line from Pembina to the Rockies; breeding (Cones). Dufferin: Arrived between April 25 and 30 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resident ; abundant (Hine). Oak Point: Arrived May 9 (Small). Lake Manitoba (Brewer). Portage la Prairie: Very abundant summer resident, arriving in May, departing early in October; first seen in 1884, May 6 (Nash). Carberry: Summer resident; not common; plain south of Souris River; Minne- dosa, common; Portage la Prairie, abundant in fall (Thompson). Abundant on all pools of fresh water in the prairie region, with grebes; not common in the forest region (Macoun). Dalton: 1889, first seen, eight, on April 18; next seen on April 21, which was also last seen; common, but not breeding (Youmans). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a pair, on May 12; afterwards seen every day all summer; is common; it breeds here; nest found with thirteen eggs (Calcutt). Qu’Appelle; Common summer resident; breeds; arrived May 6 (Guernsey). On June 25, 1884, in a pond 10 miles west of Minnedosa, I saw four coots engaged in a curious set-to. They might have been fighting, or merely playing. They were close together, and all were splashing the water about, flapping their wings and bobbing up and down; they faced each other, but never seemed to strike each other, so far as I could see. I have several times seen this performance in the spring time. The migration of the coot is very singular; late in the autumn I have seen these birds in countless numbers in the marshes at the south end of Lake Manitoba; for a few days previous to their going they keep up a ‘ceaseless chatter and row, appa- rently discussing the propriety of leaving. On my going out some morning after this has gone on, not a single solitary coot is to be seen, except perhaps a wounded one that can not fly ; they are unlike other birds, only migrating at night. I have never seen a flock of them in the daytime. These marshes of Lake Manitoba appear quite a | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 497 solitary after these birds are gone, although there are thousands of other birds there. (R. H. Hunter in MSS.} Arrives early in spring, as soon as the ice goes out, and remains until it freezes up entirely, often staying about open holes in the ice until the last drop of water has disappeared from sight. On its first arrival in the spring and throughout the breed- ing season its habits much resemble those of the true rails, and it is continually skulking and hiding among the rank vegetation in which it resides; but after the young have acquired strength and confidence in themselves a change takes place in their habits. They now gather into large flocks (several times I have seen over a hundred together) and betake themselves to the open water, where they may be seen swimming and diving, like a lot of blue-bills or red-heads, rather than rails; at this time they will, if approached, rise high in the air and make long flights over and around the marsh they inhabit; this they will do all day long, but at dark they retire into the high rushes to roost. All the other birds of this family I have found at times in dry grassy meadows or amongst low scrub, but the coot never seems to leave the more watery parts of the marsh. (Nash in MSS.) 65. Phalaropus lobatus. Northern Phalarope. Irregular migrant. Winnipeg: Transient visitor; not common; ap- pears in spring and fall about Reaburn marshes (Hine). Common autumn visitor to Portage la Prairie, and very abundant at the prairie sloughs near Winnepeg, where I saw immense flocks of them in August and September, 1886 (Nash). 66. Phalaropus tricolor. Wilson’s Phalarope. Summer resident; breeds throughout the country from Red River to the Rockies along the line; in suitable places common, though never observed in large numbers at any one place (Coues). Winnipeg: Com- mon on the prairies in spring; breeding at Seaborn and Lake Winni- peg (Hine). Eighteen miles south of Brandon, a pair observed June 15, 1882 (Wood). Breeding around ponds at Moose Mountain, July 24, 1880 (Macoun). ‘“ P. lobatus Ord,” Severn House (Murray). June 15, 1887, 18 miles south of Brandon, saw a splendid pair of (Wilson’s) Phala- rope swimming on a pool only a few yards away; one of them kept rising and flying around, and I could distinguish the beautiful red and black neck quite plainly. (Wood). 67. Recurvirostra americana. American Avocet. A western bird, very rare in Manitoba. Winnipeg: Rare; straggler along the Red River (Hine). Have killed the bird along the Souris, southwest of Plum Creek; in the museum of the Geological Survey at Ottawa is a specimen of the Avocet, marked from Manitoba (R. H. Hunter). (Professor Macoun tells me that the locality of this specimen is doubtful.—E. E. T.) Very abundant around saline ponds and lakes throughout the Northwest; shot at the base of the Coteau du Missouri, July 25, 1880 (Macoun). Qu’Appelle: Occasionally here; plentiful on the alkali ponds west (Guernsey). Proc. N. M. 90——32 498 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 68. Philohela minor. American Woodcock. Very rare summer resident. Winnipeg: rare; only two pairs killed, and under a dozen birds seen altogether in 4 years (Hine). I saw one specimen of the woodcock at York Factory, in the end of August last. This bird is not uncommon in Manitoba, although the fact is not gen- erally known (Bell, 1880). Oak Point: 1585, first seen May 13; rare; one was shot (Small). Kare summer resident; I shot ten birds in 5 years near Portage la Prairie; in 1886 1 found a pair breeding near Winnipeg; arrive about the end of April, depart in September (Nash). 69. Gallinago delicata. Wilson’s Snipe. Common Snipe. Abundant summer resident of sloughs and swamps; abundant at Mouse River, on the boundary, in September (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 15 and 20(Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resi- dent; abundant (Hine). Red River Settlements, April 29 (Blakiston). Snipe found above Split Lake, and in many places along Nelson River ; common in Manitoba (Bell). Ossowa: Common; breeding; 1885, first seen, three, on May 5; next seen May 8, when it became common (Wagner). Oak Point: 1885, first seen, one, on April 26; next seen, April 26; is common here (Small). Portage la Prairie: Common sum- mer resident; abundant in spring and autumn migrations; I have, in August, frequently seen wisps containing from twenty to thirty birds; arrives in April; departs in October (Nash). Common ail along the route of 1881; specimens shot at Swan Lake, Red Deer Lake, and Fort Pelly (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant; summer resident; breeding; Boggy Creek and various parts of the Big Plain; Rat Portage (Thompson). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, April 6; somewhat rare ; I believe it breeds here (Criddle). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one, on April 8; next seen, on April 12, when it became common; breeds here (Youmans). Shell River: 18865, first seen, one, on May 4; next seen, three, on May 8; a transient visitor, passing north; not remaining to breed (Célcutt). Qu’Appeile: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives April 20 (Guernsey). Snipe are now (May 5, 1882) quite numerous; they frequent the damp rather than wet places. Their principal amusement on cloudy days seems to be dashing across the sky at a height of 200 or 300 feet and uttering a loud vibratory note, which is repeated, with lessen- ing intervals, a dozen or more times; during the production of the sound the bird’s wings seem to be rigidly set, but the tips appear to vibrate, and, at the same time, the course is obliquely Gownwards. As soon as the serenade is over the snipe wheels about, regains his eleva- tion, and repeats the performance indefinitely. Having vented the feelings which prompted these actions, he descends to a much lower level by one or two long slanting gyrations, and then regains the earth by half closing his wings and dropping downwards into the grass. eee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 499 The performance usually takes place in dull weather or in twilight. After it is over, I have often induced him to repeat it by marking him down and then springing him; he generally rises, uttering a sort of ‘“screep,” zigzags for a few yards, circles round the horizon in one or two sweeping gyrations, and either pitches down again to the grass or coutinues t» ascend, and then repeats his song. The next day one of the snipe’s notes seems not unlike the “ tov, tow, tow,” of a stray turkey, but in a higher key. About a week after arriving in its former haunts this well-known species begins to manifest its presence by uttering the remarkable pair- ing serenade for which several of the scolopacine birds are noted. When prompted to this peculiar performance the snipe—the male only, I suppose—rises suddenly from the bog where he has been feeding, and where his usual note is a ‘ squeak! squeak!” and now, just after rising on his long, swift wings, this “squeak” is generally repeated a num- ber of times. Immediately after taking wing he circles all around the marsh, then rises, silently, higher and higher, still circling, until, having reached an elevation of several hundred feet, he gathers his strength and goes whizzing across the sky, his tail spread to its utmost extent and wings vibrating with great rapidity, while a loud, sharp boom, repeated quickly twenty or thirty times, is heard as long as this career is continued. While thus engaged the course of the bird has been straight and slightly downward, and as soon as it is ended he re- mounts and dashes across again with the same resounding 2ccompani- ment. This he will keep up for half an hour at atime. Thus having expended his exuberant energy, he wheels lower and drops into the slough to receive the congratulations of the only spectator whose atten- tion was specially courted. This booming or whirring may be a product of the voice, or it may be caused by the wings, which appear to vibrate simultaneously with the production of the sounds, the quality of which is very nearly the same as that of the boom of the night hawk. The favorite haunts of this bird are the open grassy sloughs or bogs which intersect the country. Here it finds in abundance the smaller insects which constitute its food, and here it makes its nest and rears its young. The position of the only nest of this species that I found was in a Sslightly-elevated tussock or sod in tbe middle of a wide muskeg. The nest consisted of a slight hollow, with a few straws for lining, and was raised only about 3 inches above the water. This was in the third week of July, and by the 27th of the month tbe four young ones were batched and immediately left the nest, to lead a roving life with their mother among the grassy bottoms and the muskegs, rich with an infinitude of insect life. 500 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 70. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus. Long-billed Dowitcher, or Red-breasted Snipe. Common, chiefly as a migrant in the western part of the province ; Mouse River, at the boundary, possibly breeding ; extremely numerous in September (Coues). Red River Valley: Summer resident; common west of Brandon; I have shot eighty in four discharges of a gun; are never seen in eastern Manitoba (Hunter). Winnipeg: Very rare; se- cured three or four near Reaburn; observed only in August and Sep- tember (Hine). Very abundant at Swan Lake House and Red Deer Lake, July and August, 1881 (Macoun). 71. Micropalama himantopus. Stilt Sandpiper. One specimen procured on the plain north of Qu’Appelle September 16, 1880 (Macoun). (This is just west of the province.) Have seen it in August and September on the Assiniboine, near Portage la Prairie, singly or in pairs; rare (Nash). 72. Tringa canutus. Knot. Robin Snipe. Migrant. Winnipeg: Tolerably common in the migrations(Hine). I have never seen the Knot along Red River, but have seen large flocks of the species west of Brandon (R. H. Hunter). 73. Tringa maculata. Pectoral Sandpiper. Migrant, chiefly in fall; common in fall migration along line at Turtle Mountain (Coues). Winnipeg: Rare; migrant (Hine). Portage la Prai- rie: Common in the autumn, frequenting the grassy marshes (Nash). Abundant along the route of 18381, also on the Great Plains and North- west (Macoun). Moosejaw (west of Manitoba), July 7 (Miller Christy). 74. Tringa fuscicollis. White-rumped Sandpiper. Migrant; notcommon. Portage la Prairie: Have occasionally taken it in autumn and more rarely in spring (Nash). Shoal Lake (south slope of Ridipg Mountain) and on Duck Mountain, June, 1884 (Thomp- son). June 4, 1884, near Shoal Lake, saw a large flock, fifty or sixty; of White-rumped Sandpipers as they flew along the shores of a little pond; they performed so exactly the same evolutions in close column that the whole flock was entirely dark and silvery, according as they turned their backs or their breasts to me. Five specimens collected, two ¢ and three 2; all showed sexual organs enlarged ; all very fat; all had stomachs filled with aquatic insects ; one had a very large larva. 75. Tringa bairdii. Baird’s Sandpiper. Kall migrant; not very common; in fali migration one of the most abundant sandpipers; along Mouse River and westward along the line of the Rockies (Coues). Have seen it in the autumn, near Portage eae | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 501 la Prairie (Nash). Saw a number on a salt marsh on Red Deer River, July 23, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry, August 21, 1884: Now common about the lakes in company with the two Yellow-legs, but not in flocks (Thompson). 76. Tringa minutilla. Least Sandpiper. Somewhat common as a migrant; may breed. Turtle Mountain, July 30: Should not be surprised if it bred in the vicinity (Coues). Winnipeg: Tolerably common summer migrant (Hine). Shoal Lake, May 15, 16, 17, 1887 (Christy). Portage la Prairie: Very abundant, appearing in large flocks on the sand bars in the Assiniboine River and about the prairie sloughs in August (Nash). Shot on Red Deer River, July 23, 1880 (Macoun.) 77. Tringa alpina pacifica. Red-backed Sandpiper. Blackheart. Migrant. Winnipeg: Transient visitor; tolerably common along the river (Hine). Portage la Prairie: Tolerably common during the fall migrations (Nash). Severn House (Murray). 78. Hreunetes pusillus. Semipalmated Sandpiper. A migrant along Red River, Mouse River, and along the boundary at various points during August (Coues). Tolerably common along Red River in the migration, frequenting the wet prairies near Winnipeg (Hine). Portage la Piairie: Abundant in Assiniboine in the autumn; appearing early in August (Nash). Shot on the Red Deer River July 23, 1881 (Macoun). 79. Calidris arenaria. Sanderling. Migrant; numerous about Lake Winnipeg, June (Kennicott). Shot five out of a flock at Oak Lake, a prairie slough, a few miles north of Portage la Prairie, August 1, 1884 (Nash). Avundant on the west shore of Lake Manitoba, June 12, 1881 (Macoun). 80. Limosa fedoa. Marbled Godwit. Tolerably common summer resident. Pembina, June 30, 1873, nest- ing (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident, tolerably common (Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resident; common in Western Mani- toba (Hunter). Plum Creek: Breeding, 18382, June 20 (Wood). Plains near Long River and South of Souris, May ; tolerably common (Thomp- son). Qu Appelle: Common summer iesideiut; breeds; arrives May 10 (Guernsey). Hudson’s Bay (Murray). May 18, 1882, at Long River, north-east slope of Turtle Mountain, C. T. shot a fine 2 Marbled Godwit from the wagon; feet, black; giz- zard filled with shells and insects. They are somewhat common on 502 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—-THOMPSON. these wide, wet plains, but all those noted have been solitary individ- uals. Their large size, reddish color, and long straight bills distin- guish them at a great distance. 81. Limosa hemastica. Hudsonian Godwit. Rare migrant. Winnipeg: Transient visitor; rare (Hine). Severn House (Murray). 82. Totanus melanoleucus. Greater Yellow-legs. Abundant; migrant spring, late summer, and fall; very abundant in August and September at the boundary along Mouse river (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 15 and 20 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Abundant in summer migration (Hine). Norway House (Bell). Port- age la Prairie: Abundant in spring, arriviugin April, usually in pairs ; about the first of August they reappear in small flocks about the rivers and open prairie sloughs, where they feed on small frogs; depart late in October ; the last flock I saw in 1884 were flying south in a snow storm on 21st of October (Nash), Very abundant at Red Deer river and on the Assiniboine; about all ponds in the fall of 188] (Macoun). Car- berry: Abundant; migrant in spring and in late summer (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, firstseen, seven, on April 24, transient visitor; passing north, and not remaining any time or breeding (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Common migrant, May 5 (Guernsey). Severn House (Murray). Very common from the sea to Lake Winnipeg at the season (Blakiston). August 21, 1884: Greater Yellow-legs are still very common about the weedy lakes. They come down from the north about the Ist of August, and are to be seen usually on the points of land that run out into the ponds; as they stand motionless on the promontories they look twice as large as they really are. They are more shy and less active than their minor brethren, for they usually stand in a dignified way until fired at or forced to fly, seldom running in the sprightly fash- ion of the Lesser Yellow-leg. They differ also in their food, for I have found the larger species with numerous small fish in their gullets, which is unusual for a Tattler. The members of this species raise their voice in a great outcry each time a gun is fired. 83. Totanus flavipes. Yellow-legs. Common migrant all over; abundant throughout the Winnepegosis region; Nelson River; chiefly noted in Assiniboine Valley about August 15; common; spring, late summer, and autumn migrant; very abundant in August and September; along the boundary at Turtle Mountain and Mouse River (Coues). Winnipeg: Abundant (Hine). Portage la Prairie: This species arrives later than the last (Greater Yellow legs), not usually appearing before the 12th of May; they return about the first of August in flocks, and depart at the end of September, my latest record being October 1st, 1886, a single bird, near the Red River Vober PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 503 (Nash). Carberry: Common migrant in August (Thompson); abun- dant about all pools in the fall, along the route of 1881 (Macoun). Shell river: 1885, first seen, three, on April 24; transient visitor, only pass- ing north, and not remaining any time or breeding (Calcutt). Qu’Ap- pelle: Common migrant; May 5 (Guernsey). Severn House (Murray). 84. Totanus solitarius. Solitary Sandpiper. Chiefly in migrations; probably breeding; in abundance in autumn migration, Turtle Mountain, and Mouse River at the boundary (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Portage la Prairie: Tolerably common, and I think that some breed, though I have not found the nest; arrives about May 15; reappears about Ist August; departs . in September (Nash). Frequent throughout the Winnepegosis region along the route of 1881; breeding, for young were observed July 20, feathered, but with some down yet (Macoun). Carberry and Portage la Prairie; in late summer migration (Thompson). September 16, 1884, at Portage la Prairie, shot a solitary sandpiper. | On July 10, 1834, I shot a specimen of the solitary sandpiper (Rhyacophilus sol- itarius) at Maple Creek, 597 miles west of Winnipeg; it was doubtless breeding. In the dry bed of the creek I also caught a nestling bird, which was probably of this species. (Christy.) 85. Symphemia semipalmata. Willet. Tolerably common summer resident in the south and west, at various points along the line from Red River to the Rockies (Coues). Souris Plain, near Turtle Mountain: Nesting, near Shoal Lake in June (Thomp- son). Common around saline ponds on the western piain and on the east side of Moose Mountain, July 29, 1880 (Macoun). On May 23, 1883, on the Alkali Plain, north of Turtle Mountain land office, started a willet from her nest, which was placed in a slight hollow, shaded on one side by the skull of a buffalo and on the other by a tuft of grass. It contained four eggs, each of which measured 24 by 14 inches, ground color, dark olive brown, with heavy, round dark spots of brown and purple, evenly distributed, without any approach to a rind about the large end. 86. Bartramia longicauda. Bartramian Sandpiper. Prairie Plover. Quaily. Abundant summer resident on the dry prairies ; extremely abundant over the Red River prairies, along the boundary, Turtle Mountain, Mouse River; breeding (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; com- mon (Hine). Breeding at Selkirk Settlement (D. Gunn). Portage la Prairie: Abundant summer resident from early in May to about August 10 (Nash). Abundant in the prairies from Grand Valley and westward ; not seen in the forest region (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant summer resident; breeding ; in all the prairie regions to Brandon, and south to Turtle Mountain, also from Carberry northwestward to Fort Ellice 504 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. (Thompson). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, one, on May 3; next seen, several, on May 4; became common May 5; breeds here (Criddle). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on May 4; afterwards seen every day; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). Qu’Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives May 12 (Guernsey). May 6, 1882: For some days back I have heard a loud rattling whis- tle th:t seems to come from the skies, and sometimes I have seen the bird that produces it sailing at a great height. Occasionally I have observed it sail downwards at an angle of 45 degrees and settle on the fence or on the prairie. To-day at noon I shot one of these birds as it was perched on a fence stake. It first alighted on the barn, where ©. T. fired at it, but it flew off and alighted on the fence where I winged it. It did not attempt to escape, but lay onits back with its legs drawn up. I found it to be the upland plover, or quaily, as the residents call it. It was a male, length 114, extension 204; stomach contained insects and two rose-pip stones. May 11: Single quailies very numerous now; they seem to sail down- ward out of the very sky, uttering their mournful whistle, like “rrrrrr- phee-phee-oooo !” as they sail down on the prairie, where they stand for a few seconds, like the statue of an angel, with their wings raised aloft, doubtless to show the beautifu!ly barred under side, then delib- erately folding them they nod and step forward and nod again at each step, and pick up the unfortunate early flies, and stop occasionally to reiterate the mournful whistle and thereby conjure out of the very clouds some comrade who also sweeps downward, whistles, alights, strikes the vainglorious attitude, then joins in the varied pursuits of love, music, and beetles. May 4, 1883: Quailies noted. A. S.T. May 11, quailies very numer- ous now. On June 6, 1883, while crossing the prairie near the house, I flushed a Quaily from her nest almost under my feet; she fluttered a few yards forward and then lay flat on the prairie, beating her wings on the ground and uttering such heart-broken cries that I could not but leave her in peace. The nest contained three eggs. June 15. I saw a curious sight on some newly broken prairie. A Quaily had sprung from her nest just under the feet of the plough- horses; the man had stopped them, removed the four eggs the nest contained, ploughed on, and then, after replacing the square foot of sod the bird had nested in, restored the eggs to their place and left them. Very soon the mother bird found courage to return and resume her duties, and when I saw her, she was sitting contentedly on her eggs in this tiny green patch surrounded by acres of level black earth. June 4, 1884. In this day’s drive saw no pairs of Quailies, but ob- served seven solitary birds. During the last week of May the species was always seen in pairs, and it was this that led me tocount. The change noted to-day is, no doubt, due to the fact that the honey-moon wien. | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 505 is over and the laying season commenced. The egg of this species is actually larger than that of a prairie chicken, although the quaily weighs but 4 ounces, and the chicken nearly ten times as much. During the summer no bird is more familiar on the Manitoban prairies than the Upland Plover or Bartram’s Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), commonly there known as the ‘“Quaily,” from its note. Surely no bird ever differed more completely from the generality of its relatives than this! It isa Sandpiper which does not ap- pear to frequent marshes, which breeds habitually on the dry open prairies, and which is frequently to be seen perched among the branches of trees. Its tameness is ex- cessive. Often when driving over the prairie I have seen it remain within 3 yards of the passing vehicle without the slightest concern. When on the wing, it offers a shot so temptingly easy that few can resist. Its note is a highly remarkable one, | not easily forgotten when once heard. Dr. Coues well describes it as a ‘‘ long-drawn, soft, mellow whistle, of a peculiarly clear, resonant quality.” It breeds abundantly on the open prairie, and I have several times caught the young in down. The ma- jority left Manitoba towards the latter end of August, but I was several times sur- prised at hearing or seeing a belated pair until quite late in September. (Christy.) This species is an abundant summer resident on all the dry prairies near Portage la Prairie, arriving early in May; at this time they are very tame, and may frequently be seen perching on the fences, and I once saw one make a ludicrous attempt to settle himself on the glass insulator on top of a telegraph pole. About the 1st of August they desert this prairie and betake themselves to the broken land in small flocks. They are then very wild. By the 10th of the month they have all left; though on August 29, 1884, I saw a single bird flying over. Not observed in the vicinity of Winnipeg (Nash in MSS.). 87. Tryngites subruficollis. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Winnipeg: Transient visitor; rare; in migration along Red River (Hine). 88. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. Common summer resident along streams; throughout the region from Pembina to Rockies along the boundary (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant; breeding (Hine). Norway House (Bell, 1880). Shoal Lake, May 15, 1887 (Christy). Oak Point: 1884, arrived April 22 (Small). Portage la Prairie: Abundant summer resident, ar- riving soon after May 1; departs at the end of September; the last seen by me was on the 24th of that month (Nash). Common; breeding along the route of 1880 and 1881; always seen in couples (Macoun). Portage la Prairie: July 22, 1884, saw young Peetweets running with the old ones along the banks of Owl Creek (‘Thompson). 89. Numenius longirostris. Long-billed Curlew. Summer resident of the wet prairies; breeds in moderate numbers about Pembina (Coues). Winnipeg: Rare; transient; visitor (Hine). Rare spring and autumn visitor; saw five on Rat Creek, in the West- bourne marsh, October 8, 1884 (Nash). Frequent on the Souris plain, May, 1882, frequenting the wet prairie (Thompson). 506 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 90. Charadrius squatarola. Black-bellied Plover. Spring migrant. Winnipeg: Fairly plentiful, frequenting fields or flying in large compact flocks with other waders; goes north to breed, but is back in numbers during the summer (Hine). Carberry: Spring migrant; saw flocks on the fields May 24, 1884, and on June 3, on Rapid City Trail; south slope of Riding Mountain, saw three; also a Gray Plover (Thompson). Dalton: 1839, first seen, about a hundred, on May 27; are common for a few days in spring (Youmans). Severn House (Murray). 91. Charadrius dominicus. American Golden Plover. Common spring and fall migrant; very abundant along the Mouse River at the boundary, in late September (Coues). Winnipeg: Abun- dant; transient; visitant; arrives about the middle of May ; goes north to breed; comes back in large flocks in August; affects burnt prairie and ploughed land (Hine). Portage la Prairie: Abundant spring and autumn visitor, occurring in large flocks; they frequent the prairie sloughs, the broken land, and are particularly partial to the burnt prairie; I have seen them in vast numbers following the fires; they will alight on the ground burnt over a few hours after the fire has passed; arrive in May, reappearing in August, and departing in Oc- tober (Nash). One flock seen at Fort Pelly, September 18, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Common spring migrant; Long River; plain south of the Souris; north side of Turtle Mountain (Thompson). | Shell River: 1885, fifty or more in flocks going north on May 26; transient; visitant only ; not breeding (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Tolerably common migrant; May 20 (Guernsey). Trout Lake Station and Severn House (Murray). 92. Asgialitis vocifera. Killdeer. Common summer resident; abundant throughout the summer in all suitable places, Pembina to the Rockies, along the line (Coues). Duf: ferin: Arrived between 15th and 20th of April, 1874 (Dawson). Win- nipeg: Summer resident; plentiful; breeding (Hine). Oak Point: 1885, first seen, one, on April 17; next seen, one, on April 18; is common, and breeds (Small). Portage la Prairie: Abundant summer resident, arriving in April, departing at end of September (Nash). Abundant every where along the route, on Western plains, and especially on Win- nepegosis, around the salt licks; shot at Manitoba House, June 16, 1881 (Macoua). Carberry: Latterly a summer resident, breeding about ponds, preferably with gravelly or sandy shores; near Brandon; near Long River; Silver Creek; near Rapid City (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, five,on April 8; next seen on April 12, when it became common; breeds here (Youmans). Brandon: Breeds; eggs taken second week in July, 1882 (Wood). Shell River: 1855, first seen, one, male, on April 6; is a common summer resident, and breeds here (Calcutt). ey soe | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 507 Qu’ Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives April 17 (Guernsey). July 7, 1882, at Silver Creek, saw a single downling Kildeer running on the trail just before the oxen; both its parents were flying about, uttering their loud laments and trying to decoy the young one aside, but could not get it out of the wagon rut into which it had fallen; it ran on straight, trying tc keep ahead of the oxen, till Lcaughtit. It was the most fawn-like thing I ever saw in feathers; its large lustrous eyes were turned on me with an expression of fearless innocence that was touch- ing, and when I set the little ball of down at liberty on the prairie it walked gracefully away without betraying any consciousness of having been in the powerofits worst enemy. It was apparently newly hatched, but the markings of its downy coat were similar to those of the adult birds, minus the orange. 93. Aigialitis seimipalmata. Semipalmated Plover. Ring Plover. Rare migrant between Hudson Bay and Lake Winnipeg (Murray). Winnipeg. Summer resident; rare (Hine). Common at Lake Winnipeg in June (Kinnicott). Portage la Prairie: Very abundant in August, fre- quenting the sand-bars on the Assiniboine with the Least Sandpiper (Nash). Abundant with Kildeer, and evidently breeding, as I saw young with them at the salt springs on Red Deer River, July 22, 1881; at Lake Manitoba (Macoun). Brandon: One seen April 28, 1882, another May 25 (Wood). Trout Lake Station and Severn House; plentiful in Arctic America (Murray). 94. Agialitis meloda. Piping Plover. Ring-neck. Migrant; possibly breeds also. Winnipeg : Summer resident; toler- ably common (Hine). Procured four specimens at Lake Winnipeg (D. Gunn). Portage la Prairie: Occurs inthe migrations with the Semi- palmated Plover (Nash). Shot migrating in company with Sanderlings on the shores of Lake Manitoba, June 12, 1881 (Macoun). 95. Arenaria interpres. Turnstone. Migrant. Winnipeg: Rare, but occurs about the prairie ponds here, and on shore of Lake Winnipeg in pairs; apparently goes north to the large lakes to breed ; returns about the middle of August (Hine). Lake Winnipeg (Brewer). Severn House (Murray). 96. Dendragapus canadensis. Spruce Partridge. Resident in the spruce forests of the north and east; common. Win- nipeg: Summer resident; abundant in spruce woods, but so tame and fearless that its pursuit can scarcely be called sport (Hine). A specimen in Smithsonian Institution from Red River Settlement (Blakiston). Does not occur in the immediate vicinity of Portage la Prairie or Winnipeg, 508 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. but I have seen numbers of them brought in to the game dealers from the woods about Lake Winnipeg, where it is resident (Nash). Swampy Island: 1885, first seen, flock of ten, on March 9; next seen March 11; always common and resident; very abundant October, November, and April; breeds here (Plunkett). Very numerous in the poplar woods to the north of Fort Pelly along Red Deer River, and at the sources of the Swan River, August, 1881 (Macoun). Rat Portage: One specimen taken by me October, 1886; I was informed that it is not uncommon here, though much less plentiful than the Birch Partridge or Bonasa (Thompson). Trout Lake (Murray). In great plenty near Cumberland House (Hearne, 1771). October 16, 1886, Rat Portage: Shot a female Spruce Partridge to- day; length, 144; wing, 7; tail, 44; crop and gizzard filled with spruce leaves. This is the only specimen seen here, but at Port Arthur, October 8, I saw numbers exposed for sale in the shops; they were said to have been shot in the neighborhood. 97. Bonasa umbellus togata. Canadian Ruffed Grouse. Birch Partridge. Tolerably common in the spruce woods of the east; specimens sent to Mr. Ridgway from the ‘ Norwest Angle” near Rat Portage have by him been pronounced this variety; it is fairly plentiful there and known as the Birch Partridge; it is probable that all of this species found within the limits of the coniferous forest as indicated may be referred to the form of togata; therefore I assume that the following records belong here: ‘“* Puskee, Shoulder-knot Grouse;” this bird is an inhabitant of the southern parts of Hudson’s Bay; feeds on birch buds (Hutchins, MSS. observations, Hudson Bay, 1782). Swan Lake (prob- ably) (Macoun). Referring to the Ruffed Grouse, the Sharptail, and the Wood or _ Spruce Partridge, Hearn says: “I have seen them in great plenty near Cumberland House;” and later, in writing of the drumming of the first: ‘“‘T have frequently heard them make that noise near Cumberland House in the month of May, but it was always before sunrise and a littie after sunset.” On October 11, 1886: At Rat Portage some Indians came to the door to-day with a lot of partridges to sell. These no doubt would have proved togatus, as they must have been taken in the neighborhood ; several among them had red ruffs, showing that that variation is not confined to the subspecies wmbelloides. At Rat Portage, January 14, 1887, I received five partridges (var. togatus), shot in the woods just west of this point; four were males and measured 174, 194, 19, 184 in length; one doubtful was 19? long. Carberry specimens of wmbellus had been referred to the form wmbel- loides by Mr. Ridgway, and when he further decided my Rat Portage specimens to be togatus, there were not lacking those who ridiculed the idea of the two forms being typically represented within 200 miles al PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 509 of each other; but a further consideration of the physical features of the country has shown the reasonableness of such occurrence, for the togatus birds were taken within the great coniferous forest which is its assigned locality, while the wmbelloides exam ples were taken from the open aspen woods near the northeastern boundary of the dry region that is inhabited by the pale form of wmbellus. 97a. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides. Partridge, or Gray Ruffed Grouse. Common resident of the poplar woods in the west and south of the province. Specimens sent from Carberry to Mr. Ridgway prove to be of the variety wmbelloides ; therefore I assume that all those taken in the open and poplar woods are of this form. Winnipeg: Permanent resident; common (Hine). Ossowa: Resident; breeding (Wagner). Specimen from Red River Settlement in Smith- sonian Institution (Blakiston). Portage la Prairie: Abundant; resi- dent in the woods, and frequently found in the bluffs on the prairie ifthey are of any extent (Nash). Heard drumming about Manitoba House, 1881; abundant in woods along Red Deer and Swan Rivers, 1881; Fort Ellice; Touchwood Hills and northern woods generally (Macoun). Carberry: Common, and resident in all woods; noted at south slope of Riding Mountain, Fort Ellice, west slope of Duck Mountain, and Portage la Prairie (Thompson). Qu Appelle: Com- mon; permanent resident; breeds (Guernsey). On April 4, 1882, the snow was 3 to 4 feet deep everywhere. Went to the slough with W. Brodie. Wesaw several Ruffed Grouse and we each shot one. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides, male; length 174, extension 21 inches. The pectinations or points of its snowshoe but about half a dozen on the outside of each outer toe; the middle claw of each foot rubbed down to a mere stump, the others normal; fine, full, blackruff. The bill presented an unusual feature, for when the mandibles were closed there still remained a wide opening right through the beak, near the tip, just behind the hook; this had the appearance of having been worn away, aS no doubt it was in process of collecting the browse on which the species feed throughout the winter. Its crop was filled with various kinds of buds. Second specimen, female ; length 163, extension 22. Snowshoes or pectinations on the feet perfect ; ruff insignificant; bill normal; crop full of browse. April 10, the snow still deep in the woods, shot a Ruffed Grouse, male ;-length 17, extension 22. Tarsi feathered to the toes; claws blunt; pectinations of toes perfect; tail all gray without any brown at all, as also was the general plumage; ruffs very full; beak with the same remarkable subterminal opening as that already noted on April 4. In the spruce bush on December 5, after sundown, as I walked near the camp, I noticed the marks in the snow where two Ruffed 510 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. Grouse had alighted, and then without running more than a few steps had dived into the drift. As I came nearer the biris sprang up through the powdery snow a few feet in advance of their entering places and I secured one of them. It was of the typical wmbelloides form, with gray tail and plumage; its crop was filled with catkins (hazel ?), equisetum tops, rose-hips, and various kinds of browse; probably birch preponderated. It seems to be the normal habit of this bird to roost in a snow drift during the coldest weather. The wonderful non-conductivity of the snow is well known, but may be forcibly illustrated by the fact that although the thermometer registers 35° below zero, the 10 inches of snow which fell before the severe frost came, has effectually kept the wet earth in the woods from freezing, although the temperature has been at or below zero for over a week. In viewof these facts it is easy to understand that the grouse in the snow drift are quite comfortable during the coldest nights. In general the bird will be found to run about before burrowing into the drift; each makes its own bed, usually 10 or 20 feet from its neighbor; they usually go down a foot or so and along 2 feet; they pass the whole night in one bed if undisturbed, as thelarge amount of dung left behind would indicate. They do not come out at the ingress, but burst through the roof of their cot at one side; they do not usually go straight ahead and out, because their breath during the whole night has been freezing into an icy wall just before their nostrils. On December 7, in the spruce bush, shot two Ruffled Grouse this after- noon, about sunset. They were running about on a snowdrift, picking the buds off the projecting twigs of a shrub that I take to be the dwarf birch. One of them was in splendid bronze plumage, 7. e, with the ruffs and tail band of a rich copper color, and the other dark marking, glossed with the same. To-day the thermometer. stood at 20° below zero. On May 24, 1883, saw a partridge on his drum-log in the eastern woods, The log looked as though it had been used for several seasons, as it was much worn and a great quantity of dung was lying on each side of it. On August 21, while crossing a part of the spruce bush, I heard the warning chuckle of a partridge to her brood. I pressed quickly forward and distinctly saw her sitting on a stump, 30 yards away. Fresh meat was desirable, and the young were well grown; so, hastily raising the gun, I fired, without the slightest effect on the gray still form on the stump, but at the shot the young ones rose with a whirr and scatterea to the left. Then again I fired in haste at the form on tbe stump, this time with ball, and the only effect was to satisfy myself that [ had been blazing away at an old knot. As I reloaded I walked towards this deceptive piece of wood, and it continued as rigid as any other stump until I was within 15 yards, when up it sprang aud flew off in the woods in the opposite direction to that taken by the flock. mca PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 511 October 25: Birtle. During the last few days, while traveling on both banks of the Assiniboine, I have seen every shade of brown and gray partridges together in the same regions. November 12: Ground covered with snow; hard frost ; in sp.uce bush with J. Duff on a deer hunt; saw three partridges roosting in an open poplar, about dusk; shot two of them. Ican not understand these birds so roosting, for, in addition to the inclemency of the weather, horned owls are very numerous and very fond of partridge flesh. It is usual for this species to roost in spruce coverts or else in a snow drift, hence it may be concluded that these two birds simply made a mistake and paid dearly for it. On May 3, 1884, in spruce bush, I collected three male partridges; one of the gray cast of plumage, with copper ruff; one brown, and oue intermediate. All had their crops filled with poplar catkins. On Thursday evening of May 29 I heard a partridge drumming in a low thicket by the slough. I continued to approach it by cautiously crawling while the bird was drumming and lying still while he refrained. When at length I was within 20 feet and yet undiscovered, I ensconsed myself behind,a thicket and settled myself to watch. The drummer was standing on the log with his head and crest erect, his tail spread but the feathers on his body compressed. After looking about uncon- cernedly for a moment, he seemed to crouch a little to brace himself, then the wings flashed with a thrump, followed by a stillness, and from the appearance of the bird one might think the performance ended, but after about six seconds there is another hazy flash of the wings, accom- panied again by the thrump; in about two seconds it is repeated, and again in half.a second, and again and again, faster and faster, until at last the strokes run into each other and roll away like “the rumbling of distant thunder.” I watched the performance a number of times. Between each “ tattoo” he did not strut but remained in the same place, merely turning his head about. Also satisfied myself that the wings beat nothing but the air. I had previously accepted this as the correct theory, because whether it stand on a sound or rotten log, astump ora stone, the sound is always the same, and therefore it could not drum on the perch, nor could it make the sound by beating its wings together, for when a rooster or a pigeon strikes its wings together the sound is a sharp crack, so that there is no plausible explanation other than the one above given. On June 19, on the west side of Duck Mountain, in a thick poplar woods, we came on a partridge that evidently had a nest or a brood close at hand. Sheran about our feet with her ruffs and tail spread and her wings drooping, and whined in a manner that showed the reason of her anxiety, but we failed to find the young or eggs. While exploring in the Carberry spruce bush, on July 3, with my friend, Mr. Miller Christy, we passed a tree at whose roots was a part- 512 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. ridge’s nest, but would not have discovered it had not the mother pur- sued us some 20 feet that she might begin a vigorous attack on our legs, whereupon we turned and found the nest. It was just at that critical moment when the young were coming out. Those that were hatched, some six or eight, hid so effectually within a space of 6 feet that no sign of them could be seen after the first rush, and once hidden, they ceased their plaintive peeping and maintained a dead silence. Meanwhile the mother was sorely distressed, running about our feet with drooping wings, whinixg grievously in such entire forgetfulness of herself and in such an agony of anxiety for her young that the hard- est hearted must have pitied her and have felt constrained to leave her in peace, as we did. This nest contained one addled egg and one with a chick dead and dried in. .The egg was 13 by 14, brown, with a few dots of umber. Every fieldman must be acquainted with the simulation of lameness by which many birds decoy, or try to decoy, intruders from their nests. This is an invariable device of the partridge’s, and I have no doubt that it is quite successful with the natural foes of the bird; indeed, it is often successful with man. More than once I have stood still when a clucking bird flew up, and laughed heartily to see some tyro rushing frantically after the limping mother, shouting ‘‘Come on! she’s wounded!” 125. Syrnium nebulosum. Barred Owl. Rare and probably migratory. Winnipeg: Summer resident; rare; arrives April 1; departs November 1 (Hine). Red River Valley: Tol- erably common in the wooded country east of Winnipeg, where it has also been seen in February (Hunter). Was shown the wings of one shot near Rat Portage in the fall of 1886 (Thompson). Portage la Prairie: Very rare, only one seen near the Assiniboine, but I have occasionally heard them hooting in the woods on the bank of the river in August (Nash). 126. Ulula cinerea. Great Gray Owl. Rare winter visitant; one in Smithsonian Institution from Red River Settlement (Blakiston). Found along Red River and at Lake Winnipeg as a winter visitant, but not common (Hine). Carberry: One taken September 29, 1884 (Thompson). On September 29, 1884, received from George Mersham a fine Gray Owl which he had shotin the woods to the south. It was ayoung male; length 25, extension 54; weight, 26 ounces; wing surface, 480 square inches, 7. e., 1838; to each ounce of weight, nearly twice that of the turkey vulture shot yesterday ; tail surface 100 square inches. In a re- mote corner of its spacious stomach I discovered a tiny shrew (Sorex cooperi ?) and the rest of this capacious receptacle was unoccupied. 542 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 127. Nyctala tengmalmi richardsoni. Richardson’s Owl. In the wooded sections probably resident. Winnipeg: Winter visitant; tolerably common; probably resident (Hine). Selkirk Settlement in February and March (D. Gunn). Two Rivers: On February 7, 1885, shot a pair of Richardson’s Owls (Criddle). On June 11, 1883, at the spruce bush [ found the reinains of a speci- men of Richardson’s Owl. This was shot in the spring by one of the mill hands and left where it fell. February, 1885, Toronto: While at Winnipeg last month Mr. Hine showed me several dozen specimens of this bird, all taken near the city within three months. 128. Nyctala acadica. Saw-whet Owl. Rare, resident. Noted only on Red River: Rare; probably resident ; only two seen at Winnipeg up to 1884 (Hine). Red River Valley: Resi- dent (Hunter). Shipo me shish: Small Owl. This is the smallest owl in Hudson Bay nearly, corresponding to the small owl of Penuant. It weighs 44 ounces, the length 8} inches, the breadth 20, irides bright yellow; feet and legs feathered, and talons black. * * * Jt lives among the pines iu all seasons, feeding on mice; only builds a nest of grass half way up a pine tree in the month of May, lays’ two white eggs, and the young fly in the beginning of July. They are not plenty and are the most solitary bird I ever knew, seldom moving in the daytime, but a brisk mouser by night. They never change color. It is common for the Indian children to steal toward them in the daytime and seize them. (Hutchins MSS., Observations on Hudson Bay, 1722.) Mr. Hunter claims the Screech Owl (J/egascops asio) for Manitoba, say- ing: “I sawa pair at Saboskong Bay, Lake of the Woods, and in 1871 heard them at Point du Chene.” 129. Bubo virginianus subarcticus. Western Horned Owl. Common resident wherever there is timber. This form of Bubo is lighter in color than the true Bubo virginianus subarcticus. It is proba- bly just intermediate between that form and var. arcticus. Pembina: Breeding (Coues). Winnipeg: Common resident throughout the year (Hine). Red River Valley: Permanent resident; more seen in winter (Hunter). Swampy Island: 1885; common resident; breeds near here (Plunkett). Observed breeding (Wagner). Portage la Prairie: Com- mon resident but somewhat migratory (Nash). Carberry: Common resident; breeding; Rat Portage; Duck Mountain; Assissipi (Thomp- son). Two Rivers, November 12, 1885 (Criddle). Shell River: 1835; winter visitant (Caleutt). Fort Ellise: October, 1880 (Macoun). White Sand River: May 5, 1887; nesting (Christy). Qu’Appelle: Occasional ; not common (Guernsey). September 18, 1884, Portage la Prairie: Mr. C. W. Nash gives me a very interesting note on a pair of Horned Owls that had nested in the woods here, and from the indications observed there seems little ON ar | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 543 doubt that they subsisted chiefly on fish, which were abundant in a small creek running from a lake through these woods to the Assini- boine River. On examining the gizzards of two of the young of this pair which Mr. Nash shot, he found them full of fish. At one place there were, unquestionably, evidences of an owl having seized a large fish with one foot and held on to the bank with the other. The creek being very small, and surrounde:l with large bare trees, is a favorite run between the river and the lake for large fish at night, so that all the circumstances are very favorable for the prosecution of the pisca- torial pursuits of the owls. On the 8th of May, 1884, I found a pair of these birds in possession of an old nest in the Big Swamp on the Assiniboine River, south of the Big Plain. This nest was about 30 feet from the ground, in the crotch of a poplar tree, which was as yet without leaves. The nest was formed of sticks and twigs and was indistinguishable from that of a Red-tailed Buzzard. Once or twice [ tried to shoot the old bird on the nest, but she was too wary, and evidently had all her wits about her even in theday time. On the 15th of the month I returned to the nest, determined to bring home whatever might be init. Arriving at the place we found the old birds were absent, so I stood with the gun to watch, while Dr. Gilbert, who accompanied me, climbed the tree. He had not got half way up when the old ones made their appearance, skimming about among the tamaracs and hooting ‘“‘ who-who-are you.” As the danger to their brood increased they came nearer and nearer, shouting and stammering with rage ‘eho who who-are-you ?” “ What-do- you-do?” ‘Up a tree.” Then, having learned it seemed, from their close inspection, the magisterial function of the climber they wheeled off, snapping their bills and groaning aloud ‘ Oh-hh-h J P up-atree!” And stricken by the hopelessness of their case in this new aspect, they dashed about Shouting hoarsely *“ Oh-h h,” “ Go down,” *“* Do go down,” ** Oh-h-h »’ and as one of them recklessly flew close to me, I fired and it fell. This proved to be the female; she measured 53 inches across the wings and in length 25 inches. Her stomach con- tained part of a partridge. In color she was as light as young females of the Snowy Owl. In the nest were three young owls, two dead partridges (Bonasa), and a hare; one of the partridges had in her an ege ready for exclusion, excepting that the shell was as yet pure white without any spots. = The young ones appeared to be about three weeks old. The largest weighed 1 pound 5 ounces, and was about the size of an ordinary pullet. One of them was but half as large as the others. All were clad in white down, with the rudiments of black and white feathers showing in the wings and on the back. Their horns were plainly visible in the form of down tufts. They resented in the orthodox manner the liberty taken in removing them from the nest, snapping their bills and hissing in a way that 544 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. would have distinguished much older birds; but as they did not attempt to use their formidable talons, we did not suffer much inconvenience from their menaces. One of them had been injured, and died before we reached home, the others throve and readily ate from our hands from the first. They solicited food by a short scream very like that of a Night Hawk; they menaced by snapping their bills and hissing, and expressed surprise and anger by a querulous whistle. By the time they were about two months old they were fully fledged and could fly fairly well. In general color they were pale buff with black bars; a little lighter than the typical Bubo virginianus, but con- siderably darker than the mother. At this time the horns were less conspicuous than when in the down. They ejected a pellet about five times per week, and if supplied with more food than required for present use they hid it until they were hungry. At first we (Dr. Gilbert and myself) were in hopes of taming them, but their ferocity grew with their growth, and when they were able to fly, so far from submitting to be handled it was not safe for a stranger to come near them. No better illustration of their strength and fierce- ness could be given than the fact that, on one occasion, when they were left without food for a longer time than usual, they killed and ate a fine full-grown Swainson’s Buzzard, which was confined in the same barn with themselves; and subsequently they did the same with another bird of the same species, which I had always thought strong enough and quick enough to take care of himself. At the age of 10 weeks a perceptible change in their plumage began to take place; the buffy feathers of the breast gradually giving place to the pure white of the old birds, amounting almost to a transition from the B. virginianus form to that of the B. v. arcticus. They continued to grow until they were nearly 6 months old. Their appetites were large and very fastidious, for they would eat half a pound of meat per day each, and would relish only such as was per- fectly fresh. Towards the end of October they seemed to have ceased growing and were contented with smaller rations; their horns were fully devel- oped; they had made their first attempt at hooting, and otherwise mani- fested their conviction that they now were able-bodied owls on their own account. fs In November I was so much from home that they did not get more than 3 meals per week, and it was useless to give them a large quantity of food at a time, as it froze toa stony hardness in a few minutes; therefore, as I could not feed them properly, I thought it better to kill them. When the first was quieted, he proved on examination to be excessively fat, notwithstanding his month on short allowance. Under these circumstances sentence on No. 2 was commuted. However, a storm tore open his house; he escaped, but continued about the build- ~ = 4 —_— i - NN ee a a ee ee a at ee, Eee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 545 ings, which were 2 miles from the woods. After a month of this life, during which he received no food from me, I shot and found him, not starving as I expected, but fully as fat as his brother had been. My ample opportunities of fully observing these interesting birds in captivity as well as in a state of freedom, and indeed all that I have seen of them—their untamable ferocity, which is daily more apparent; their magnificent bearing; their objection to carrion, and strictly carniv- orous tastes—would make me rank these winged tigers among the most pronounced and savage of the birds of prey. Natow okey ornis seu: Horned Owl. This elegant bird harbors in the woods, feed- ing on mice, wild fowl, and carrion. About the middle of March it builds a nest in a pine tree, with a few sticks laid across, and lays two whitish eggs; the young ones take to the wingin June. (Hutchins MSS., Observations on Hudson Bay, 1782.) Common resident; but I am satisfied this bird is somewhat migratory, as there is always for sometime in the fall a large increase in their number; at the approach of winter they become less numerous. I noticed this every season. They are almost abundant in October on the Red River, four or five being seen by me nearly every day; after the cold weather set in the great majority of them disappeared. They vary much in plumage, ranging from very dark to extremely light-colored specimens ; two young birds I shot August 9, 1834, being the two palest I have ever seen anywhere. Another bird that was with these two appeared quite dark beside them. (Nash, in MSS.) 129a. Bubo virginianus arcticus. Arctic Horned Owl. One shot near Duck Mountain in the fail of 1883 (Thompson). Touch- wood Hills: October, 1880 (Macoun). 130. Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. White Owl. Tolerably common winter visitant. Winnipeg: Winter visitor; toler- ably common; arrives September 20, departs April 20 (Hine). Merely a winter visitant in the districts to the west of Lake Winnipeg; a few pass the summer near Lake Winnipeg, as occasional birds are seen there in spring and fall (D. Gunn). Ossowa (Wagner). Portage la Prairie: Regular winter visitor, appearing in varying numbers each season (Nash). Carberry: Regular winter resident; Melbourne, Boggy Creek, Big Plain (Thompson). Brandon: February 22, and a female on March 5 (Wood). Qu’Appelle: Have seen specimens, but not com- mon (Guernsey). Wa-pa-cu-thu, or Spotted Owl. * * * This bird isan inhabitant of the woods; makes a nest in the moss on dry ground. (HutchinsMSS., Observations on Hudson Bay, 1782.) During the winter of 1882~’83 they were very common. I saw some almost every day; two or three perfectly white ones amongst them. Inthe winter of 1883~c4 they were less numerous; in the winter 1834—’85 very few were seen; the same in 1885~’86 asin the last three mentioned years; hares were extremely abundant in the north; they probably found sufficient food to maintain them there; arrives in October, departs in February or early in March. (Nash, in MSS.) Proc. N. M. 90 30 546 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 131. Surnia ulula caparoch. American Hawk Owl. An irregular winter visitant. Winnipeg: Wintervisitant; arrives in September, departs in April; very abundant in winter of 1884-85 (Hine), Red River Valley: IL am positive that it is a permanent resident and breeds in the wooded country east of the Red River (Hunter). Winter resident; very common at Riding Mountains fall and winter, 1884; not noted at Portage la Prairie (Nash). Carberry: Very abundant in the fall of 1884 (Thompson). Cumberland House, May, 1827 (Richardson). Trout Lake Station and Severn House (Murray). On October 18, 1884, while shooting in the half open country to the south, lsaw a Hawk Owl. Its flight was much like that of a Pigeon Falcon, and it perched after each change of position on the very top of a tree. I winged it at the first shot, and having heard that this species. use their beak and claws energetically when wounded, I approached with due caution. It hissed once or twice and endeavored to escape by hopping. After some little handling it attempted to bite, but did not otherwise defend itself. October 25: The Hawk Owl seems to thrive very well in confinement, and during the past ten days I have had no occasion to accuse it of any approach to viciousness. It has often been handled and if hurt thereby simply expresses its annoyance by a chue- kling note, much like that of a Whiskey John. When placed _on the ground it progresses rapidly by great hops, but the slightest puff of wind is enough to upset it. It sometimes utters a rolling “ whill-ill- ill-ill-loo,” somewhat like the cries of the Long eared Owl. It has never sulked, but from the first has been ready to apply itself to the demoli- tion of the small birds and mice with which ithas been supplied. On November 7, while at the poplar bush, I saw several Hawk Owls and secured one alive. ‘This one is as different as possible in temper . from the first I had. Itsnaps with its bill and strikes with its claws at any person or animal that approaches it. It refused all food and con- tinued sulking till it died. This fall has been remarkable for a migration of Hawk Owls. During the autumns of 1882 and 1883 I saw not one about here, but this year | have seen above fifty. Its favorite localities appear to be the half-open woods and park lands, and it is usually seen perched on the top of the bushes and trees. In passing from one tree to another, it commonly throws itself headlong downwards nearly to the ground, along which it skims towards the next tree, and on nearing its goal rises with a graceful aérial bound to the topmost perch offered. Somewhat irregularly distributed throughout the province. Near Portage la Prairie I never saw it, but in December, 1884, I met with it in gradually increasing numbers from Gladstone to the Riding Mountains, where it was very common. They are quite diurnal in their habits. Two that I shot had nothing in their stomachs. Its flight, particularly through the low bushes and scrub, closely resembles that of the Sharp-shinned Hawk; it skims along noiselessly close to the ground, frequently alighting on the top of a bush, from whence it will dart on a mouse or other prey. It also frequently rises high in the air and hovers over the ground, remaining sta- —— = eS a oe — SS oe oe ———— a ee aca PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 547 tionary over one place for some time, exactly like a kestrel or our own Sparrow Hawk. On November 26, 1886, I saw one on the banks of the Red River. (Nash, in MSS.) 132. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black billed Cuckoo. A tolerably common summer resident in woodlands. Breeding in Pembina Mountain (Coues). Red River Settlement (Brewer). Winni- peg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Oak Point: 1884, arrived Junel (Small). Portage la Prairie: Tolerably common summer resident; arrives about June 1, departs in August; not observed on the Red River near Winnipeg; in 1884, first seen May 31 (Nash). Carberry :- Tolerably common summer resident; noted near Shoal Lake, west, and eastward toward Rapid City (Thompson). August 29, south slope of Riding Mountain, American Cuckoo observed (Hind, 1858), Shell River; 1885, first seen, two, on June 16; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). One shot on Moore Mountain July 3, 1880 (Macoun). Quw’appelle (Guernsey). On July 29, 1882, at Carberry, while out in the woods to the east, I heard the sonorous and to my ear pleasing “ kow-kow-kow” of the Rain Crow or Black-billed Cuckoo, the first I have heard in the coun- try. This specimen measured: Length 114, extension 153; its stom- ach was filled with vegetable matter aad the remains of insects. On August 13, at Carberry, shot a cuckoo (erythrophthalmus) in the afternoon; male; length 11, extension 15; stomach was crammed with caterpillars and grasshoppers; its inner coat seemed to be very slightly covered with minute hairs. Several of the species were seen. On June 23, 1884, near Shoal Lake, returning with A. 8S. T. from Duck Mountain, for the first time noted the cuckoo. The sonorous “kow-kow-kow” came again and again from a little grove of poplars on the prairie. LI went towards it and presently heard it behind me, and after a little more searching I discovered the bird on a branch about 5 feet from the ground and 10 from where I stood; it was sitting per- fectly motionless, watching me closely, and deliberately uttering the characteristic kow-kows, varied with other sounds of the same nature. These notes have often been described as hard and disagreeable, but to my ear they are not unmusical and are full of associations with for- est life and odors that make them pleasing to my mind. (On the succeeding days of June, I found this species quite abundant in the groves ou the prairies between Shoal Lake, west, and Carberry.) 133. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. Common summer resident along all fish-frequented streams and lakes; of general distribution; Pembina and Mouse River (Coues). Pembina, May 1(Blakiston). Dufferin: :Arrived between April 25 and 30(Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Swampy Island: 1835, first seen, one, on May 18; next seen May 19, 548 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON, after which it became tolerably common; breeds here; in fall was last seen on September 24; 1886, first seen, one, on April 29; bulk arrived May 15; last seen May 22; israre here(Plunkett). Specimenin Smith- sonian Institution from between Hudson’s Bay and Lake Winnipeg, also from Red River Settlement, Pembina, May 1, (Blakiston), Lake Winnipeg (Bell). Shoal Lake, May 15, 1887 (Christy). Portage la Prairie: Common summer resident about the streams and lakes; ar- rives early in May; commences nesting about the 15th of the month ; departs in October; in 1884, first seen May 5 (Nash). Very abundant on Red Deer, Swan, Assiniboine, and all rivers along route of 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Summer resident; more seen in springtime (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one, on April 29; moving unset- tled; rare here and not breeding (Youmens). Shell River: 1885, first seen, one, on May 1; next seen, one, on May 3; a transient visitant; not breeding (Calentt). Qu’ Appelle: Tolerably common summer resident ; breeds; arrives May 30 (Guernsey). I have never seen this species in the vicinity of any of the drainage lakes, although they abound with amblystome, insects, ete., to the ex- clusion, however, of fish. 134. Dryobates villosus leucomelas. Northern Hairy Woodpecker. Common resident of the woodlands. In heavy timber on Turtle Moun- tain (Coues). Winnepeg: Rare; breeding (Hine), Portage la Prairie: Tolerably common resident (Nash). Touchwood Hills and Lake Mani- toba, and northward, 1880; in the woods along the Red Deer and Swan Rivers, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Common; breeding; probably resi- dent, but not observed by me in the very coldest’weather. Rat Port- age: Tolerably common (Thompson). Qu’Appelle: Tolerably common; - permanent resident (Guernsey). On Juné 11, 1883, while in the spruce bush, I heard a curious chirp- ing sound that scarcely ever seemed to cease. I traced it to a tall pop- lar tree, in whose trunk there was a hole about 30 feet from the ground. Having procured an ax I soon had the tree down, and found myself in possession of a nest of young Hairy Woodpeckers. They were m a. hole, evidently the work of the parent birds, about a foot deep, 3 inches wide inside and 2 at the entrance. The four youngsters were nearly grown and fledged, and consequently were much crowded in this narrow chamber. Three of them were precisely like the mother-bird in color and the fourth differed only in having over each ear a cockade of rich yellow. I took them home with me and found that they had enormous appetites, nearly unlimited capacity, and tremendous lung power. The whole day long, when not eating, they kept up a deafening chirr-chirr-chirr, and two of them, including the yellow-topped one, never ceased, except — in absolute darkness. Even while morsels of food were passing down their greedy throats they would continue to gurgle out a sufficiency of interrupted chirr-chirrs to save the principle. I found that at one meal Se ae PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 549 each of these birds could take 2 feet of the entrails of a duck. I did not find it convenient to feed them more frequently than three times a day, and each meal-time found them ravenous, so that probably the parents provided them with much more food in the aggregate than I did, and as all they brought them would probably be maggots and insects, caught singly, we may form some idea of the enormous labor entailed by the rearing of a young brood. These young birds have at each corner of their mouths the usual boss or rounded mass of yellowish white tissue. I have never been able to decide on the use of this. I had supposed that it is intended to widen the gape, as it is largest in the newly-hatched bird, but is gradually absorbed as they grow. Ex- periments, however, with these young woodpeckers led me to believe that the nerves of taste, or at least of touch, are lecated there, for these birds never would open their beaks te receive the food they were clam- oring for at first when I touched them on the beak or breast, but the moment this soft lump was touched they were wide agape. The usual note of this rather noisy bird is a loud chuck, but it has also a harsh, prolonged, rattling cry, somewhat of the nature of the kingfisher’s rattle, but varied and lengthened with a combination of stridulous screams. 135. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. Tolerably common in wooded sections; said to be resident. Winni- peg: Resident; abundant; breeding (Hine). Shoal Lake, May 15, 1887 (Christy). Ossowa(Wagner). Portage la Praire: Tolerably common resident (Nash). Lake Manitoba and westward; specimen shot at Manitoba House, June 16, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Uncommon; prob- ably resident (Thompson). 136. Picoides arcticus. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. Common resident in the woods, especially among spruce. Specimens procured near Red River Settlement by D. Gunn in Smithsonian In- stitution collection (Blakiston). Very abundant about Rat Portage in October, 1886; also in all the spruce woods near Carberry ; it is there more numerous in winter thanin summer, therefore it may be partly migratory (Thompson). Specimens shot at the confluence of Red Deer htiver and the Etimoines River (Macoun). On November 4, 1884, while out deer-hunting, I was guided by the tapping and ‘“churking” of a Three-toed Woodpecker to the place where he was busy foraging on the trunk of a spruce tree, and although I scored a clean miss the bird fell dead at my feet without a sign of violence about it. It was a female and the stemach contents, as identified by Dr. Brodie, area; follows: Eight larvee of a Buprestis (a spruce borer); five larve of another species of Buprestis, five larvee of a Saperda (a pine borer); one larva of a Lepidopter, probably a moth; one larya not distinguishable, and a small quantity of wood. 550 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. 137. Picoides americanus. American Three-toed Woodpecker. Very rare, but probably general in the north and east. Winnipeg: very rare (Hine), Ihave taken this bird on the Brokenhead River, also on the Winnipeg (R. H. Hunter). Rat Portage, October 21, 1886, saw what I took for Picoides americanus (Thompson). This bird exists in all the forests of spruce-fir lying between Lake Superior and the Arctic Sea, and it is the most common woodpecker north of Great Slave Lake (Richardson). Severn House (one specimen), the common Three-toed Woodpecker (Murray). Hudson’s Bay (Hutebins), 138. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Common summer resident of wooded section ; plentiful at Pembina, ~ where it was breeding in June; again seen on the Mouse River; not observed further north (Coues), Winnipeg: Summer resident; abun- dant (Hine). Shoal Lake: May 20, 1887 (Christy): Abundant around Lake Manitoba and westward; specimen shot at Manitoba House, and Swan Lake House, June and July, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Com- mon summer resident; breeding (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, first seen a pair on May 3; a transient visitor; not breeding (Caleutt). On June 20, 1883, at the spruce bush, I found the nest of a Sap- sucker. It was in anew hole ina green poplar tree, about 50 feet from the ground. It contained five newly hatched young, and in the chamber with them were some of the shells, out of which I recon- structed two eggs. The male, length 82, stomach full of ants, the fe- male, length 83, stomach full of ants, her bill also, was full of black ants, intended probably as food for the young ones, excessively fat, - no red feathers at all except three or four scattered on the front of the crown, which was black. The eggs were each +3 by 3 and pure white. On July 3, in spruce bush, with M. C. found the nest of a Sap- sucker. It was about 20 feet from the ground in a poplar, and facing the southeast. Just over the hole was a large limb, which would doubtless be of some service as a shelter from the rain. I shot the female; her crown was black, with but a very few red feathers in the front, and some of these were tipped with yellow. The gizzard was full of wood ants (Fornica rufa). 139. Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. Cock of the woods. Rare; resident in heavy timber. Winnipeg: Summer resident; toler- ably common at Lake Winnipeg and take ofthe Woods (Hine). Sel- kirk (Gunn). Swampy Islands: Tolerably common resident; breeds here (Plunkett). Nelson River (Brewer). Veryrare summer resident; saw one that had been shot in the woods near the White Mudd River at Westbourne in 1887 (Nash). The species was seen on Swan River, September %, 1881 (Macoun). Common in the woods between Wiani- ie ra PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 551 peg and Rat Portage, also about Lake Winnipeg in the spruce woods (Dr. Arthur 8. Thompson). Mr. Hine showed me a specimen taken at Prince Albert; two seen at Rat Portage (Thompson). On October 16, at Rat Portage, a Pileated Woodpecker was shot by W.S. Thompson; male; length 184, extent 29; stomach full of ants. In the afternoon saw another in an elevated piece of burnt woods. There is another species of Woodpeckers, the size of a migratory pigeon, with a blooming crimson crown. They inhabit the interior part of Hudson’s Bay. The skins of their head are used by the trading natives to ornament their calimats. Also describes a specimen. 1t was shot in January at Gloucester House in latitude 50° 31’ N., longitude 96° 3’ W., and 387-miles up Albany River. Makes a nest in the holes of trees; lays six eggs and brings forth its young in June. (Hutchins MSS. Observation on Hudson Bay, 1782.) 140. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. Rare summer resident; common at Pembina (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common ; one or two pair seen each season. (Hine). Very rare summer visitor; May: 31, 1885, saw one bird near the town (Portage la Prairie) and a day or two afterwards saw the same bird or another near the same spot (Nash). Carberry: Rare; summer resident (Thompson). Red-headed Woodpecker. * * * This bird is uncommon in these parts (Albany), as I conclude from the ignorance of the natives in general concerning it. Perhaps this is the farthest part of its migration. (Hutchins MSS., Observations on Hudson Bay, 1782.) 141. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. Highholder. Golden-winged Woodpecker. Very abundant; summer resident wherever there is timber; com- mon along Red and Mouse Rivers; also observed at Pembina and Turtle Mountains (Coues). Dufferin: Arrived between April 15 and 20 (Dawson). In a Selkirk Settlement specimen the belly is tinged with pale sulphur yellow, the back with olivaceous green (Ridgway). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Nelson River: In immense numbers at Red River Settlement, April 26, 1859 (Blakiston). Ossowa: Breeding (Wagner). Oak Point: 1885, first seen, one, on April 21; next seen on 22d; is common and breeds here (Small). Por- tage la Prairie: Abundant; summer resident; arrives about April 20; departs early in October (Nash). Common throughout the Winne- pegoses region and along the Assiniboine wherever there were trees ; Red Deer Lake, August 20 (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant; sum- mer resident; breeding; Rat Portage (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one, on April 12; next seen, April 13; became common on April 15; breeds here (Youmans). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on April 27; afterwards seen every day; is common all summer, and breeds here (Caleutt). Qu’Appelle: Common; summer resident; ar- rives April 25 (Guernsey). Trout Lake: One of the woodpeckers, but, as it feeds op ants and therefore does not require so much labor to get 552 TUE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. its food as the other woodpeckers, its bill is less suited for such work; it is only © summer visitant to the fur countries (Murray). On May 31, 1885, found a Flicker’s nest in oak stub, only 8 feet high; the hole was 15 inches deep, but the wood was quite rotten, and I had no difficulty in reaching the eggs. October 27, 1882, while examining an old stump in the onde to the north of Carberry, I met with an excellent illustration of the aptitude of the Spanish name for the woodpecker, ‘‘ Il] Carpentero,” as applied to our licker. I mean in the sense of its being a worker in wood and house provider for others. The history of the case was briefly this, as far as the circumstantial evidence revealed it: First came the hard- working Flicker and excavated the hole, perhaps while yet the stump was sound, and in the years that followed we know not how many young Flickers cracked their glass-like shells in this narrow chamber; and after the Flickers came no more it was taken by some bird, a grakle perhaps, that, like the ‘ foolish man,” founded its nest on mud, finish- ing its superstructure with sticks and straw. Then, it seems, came a new possessor, who built a strong, shapely nest of moss and mud; but for the situation it might have been the work of arobin. Lastly, this many-storied tenement house became the eyrie of a sparrowhawk, whose household furniture of straw and moss reached halfway up to the door- way. A strange tale of a hole, surely ; but there was more yet to be learned from the old stub, and, allowing fullest weight to cireumstan- tial evidence and accepting the supposititious as a fact, 1 may be al- lowed to relate asa matter of established history that on a certain day Sir Faleo sparverius brought home to his brood a tiny shrew, of the species yclept by scientists the Sorex cooperi. Now, it chanced that the young hopetuls of the robber baron were not just then very hungry—obh! mar- velous chance—so that the Sorex cooperi, being left to his own devices, set about to escape, and so far sueceeded that he burrowed down through the home effects of the Kestrel and the moss-builder, but when so far the hard mud floor barred further progress, and the poor little captive, weary and wounded, soon died in the buried nest; and there I found him, like Ginevra in the oaken chest, when long afterwards I broke open the rotten timber and made it disclose a tragic tale that, may be, never happened at all. In this region (Carberry) the flicker seems to prey principally on ants, taking them sometimes from the rotten stumps that are honeycombed with their galleries, but more often, I believe, from the mound-like ant- hills which are to be seen on the prairie in such numbers. His method of attack seems to be by first pecking a hole in the center of the hill, and then as the ants come swarming out he dispatches them till his ap- petite is satisfied. Afterwards he comes again and again to the hill till it is completely depopulated. a On the 27th wick 1884, I saw one of these birds dusting on a sandy spot near the Assiniboine River. He performed the operation as skillfully asa quail and was evi- dently used to he Bee | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 553 In cold, stormy weather they roost on the ground amongst the long grass at the root of a stump or tree. On the 29th September I put several out of such places just at dark. They were very loth to leave, my dog almost jumping on them before they would get out. (Nash,in MSS.) 142. Antrostomus vociferus. Whip-poor-will. Common summer resident in woods and bluffs. In numbers at Pem- bina (Coues). Pembina (Lay). Dufferin: Arrived May 8, 1874(Daw- son). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Its voice is known at Red River Settlement (Blakiston). Ossowa: Breeding (Wagner). Oak Point: 1884; first heard May 8; nextheard May 12; heard again on 13; is common and breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: Com- mon summer resident; arrives about May 20; departs early in Sep- tember; found young partially fledged as late as July 29 (Nash). Abundant in the north ; Manitoba House, June17, 1881; Grand Valley (Macoun). Carberry: Common summer resident; breeding; Long River (Thompson). Two Rivers: 1885, first heard, one, May 21; next, May 24; fairly rare (Criddle). Brandon: May 25, 1887 (Wood). Shell River: 1885, first heard, one, May 20; common all summer; remains until August (Caleutt). Qu’ Appelle: Occasional (Guernsey). On May 17, 1882, at Long River Gorge, a partly wooded country, the best we have seen yet, heard a number of whip-poor-wills chanting their familiar strain towards night. This is the first notice of their arrival. June 6, went late in the evening to the eastern slough to observe the two nightjars. Both of these, as well as the mosquitoes, were in full force. But as the shades of night closed in the night-hawks that hith- erto had been chiefly noticeable became less noisy, and their cousins, the whip-poor-wills, became the principal performers in the full concert. Howmany there were it would be hard to say, but certainly not less than a dozen appeared to be in the near neighborhood, and the chorus of voices loudly reiterating “‘ whip-poor will” was always a full one of at least three voices. As I lay in the grass and listened to these various voices of the night Lattempted a clumsy imitation of the notes ‘‘ whip- poor-will,” and was pleased to see one of these birds come flying around me closer and closer until at length it hovered but 18 inches from my face in the grass. For a moment or two he poised and inspected me; then flying away he returned immediately with another, his mate prob- ably, and the pair skimmed about me once or twice; then the wing mo- tion, which I could barely discern in the gloom, ceased in the vicinity of a certain stump close at hand. At once I concluded that the bird had alighted, aud then the calmness of the night was shocked by the usual tragedy. The refrain is almost too well known to need description. It consists of three, or sometimes four, notes, ‘ whip-poor-will,” or ‘‘ah-whip-poor- will” The ‘‘ah” is very faint at best; the “whip” and “poor” are rich and smooth, but with an accent on the former : the “ will,” uttered 554 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON. e with a rattle, great force, and emphasis, seems at half the distance from you and not quite the same direction as the first notes. On June 27, 1883, in the dry open woods to the south, I found the nest of the whip-poor-will. The two young ones were covered with yel- low down, which made them very conspicuous on the dark leaves. They were close to the base of a very large poplar and only 20 feet from an oven bird’s nest. No attempt at nest building was observable. The whip-poor-will (Anirostomus vociferus) differs from its near relative, the night- hawk, in several particulars. It seldom leaves the woods and comes out onto the open prairie; and even among the trees it is seldom or never seen sailing about high overhead during daylight. It is also a much shyer bird; and, although its highly remarkable far-sounding voice may often be heard, it needs great caution to get within a sufficiently short distance to see the performer. (Christy.) 143. Chordeiles virginianus sennetti. Night-hawk. Very abundant summer resident. The type of this variety was taken by the describer, Dr. Cones, on the boundary 50 miles west of Pembina. I therefore assume this to be our only form. Pembina and westward along the boundary to the Rockies (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resi- dent; abundant (Hine). Ossowa: Breeding (Wagner). Oak Point: 1884, arrived May 25; 1885, first seen, one, on May 19; next seen on May 233 1S common and breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: Abundant summer resident; arrives about May 20, departs about September 15; in 1884, first seen May 27 (Nash). Abundant in the Northwest; speci- men shot at Manitoba House, June 16, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant summer resident ; breeding (Thompson). Dalton: First seen, one, on May 27 (Youmans). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, several, May 23; next seen, May 25; became common on and after May 27; breeds here (Criddle). Shell River: 1885, first seen, one, on May 23; next seen, ten, on May 24; is common all summer and breeds here (Caleutt). QwAppelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives May 21 (Guern- sey). On August 1, 1883, while in the eastern sand hills with Miller Christy, we found the two young of a Night-hawk sitting on the bare ground in the open. They seemed about 3 days old. On the tips of their beaks were still the hard white points with which they are furnished to aid them in chipping the shell. The old shells were lying around the nest, as is the case with the Precoces, and but for these I should have passed by the young ones, as they had squatted close to the ground and shut their eyes, for the blackness and brillianey of these would almost cer- tainly have betrayed them. I gently touched one of them, whereupon it crouched down more closely to the ground; but its companion, rising up, hissed with open beak and snapped savagely at my fingers. On being further teased they ran off, exactly in the manner of young ducks, with outstretched wings and with neck and body at an angle of 45 degrees. After running a few feet they stopped, squatted as before, ~ en | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 555 and elosed their eyes. This they repeated several times, but at best they only made little progress, and each time on being overtaken the bold one was always ready to fight. This proved to be a male; the sex of the other was not ascertained, but probably it was a female. At this age the middle claw is not pectinated. In the light of these observations if seems likely that in some of the cases in which the Night-hawks are supposed to have carried off their young, the latter had really run from danger, or were led away by the parent birds. It is pretty well established that these will remove their eggs from a dangerous locality, carrying them in their mouth, but it is difficult to understand how they could so transport their young. On May 29, 1884, watched a Night-hawk booming a number of times in broad daylight; each time, just as the boom began, the wings were brought forward, so that the two together formed a half moon, with the points downwards, and as well as I could discern, the tips of the wings vibrated out of sight while the sound continued. The courting and mating ceremonies, apart from the booming, are earried out chiefly on the ground, where the male may be seen chasing his mate about and around the logs and bushes. When thus engaged they do not hop, but always run, as far as [ have been able to observe. As already intimated, the eggs, which, to the best of my knowledge, never exceed two in number, are laid on the bare ground; they are peculiar in being of the same shape at each end, both in fact being big ends. When sitting on them the old bird will close her lustrous black eyes and remain perfectly still until nearly trodden on; then, finding herself discovered, she will flutter off and attempt, by the usual shamming of lameness, to lead the intruder away from her treas- ure. According to Audubon, these birds will remove their eggs when much molested. My own experience shows that they will desert the eggs, but I have never known them to be removed by the birds them. selves. The old theory of the Night-hawk’s booming was that the sound was caused by the airrushing past the wide, gaping throat; but the present idea seems to be that it is made by the wings. In support of the latter I would adduce the following reasons: First, the sound bears evident resemblance to the drumming of the partridge and of the snipe; sec- ond, it may be accurately imitated by throwing a large nail sideways through the air; and last, the following observation on the crow, a not very wide-mouthed bird, points, I think, toa wrong origin for the sound. Toronto, May 14, 1885: While watching a crow being chased by another, I noticed the foremost one dive suddenly downwards and then up again; the pursuing bird followed even more quickly, and as it swooped upwards it produced at the turn a boom similar to that of the Night-hawk, but duller and in a lower key, as might have been expected from the larger feathers and slower flight of the crow. 556 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON, The Night-hawk subsists chiefly on insects, which if devours on the wing; but Wilson examined some whose gizzards were full of crickets, a prey that must have been taken from the ground. On several oceasions I have found the stomach full of grasshoppers, and in one [ found a number of pebbles. As soon as the young are strong on the wing the species is seen in flocks and begins to depart, for it is one of the earliest to move of the fall migrants. These flocks are very long and straggling, though few in numbers; the largest I ever noted contained forty-one of the birds. (Carberry. ) The eggs of the Night-hawk (Chordeiles virginianus) were several times found on the bare ground among the sand hills [on the north side of the Souris, near Plum Creek], with no approach to a nest for the helpless young. The parent birds endeavored to draw us away from their eggs, fluttered as if wounded a short distance from them, — and uttering cries of distress. (Hind, July 1, 1858.) Among the trees on the sand hills and in the bluffs the Night-hawk (Chordeiles popetue) is abundant and makes itself very conspicuous towards evening by its lond scream, by booming, and by displaying during flight the unmistakable white patch on each wing. Not unfrequently it may be seen on the wing at midday ; and it always makes an appearance long before sunset, sailing about at a great height and scream- ing frequently. After flying a while over the head of any intruder it suddenly spreads its wings, and, giving a wide swoop downwards, emits a loud booming noise, which has gained for it in some parts of America the name of ‘ Bull Bat.” That this noise is made over one’s head in order to threaten or intimidate seems to me pretty certain; but I have also, I believe, heard it emitted at a distance, without any such object. The number of old birds began to get very much less by the end of August, but a few were nevertheless seen until well on into September—one aslate asthellth. After the migration commenced they were not unfrequently seen in the evenings flying over in large straggling parties, circling about as they proceeded. These parties usually traveled southwest, I believe, though this isnot the direction usually chosen by the otber birds of the district when moving south. (Christy.) Early in June, 1882, I witnessed the courtship of a pair of these birds. It wasa very pretty sight. The spot selected for their meeting was a small bare patch of ground in the edge of the scrub, evidently where an old camp fire had been made. About this the male strutted, posturing most gracefully before his mistress, remind- ing one somewhat of the antics of a male tame pigeon when similarly engaged. (Nash, in MSS.) 144. Cheetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. ; Tolerably common summer resident. Common at Pembina, and thence westward to Mouse River (Coues). Pembina (Lay). Winni- peg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Portage la Prairie: Com- mon summer resident; arrives about May 16, departs carly in Sep- tember; in 1884 first seen, May 17 (Nash). A few observed at Swan Lake House, July 8, 1881(Macoun). Carberry: Rare and not breeding (Thompson). Brandon: April 21, 1887 (Wood). A nest examined by me at Winnipeg, July 15, 1885, contained four eggs. The young were hatched a few days after. From that time the young remained in and around their nest until September 4, when they flew for the first time, and at once disappeared. After the young grew too large fur the nest they arranged themselves in a row, touching one another, but slightly below cach other, and clung to the wall. In that position they remained until they took their final departure. (Nash, in MSS.) betta PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. Dod 145. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Humming Bird. Tolerably common summer resident of sheltered gardens. Quite common at Pembina; not seen west of this point (Coues), Dufferin: Arrived May 17, 1874 (Dawson). Known about tie gardens of Red River Settlement (Blakiston). Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common as far north as Big Island Lake, Manitoba (Hine). Oak Point: 1884; arrived May 25 (Small). Portage la Prairie: Common summer resident; arrives about June 3; also near Winnipeg (Nash). Specimens seen on Red Deer River, at the head of Lake Winnepegosis, August 16, 1881 (Macoun). Not observed on the Big Plain (Thompson). August 29, south slope of Riding Mountain, humming birds were observed; Bad Woods; “ First humming bird was noticed here” (Hind, 1858). Shell River: 1885; first seen June 5 (Caleutt). QuwAppelle: Occasional; not plentiful (Guernsey). Norquay: 1884 (Christy). 146. Milvulus forficatus. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Accidental visitant. Winnipeg: Accidental (Hine). Portage la Prai- rie: One found by Mr. C. W. Nash, 2d October, 1884. The Swallow-tailed Flycatcher (Milvulus forficatus) is such a charac- teristically southern bird that its accidental occurrence in Manitoba is worthy of note. Last January I was shown a splendid specimen taken at Portage la Prairie by Mr. Nash. He found it lying dead on the prairie on the 20th October of 1584. Its stomach was empty, and the bird was very emaciated, although in fine plumage. On the previous night there was a sharp frost. In addition to this record, I quote the follow- ing rather startling statement from the Keport on the Hudson Bay, by Professor Bell, of the Canadian Geological Survey, 1882: But the most singular discovery in regard to geographical distribution is the finding of the Scissors-tail, or Swallow-tail, Flycatcher (Milvulus forficatus Sw.) at York Factory. *~ * * The specimen in the Government Museum was shot at York Fac- tory in the summer of 1880, and I have learned since that these remarkable birds were occasionally seen at the posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company, all the way west to the valley of the Mackenzie River.—E. E. T. 147. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. Very abundant summer resident wherever there are any trees; ex- tremely numerous at Pembina; breeding; abundant aiong the line west- ward to the Rockies (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Big Ridge: Most common of all was the tyrant flycatcher (Mus- cicapa tyrannus) which endeavored to hold undisputed sway over the bluff he had selected as his home (Hind). Ossowa: Breeding (Wagner). Oak Point: 1884, arrived June 3; 1885, first seen, one, on May 21; next seen, one, on May 22; is common and breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: Very common; summer resident; arrives about May 17; departs the first week in September; in 1884, first seen, May 17 (Nash). Very common throughout the Winnepegosis region examined in 1881; ~ 558 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—-THOMPSON. chiefly on borders of prairies or openings (Macoun). Carberry: Abun- dant summer resident; breeding; Duck Mountain (Thompson). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, one, on May 21; next seen, May 23, when it became common; is common here (Criddle). Dalton: 1889, first seen, one, on May 24; next seen on May 25; breeds here (Youmans). Shell River: 1885, first seen, one, on May 21; next seen, five, on May 24; is common all sammer and breeds here (Caleutt). QuwAppelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives May 24 (Guernsey). On June 21, 1882, down by the slough in a low bush, found a King- bird’s nest. It was just completed and contained no eggs yet. The king and his wife made more fuss over my intrusion than most birds would have done had the nest been full of young ones. Further on I found another nest of this species. It was placed on the top of a stub, about 8 feet high. The bird flew off. Lhe nest was made of roots and fine fibers, and contained four eggs. One of them measured 11 by 2; it was creamy white, with a few clear spots of brown and lav- ender, inclined to form a wreath about the large end; the others were similar; all were quite fresh. On August 20, 1853, shot a young Kingbird; male; 6.85; extent, 14; stomach full of insects; no crown patch of bright color. The spe- cies may now be seen far out on the open prairie, a mile or two from timber, catching insects on the wing or on the ground, availing itself of the tallest weeds as perches, or failing these it settles on the prairie. I believe it never runs when on the ground, but takes wing each time it changes its location. It is common to see the species in small parties of four or five; these are doubtless the family of the season. They continue together under the guidance of the old ones till they migrate. This took place last year about the first week in September. : On June 17, 1884, at Duck Mountains, heard the blackbirds scream- ing in the distance, while above their noise was heard the shrill twitter of the Kingbird. These grackles had ventured too near the king’s home and he was showing them their mistake. July 24, while climbing to a hawk’s nest, the old birds came flying about my head uttering their piercing whistles; these attracted the at- tention and roused the indignation of a Kingbird, who immediately gave chase and soon had the satisfaction of knowing that he was making him- self consummately obnoxious to the hawks, for they could not keep him off and they would not fly away, so that he worked his tyrannical little will on them much as he pleased. As wellas I could make out he took several rides of over a hundred yards on one of the hawks, and no doubt when perched on its back he was not idle. It has been questioned whether the Kingbird really exerts physical violence with beak, ete., in the aérial combats for which it is noted, the counter proposition being that the predaceous birds have a dislike of a scene and know that an uproar is fatal to their designs, and therefore they beat a retreat as soon as their vituperative little adversary appears. comes PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 5o9 Tam inclined to think that while there is much truth in the latter view the former is not wrong, as the above goes to show, and the aérial activ- ity of the flycatcher saves him from any attempt the hawks may make to summarily end the persecution. The Kingbird has a peculiar method of expressing his devotion to his mate. On the warm spring evenings he may be seen leaving his post by her side, in some low tree, and launching out he rises to a height of 30 or 40 feet in the air and gives vent to a tremendous sus- tained volley of screams and twitters, during which he continues to dart backward and forward in a frantic sort of a way, making a very demonstrative but harmless charge at any passing bird, and illustrat- ing several fanciful methods of flight until, having relieved his feelings and covered himself with glory, he swoops down into the bush to re- ceive the applause of the only spectator he seeks to please. ‘The food of this bird consists chiefly of coleopterous insects, but I have ocea- sionally found seeds in its gizzard. In the pursuit of its ordinary prey it may often be seen far out in the prairie, miles from any trees. Under these circumstances it avails itself of the tall weeds as perches, or, failing these, settles on the ground. The young continue with the par- ents until all move southward. The well known Kingbird or Tyrant Fly-catcher ( Tyrannus carolinensis) is abundant in Manitoba. A more fearless, inquisitive, pugnacious, and warlike bird it is difficult to imagine. Often when I have shot a bird as a specimen, up has flown a Kingbird with a manner which gave him the appearance of saying, ‘‘ Now, whai’s going on here?” Tosee a Kingbird dash at and attack a huge harrier, for no other purpose whatsoever than to have a fight, is a thing of common occurrence, and the harrier always tries to avoid and escape from his assailant. The Kingbird breeds in the low scrubby oak trees which cover the sand hills, building, like the shrike, a nest con- sisting largely of the stalks of a species of Gnaphalium. After the young are able to fly they often live round the settlers’ houses on the open prairie, but about the end of August they all leave. (Christy.) During August I frequently saw these birds drop onto the surface of tle water of the Red River and remain there floating down with the current for some minutes at atime. Occasionally they would, whilst there, work their wings as other birds do when bathing, and so wash themselves. (Nash, in MSS.) 148. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. Very rare; summer resident of thick woods. Winnipeg: Summer resi- dent; tolerably common; a few taken (Hine). Lake Manitoba: June 17, 1881 (Macoun). I frequently heard the sonorous croak of this bird in the Carberry spruce bush, but never satisfactorily established its presence there until the summer of 1886, when my brother, Dr. Arthur S. Thomp- son, sent me a male specimen, killed there on June 6 (Thompson). Portage la Prairie: Rare summer resident; one pair bred in the woods near the Assiniboine River each year (Nash). 560 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA—THOMPSON, 149. Sayornis pheebe. Phebe. Pewee. Rare summer resident; one or two pairs seen each season; usually nests under bridges. Winnipeg: Summer resident (Hine). Oak Point: 1884, arrived May 15; scarce; 1885, first seen, two, on May 22; next seen, one, on May 24; is common and breeds here (Small). QuwAppelle: Tolerably common; summer resident; arrives May 20 (Guernsey). . Port- age la Prairie: On the 11th of May, 1885, 1 believe I heard one of these birds calling on the south side of the Assiniboine River, but as I was on the north side and the river was bank full I could not cross to make sure of him (Nash). 150. Contopus borealis. Olive-sided Flycatcher. Common; summer resident of woodlands. Winnipeg: Summer resi- dent; tolerably common (Hine). Kare; three specimens seen on Red Deer River and Pembina Mountains; also Waterhen River; evidently breeding (Macoun). Carberry: Tolerably co.amon; summer resident; Duck Mountain, common; Portage la Prairie, occurs (Thompson). On July 26, 1883, in the tamarae swamp beyond the spruce bush I noticed a very noisy flycatcher; its note was loud, and its habits were much like those of the Great Crested Flycatcher. After some trouble, for it was very shy and kept chiefly among the topmost branches of certain dead trees, [ succeeded in getting it. It proved to be a male Olive-sided Flycatcher; length, 7; stomach full of flies. June 12, 1884, Duck Mountain: A high wind has silenced most of the birds. Shot an Olive sided Flycatcher, a,male, stomach full of beetles and flies; it was uttering a robin-like ‘chuck-chuck.” The habits of this species seem to be somewhat between those of the Great Crested Fly- catcher and the Wood Pewee. It is quite common here. 151. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. Tolerably common; summer resident of woods; Pembina (Coues), Winnipeg: Summer resident; tolerably common (Hine). Portage la Prairie: Common summer resident (Nash). Waterhen River (Macoun), Carberry: Rare; Duck Mountain, very common (Thompson). —ncaceeer eee 114 Montanpsis see ee ade «view. aoc eats 337 rastrelliger, new species.... 113 Passerella iliaca ..--.-.------------------ 206,264 | Physophyeus bilobatus, new species of Patagonia, fishes from.......--.-.-.-..-- 313, 334 fossil plants...--. ----.0--+--00 «c1=n=== 9 We chininn ets cess tctenin sets meantencence 388 marginatus... ss. eee 2 characters of .........-..-- 384 } “Pica pica hudsonica.-...---------- sue ene 565 AIMNETICANUS waecictseue eaeene 880,895 8) oPicidee:.ccc.s ose cecese ses seen waite eaa 127 Pectoral sandpiper................-....-. 500 Picoides AMETLICANUS . <<<. 0 eeenceccecannes 550 Pediocetés phasianellus ...-...-.....-..- 516 | Pigeon, wild .-...----- enamine oa earete 522 campestris...... 516 | Pileopsis Delessertii......--.-----+---- Rais 213 Pelican, American white.-.-......---.---- 473 | Pimelepteriformes ..-...-...-+-+--- 223, 224 | Spragues........0c---s-ss0cceensees 625 DAP YVEACER weeks =-\cneeioe ue ee 223,224 | Piranga erythromelas -.......... Boric f 608 Tene ei rerecasoteenacnone sont 223 } Plagioscion SUPAbUS 26.65 fecanG neni Sucae 336 ~ Planivscula cceeea.sahecenan ce 223, 224 squamosissimus ......-- Ete 336, ’ Perisoreus canadensis ........---.----++- 566 |~Plagusia brasiliensis........-.-.---+++++- 336 nigricapillus ...... 263 | Plants, triassic, from New Mexico....... 281-285 POVISt GRICE sem stineelep cia nlaleldass sintciee eae 248 | Platacid@...../.... aig 'smatoie 6 ofase siete einer 358 Mi nd ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 659 Page. | Page. Plataxoides dumerili.....-....--.+s-+---- 336 | Pomarine jeger ....... Se cmdecer Seenecace 258 Platichthys stellatus ..... pale sateiaision’ ee 332 \ Poocsstes gramineus confinis........... aie 592 ~ Platophrys constellatus..... Binenwesicnane= 332 | Poroclinus, new genus of fishes .......... 40 e}ptiGus) ~~. s.. coc nue sesnen-s 332 rothrocki, new species........ 40 leopardinus ..... eC shascawennte 332 | Porpoise, bottlenose, life history of ...... 197-203 ANS) oe erences gormsce aces 332 | Portulaca pilosa .:.-.;.-2.5.00s-cccen-a0. 146, 147 An NCHS ee a ee a ed Son GP brinlaGace® ..<2.-ssscce. se eeeeeceeoeeee 146, 147 pcellahuses=-s-eeeeeneeeaaccn: 332, 336 \ Porzana carolina.........2.2+.s0+ aeeates 494 SPRUOSIIS oe nie wie eee wie otatetniate'= 332 | jamaicensis .-....--....0s«= Scene 496 teniopterus, new species of jamaicensis coturniculus........ 309 HISNES joj. oe chee ots bee 118, 332 noveboracensis.......--...--s=n- 495 ™ Platyceras hoyti, new species of fossil..2G8, 278 | Potomac Indians.... .............se-- tad 187 MBWSSIMUM: 22 an ose. - 268 | Pottery, Indian ..... Sc assesels male ciae sane 194 texanum, new species........ 26S 2185) Powell. Majid. Wiese: 2 eos heeccecs 228 281 meIADVPIOSSUStesecs no s= ces sccnsmcne seas 325 | Prairie chicken, habits of ..........--..-. 516 CHG ONS RR ASScreseguocceediee S20a| Ine MON -e wesc ses ces eas ens se veelotence 514 TUS e cae sooo secooe emcee G20 SD rentissy OT. Ws Wc cveiain ne es chencdeem an 172 Platysomatichthys hippoglossoides...... SEAL |) JPle Bb NG Bee aase8 co cooenaassce a ssoceos 317 HalttiyRiAbI OB: ieee coc. ponsctneiee saeee Hime 347 Priacanthus catalufa .........-.-2+see00« 317 ASU VStAGIN DO tee emc ces ces ceaemceucjcen'se 350 | Gepsdianust:.. 2.2.2 -ccsnaeehe 317 Platystacus Verrucosus...........0--500. 351 | serrula, new species......... . 450 ~ Plantus impennis..... SeSee Gar acadusas0e mule = ETIOUONtOpHIS = s5 tc saeco ce beacon see eee 170 Playing-cards, Japanese .....-.-.--------- 381 “Prionodes, subgenus ........-.-.---.----- 62 RT eIIOU UN rao ele meei= = Pristizaster phiethons ons oe taae sncibancoemeoee 503) | PR6ttING@ (os ncnpenceanecsaccnacccive cele ce 332 SOE se s5qecanae Sadao Sooadocsanbec 507 | Pseudauchenipterus ..-.......2-.-s02-005 353, 354 semipalmated ......... -.......-- 260,507 | Pseudocryx botte .............-... 006 ne 181 Pneumabranchus ...........--.-.----+.-- 302s Psendojulis adustus, new species of fishes 66 PNOUMO NAN CHUN c sical ph ocleleniec= eins a= 300 inornatus, new species..... oc 67 Pneumobranchoidei...............-----.- 299, 300 melanotis, new species ..... - 66 Poabius bistriatus ............--.-------- 386 | Pseudopleuronectes americanus ......... 332 _Podiceps occidentalis........-...---.....- 464 pinnifasciatus ...... 332 ™ Podilymbus podiceps ..-.......-..-..---. 467 “Psychrolutes zebra, new species of fishes 43 Pokioptila coerulea... --. 22 .--. 22... - 2. 3416 |: Ptarmi can, W.ClCMIS com asa. anton cee: 261 UMN EEE a Gaggusencoceaccecnian. 137, 341 | WilG Wisma coe tench ene memes 514 SMEG DORIS URATUS so. ocs oe ne sec nn one nee 127 Ptychoparia burnetensis, new species of “™ Polydactylus virginicus ...............-. 317 fossil fic 6. Oe eee 272, 278 PPOVNOMIGE ~ a: se 63 142 | Rose, J. N., on Pacific coast plants....... 145 Binlmonata, Order > sis: sca lnsens 2 aces becca 349 ~~ Scoliodon terre-novw...-......--.------- 313 \y Silurusvaspred0 .....c-2.0:.00.chanenanae - 348 ™ Bcolioplanes, characters of ......-.......- 384 bagre..-- <0. =SOOHA soe M otadiscon » 353, 354 SO CIOS ie sistas ae eal siaisiaiis cine isso mers 130 MATIN soso salen Steceisiefate ate Serta 354 comberomorus maculatus........--.---. 317 MOGQSUS)-sawccmae sim sane e meet 354 SROMDTICG - cosine «oxen e\iawa cwiecoses SSbosne Bl Sole Simenchelyidiy.. sees + scsi namee ecw emma 163 SCOPOll, da Alan wccccaciennwes soto Bueeso sc 375 Dr. Theo. Gillonesc- eens 239-242 ™ Scorprna americana .........00000eee22 380 | Simenchelyinz.........-....-------.----- 240 brasiliensis ..... aleistealela sicinisis=:> Ja8) | OUNENCHELYS wie owas csemasacieee aeeeeeee 157 RUCALNS1 eee cine eine cesses oe a= 328 PAaLrasiticuy) ~-..eedeces omens 239 (Sebastoplus) sierra, new spe- siphostoma albirOstLe’ ss. lnnwcswn eeaeee 5 316 CLUS RSS con eeenececnogee 4 65noc 82 | CLINI ZELOM > <2 « = ie 264, 606 | paradis@a......--..-.een- mele alsiate 255 FUarmis'S : safe nieleetele erafetelafafatsteteiarete 597 | Stigmatogaster, characters of ..s....-..-. 384. intermediate........... BS dsecnr 598°) Stilt sandpipensar. actos canoe ssc se eisce sacs 260 larkieeaccceses ameeeecn eaten one 597 * Stoasodon narinari...........essseeeeeaes 3138 AVGCONTEIS) ae see) = aisle sia stalsiel='alla 596 | Stolephoride ..... Soin cstaleh clstelein See 314 Thayer il ees oss Soe oonoriSecnot 605 | “Stolephorus browni......-.-...... Se maeee 314 SAV ANY ile sacle echt ia cesiae tase 264 | OMOLCULALIGE |= ate craters te raters 449 (300) 1) A A eS te oe oe 604 | Stomatia phymotis.........-...-.---.--- : 213 AWA Sean citar eelssts nici clei sclera 264,605 | Stone implements, aboriginal............ 187 tLOO .- ccc wee cneccaceececscseese 204,600 | Straits of Magellan, fossils from......... 13 WHGOD) cin jccan'nsiswos Ba cifels since 495° | Strepomatide').-.52.20c. sceeumeceeetener 211 Western savanna ........--..--- 594 treptodonta..... ataiataro leita atetetatieio tats wedaiee 211 WOSNGUeisatan teats eae 592 Stromateus PalamMetal ja... se! sacte teats ee 450 white-crowned .........-...--+- 264,598 | Strephiodon..........- oe ee -: heed yD white-throated ..........-...-.: 564,598 |/\Sturnella magna neglecta..... eerparateatene : 573 ™S Sparus circumnotatus.......--..seceeee “ie 326 | Stylolamus, characters of.....-....--.-.. 384 CIGHEC HAS ens eelesielsle «ces 2 326 sala LOGE NC Mee ceca arcana tmp sane = 258 OMATLIN AGUS) = n/= es wenn alcsaelw-lete 326 MOTO WATOD Lo cicin. stein sislerciecateleleis aleletare -134, 136, 138 ™ Spatula clypeata ...... teen wemhine Beinn 479 | CVAHOPS a dscceccdas cee eee eces 128, 134, 136 UR NG, AS55558 s5hc obdedeaseads 130 | (OEE Seq esaeebe cnnosaocesccuesenncs: 128 Pure V2 oy. ge Same ericeigneincn AOEBadCeE 486 DISCBOOL aear amines eocccoseunnns 104,136 Spencer Charles N coscssdencsecces cane 6 MUG Sil ease ee sn operosicooccsohonccacecoacos 128 be Speotyto cui icularia ...... ..........--.. 133 Surnia ulula: caparoch .-..-<..2-2 seme 546 MY POM Ais. fe demcree 140 | Swainson, Wm., on birds................- 636 rostrata, new species of bird.... 133 | Swallow, bank ............-.......-- sieteints 611 Spermacoce (Boneria) species .......-.... 148 Darnretaenccenee Sean notcnaS aes 610 pedocephala ..............-.. 148 OlifE ac .jfo 3.020 oat eeeee 609 SpuarebranChidwe: cco ecemmnlsneace cena 300 OAV OG icaiee sa niewa| aw cfante Shatioracec 609 SPHEMIS CIA a caaienis senseenitaem es 6 Sissies 130 house ...<.6- {Shoaooedecaiacce 609 Spheniscus magellanicus.........-....... 130 FER) nebo ccecotmaneast scans Roane 469 Spheroides fiirthi.........02.2.c0.scessces 454 tP00 2s cehwtoek ee eee 265, 610 ‘ TESPNGINGMS He nmame sc sn Syacium cornutum...........0..0c-seee n= 332 _ BGS Lyi) ceoncn aeposebceeanppesebeeoc 617 micrurum....... Reece eae 330, 332, 336 ES Spinus pinne ees cr csc-Uocgokechececesue 264, 587 Ovale Ji: /2ccbeuta jee eens 332 LISTS) pecan GR AGeces co soooepoCepor 586 PERO Nee eeeoe scoeriageeosacse 332 Spirodentalium, new genus of fossil inver- Syonathides 2: 23) 2ec scutes ve cere eee 316 tobrate s.ctssce-e secu ae 271 [Sylvania canadensis .---. 22s. .senes-aseee 624 osceola, new species ....27 1, 278 DUS A: Jace caceses ace ae 365, 624 Spiza Americana........-- 2.0.2... 5c.c0s 171) Symbranchidee. 2.2.2 ajo. sain 299 Pe EipeWAADMON OL. ane amen hemor 541 _Lhysanopsetta naresi ..........---s2es0e S32 Underwood. DrdiaMe.cecatcens=-comeetee 337 SOL SOP nociyns aa clanianee/-eeiniae stale ine 343 NUpeneus balteatus..............--------- 321 SLM aR Ree eC. oo ccauinta cue eanifael, SoC aS sen 625 AAVOVItRtUS