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Vol. 191?XXXIV] I HERSE¾,The Black-throated Loonin N. A. 283

THE STATUS OF THE BLACK-THROATED (GAVIA ARCTICA) AS A NORTH AMERICAN .

BY F. SEYMOUR H•ERSEY.

I• collectingand tabulating data for use in the distributional portionof Mr. A. C. Bent'swork on the IJife-Historiesof North American , the published material on the Black-throated Loon was found to be unsatisfactory,--the recordsof various observersbeing frequentlyindefinite or in many easesnot based on actual specimenssecured. The earlierwriters gave the a rather wide range in , which has been gradually restricted until in the present A. O. U. Cheek-List it is stated to breed only in the KotzebueSound of , and from Cumberland Sound south to Ungava, while some half dozen scattering localities in the United States are said to have been visited casuallyin winter. It was finally decidedto verify, so far as possible,all North American recordsand requestsfor data were sent to all who were in a positionto give authenticinformation concerning any of the variousrecords or the specimenson which they were based. The results of this correspondenceproved no less interesting than surprising. Mr. Bent has very generouslyplaced all this data in the hands of the writer. He has also examinedand measuredthe specimens of this speeiesand Gavia pacificain the collectionsof the U.S. National Museum,the Museumof ComparativeZo51ogy (includ- ing the Bangscollection) and the private collectionof Mr. William Brewster. Mr. W. DeW. Miller of the American Museum of Natural History and Mr. P. A. Taverner of the GeologicalSurvey of have measured the birds in the eolleetlons of those institutions and Dr. Louis B. Bishop has sent notes and measure- ments from the specimensin his collection. I have tabulated below, by locality, the various recordsand the resultsof our investigations. Alaska: It was formerly supposedthat the Black-throated Loon rangedalong the whole Bering coastof Alaska. There [Auk 284 HERSEY,The Black-throatedLoon in N. A. [July are two specimensin the National Museum collection(No. 64303, St. George Id., Pribilofs, June 22, and No. 76004, St. Michael, taken by Nelson) and one in the collectionof Mr. Brewster (No. 48760, Nome, August 20, 1905). All other Alaskan specimens that we have examinedare pacifica. The breedingof the species in Kotzebue Sound appears to rest on the records of Grinnell (PacificCoast Avifauna, No. 1) of two setsof eggstaken in 1899. Dr. Grinnellwrites underdate of April 11, 1916,"In my Kotzebue report it is my impressionthat I simply followed the custom of precedingnaturalists in the region (Nelson, et al) and used the name arcticaon no other ground." He also states, "There are no birds in any of our collections,•rom the Kowak regionof Alaska, but I think it is justifiable to supposethat they are the same, namely pacifica." HudsonBay Region:In the ' OrnithologicalResults of the Cana- dian 'Neptune' Expedition to Hudson Bay and Northward,' 1903-1904,Elfrig records(Auk, XXII, p. 234) both birdsand taken at SouthamptonIsland by A. P. Low and that they were breeding abundantly. Mr. Taverner writes, "I have Low's Hudson Bay birds and I can see absolutelyno differencebetween them and the Pacific. In fact, o• some thirty birds taken •rom SouthamptonIsland all along the Coast and B[rltlsh] C[olumbia]I can make but one form." CumberlandSound Region: Kumlien's record (Bull. 15, U.S. Nat. Mus.)is apparently our only authority •or thisregion. While he states a bird was shot June 24, this specimenis not now in the National Museum and no othersappear to have been taken. Ungava: I do not know on what authority this loon has been attributed to Ungava. Turner in his list o• Labrador birds (Proc.U.S. Nat. Mus., 1885),'basedprincipally on his observations in Ungava, mentions only Stearns' record and this record refers to the Labrador coast and not to this locality. Mr. W. E. Clyde Todd found birds paired and evidentlybreeding on the east coast of JamesBay but all were pacifica. Mr. J. H. Fleming writes that all birdsfrom JamesBay that he has seenwere Pacific . Labrador: Audubon mentions(Birds o• America) that he saw a few pairs while in Labrador,but apparentlynone were secured. He doesnot state where the specimenswere obtainedfrom which ¾ ol. 1917XXXIV1 I H•aSE¾,The Black-throated Loonin N. A. 285 his drawingswere made but probably they were European birds. R. Bell records(Rep. Prog. Geol. Surv. Canada)male, female and young shot on Nottingham , Hudson Strait, August 28, 1884. If these birds were preservedthey are not now in the mu- seum at Ottawa. Mr. J. H. Fleming states that birds from Hud- son Strait in his collectionare pacifica. Mr. W. A. Stearnsmen- tions (Notes on the Nat. Hist. of Labrador) two specimensshot by oneof the Frenchpriests at Bersimisbut doesnot indicatewhat finally became of them or if either was preserved. Dr. Charles W. Townsendinforms us he doesnot know of any Labradorspeci- menof this speciesin any collection. It appearsthat someform of Black-throatedLoon occasionally occurson the Labrador coast but until a speelmenis securedand comparedwith spedmensof 2•acificait seemsbest to eonslderall recordsas moreor lessquestionable. :As Gaylaarcfica occurs in Iceland, it seemsprobable that it may occasionallybe foundin southernGreenland but there doesnot appearto be any trustworthy record. Mr. J. H. Fleming writes that he has specimensfrom the Carey north of Baffln Bay and they are PacificLoons. :All recordsfor this provincethat I have seenrefer to Labrador. New Brunswick: Baird, Brewer and Ridgway (Water Birds, Vol. 2) mentiona singlespecimen taken at Point Lepreau,in the Bay of Fundy. This is the sameas the recordin the ' Proe.Bost. Soe. of Nat. Hist.,' Vol. 17. It is very indefiniteand no further information is given. Herriek's statement (Bull. Essex Inst., Vol. 5) that this species"occurs in winter" at Grand Manan is not verifiedby morerecent observers or substantiatedby specimens. : A bird taken at Cutler, Maine, in December, 1881, is said to be in the possessionof Mr. Newell Eddy of Bay City, Michigan. Knightsays (Birds of Maine)that its correctidentifica- tion has been "shown to be unquestionable." As so many speci- mens supposedto be correctly identifiedhave proved to be some- thing very different,it seemsdesirable that this bird be reexamined. I am informed by Mr. Norman A. Wood that Mr. Eddy has recentlypassed away and it is not possible,at this time, to examine the birds in his eolleetlon. 286 H•Rs•Y,The Black-throated Loonin N..4. LJul¾[Auk

Massachusetts: There is no authentic record for this State although young birds supposedto be Black-throated Loons have been occasionallyrecorded. The records are not allowed by Howe and Allen (Birds of ). Connecticut:Sage and Bishop (Birds of Connecticut)do not list this speciesin their book. It has been given by early writers, undoubtedly in error. New York: A full plumagedadult male was shot April 29, 1893, on L6ng Island and was recordedby Mr. William Dutcher in 'The Auk', Vol. 10,p. 265. Thisrecord is the onlyone for New York that is basedon an actual specimenand it has been very generallyquoted. The bird is now in the AmericanMuseran of Natural History and Mr. W. DeW. Miller, who has recentlycriti- cally examinedand measuredit, writes that it "is unquestionably G. pacifica." SouthCarolina: Audubonis the only authorityfor the occur- rence of the' Black-throated Loon in this State. It has not since ß beenobserved. Wayne (Birds of ) states, "Audu- bon was unquestionablymistaken in the identificationof the bird shot." : Audubonalso recorded this speciesfrom Texas. Baird, Brewer and Ridgway discredit the record which is, with little doubt, an error. : It is supposedthat this loon has occurred several timesin Ontario. Mr. J. H. Fleminghas looked up severalrecords from this•egion and saysthat, so far, he has"found no record that will bear investigation." Also, "if any Black-throated Loons occur in the they will be pacifica." Ohio: There are alsoseveral supposed occurrences of this species in Ohio. Prof. Lynds Jones,writing in regard to these records, says, "Dr. Wheaton mentionsthe capture of one specimen,but on hearsayevidence. I had severalreports of specimenscaptured by trustworthypersons, but I cannot vouch for them personally. A specimenwas sent to me two years ago from Painesville,pur- ported to be a Black-throated,but I did not make it out such,and so sent it to Oberholser,who pronouncedit a Red-throated." Illinois: Mr. Ridgway writes regardingincluding this loon in the avifauna of Illinois, that "it was based on purely 'general •Vol.1917 XXXYV] J HERSEY,The Black-throated Loonin N. A. 287 considerationsonly' at a time when probably no one doubted the occurrenceof that speciesin North America and that it was not based on a specimen. We were, unfortunately, not so particular about such things in the earlier days." : It is supposedthat the Black-throated Loon has been taken three times in Wisconsin. Kumllen and Hollister refer to theserecords (Birds of Wisconsin)very briefly. One is said to have been taken at Milwaukee and to be in the Public Museum of that city. Mr. Henry L. Ward, director df that institution, writes under date of February 8, 1917, "I have been trying to run down the reported Black-throatedLoon contained in this museum,but can find no trace of it at all The speci•nen is evidently not containedin any of our seriesof mountedbirds, nor in the seriesof bird-skins." Another bird, taken at Racine, is reportedto be in the collectionof Dr. Hoy and a bird said to have been shot in 1860 on Rock River, near Janesville, in the collectionof a gentlemanfrom Rockford, Illinois. Mr. Hollister says of theserecords (letter February 20, 1917), the Rock River record "is from the notesof Thure Kumlien and consideringthe date and circumstancesI should not accept it as a real record to-day." He further says,"I have beenover the Hoy collection very carefully and do not rememberseeing the specimenrecorded from his collection,but as the Hoy collectionwas left without any labelswhatever (exceptthe nameof the bird) and his,records were not to be found, that record would be far from satisfactory." He concludes,"At any rate, I am preparedto drop the bird from the Wisconsin list." Michigan: It was once supposedthat this speciesoccurred in Michigan but the latest authority on the birds of that State, Prof. W. B. Barrows(Michigan Bird Life) doesnot acceptany of theserecords. He says,"We have beenunable to find a Michigan specimenin any collection,and have been equally unsuccessful in finding an unquestionablerecord of its occurrence. Until somethingmore definite can be shownit seems%est to excludeit from the regular list." :Dr. P. L. Hatch (Noteson the Birds of Minnesota) lists this specieson the strengthof supposedspecimens seen be- tween 1858 and 1S69. No birds were secured. 255 HI•RSI•Y,The Black-throated Loon in N. A. t[ JulyAuk

Iowa: Dr. R. M. Andersonrecords (Proc. Davenport Acad. Sci., Vol. XI) three specimensof this loon from Iowa. One was, at that time, in the collectionof the State University at Iowa City (No. 10175). Regardingthis bird Prof. Dayton Stonerwrites, "I am sorry to report that I am unable to find any specimenof Gayla arcticain our collections." The two remainingrecords are of birds reportedby Mr. H. J. Giddings. One of theseis said to have been identifiedby Dr. C. Hart Merriam and is still in Mr. Giddings'possession. Dr. Merriam has written us that he does not now recall this bird but a memorandum he has, which was made in connectionwith the examinationof this specimen,states that all United States recordsare pacifica. Mr. Giddingsstates in a recent letter that the bill of this bird measures 2.15 inches from which it seems evident that it is a . In a recentletter Dr. Andersonsays, "I haveno doubtpersonally that either Gavia arcticaor Gavia pacificaoccurs occasionally as stragglersor accidentallyin Iowa. From what I have learnedin the last few years, however,I am inclinedto think the bird would be pacifica." Nebraska: Regarding supposedrecords from this State Prof. Myron H. Swenk writes (January 27, 1917), "I think you will find that all of the severalrecords of this speciesdepend back on the record published in the 'Birds of Nebraska (1904)' from Curtis, Nebraska, in the Rees Heaton collection. This bird is in immatureplumage and resemblesin size and the broad edgingsof the back feathersimmature specimensof the black-throatedloon, but a careful study I made of it a couple of years ago convinced me that it was really referableto the commonloon. Fortunately, a little later Mr. H. C. Oberholserwas visitingme at Lincoln and examined this specimencarefully, with the result that he pro- nouncedit the commonloon. We have accordinglystricken the black-throatedloon from the Nebraskalist, sincethis was the only specimeneven supposedto be that specieswhich has been taken in the state." Colorado:All definiterecords from this State are from the vicinity of Colorado Springs. C. E. Aiken reported five birds taken, althoughapparently but one was preserved. This bird is in the Aiken collectionat the ColoradoCollege. Mr. Edward R. Warren Vøl'19X17XIV] I-IERsEY, The Black-throated Loonin N. A. 289 informs us this bird was sent to Prof. W. W. Cooke in 19}5, and "he reportedit to .bean immatm'eCommon Loon." He alsosays, "Aiken told me that other Loonshave beentaken in this vicinity and were like this bird." Washington: Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads recorded (Proe. Aead. Nat. Sei. of Phila., 1893,p. 29) a female seem'edand othersseen at Nisqually during April, 1892. This bird is now in the Academy of Natural Sciencesand has beenrecently examinedby Dr. Witmet Stone,who says,"I am confidentthat this specimenin only iraruer. It is very much worn'and is 'made up' small. The bill is smaller than somespecimens of iraruerbut matchedby othersand is much lm'gerthan any pacifica." Dawsonand Bowles (Birds of Washing- ton) refer to another specimen,in the collectionof the State Normal Schoolat Bellingham,taken by J. }VI. Edson. Mr. Edson informsus that "this is clearly an error. I have never succeeded in securinga specimenof the Black-throatedLoon. I think the statementwas intendedto apply to the Red-throatedLoon." British Columbia: According to Fannin this specieshas been taken at Burrm'd Inlet and at Dense Lake, CussJar,B.C. I have not been able to obtain any further information concerningthese records. 1 Conclusion:From the aboveit appem'sthat there is not a single North American specimenof the Black-throated Loon in any collectionin thiscountry or Canada,with the exceptionof the three Alaskanbirds. Every recordthat is basedon a specimenproves to refer to some speciesother than arcfica when the specimenis carefully examined. In view of this fact, we cannot place much value on the recordsthat cannot be verified at the present time. The three Alaskan specimens,when compared with available material from Siberiaand northernEm'ope, prove to be the Asiatic form, Gaylaarctica suschkini Sarudny, and not Gavia arcfica arctica (Linnmus). If this Asiatic subspeciesis acceptedas distinct from the Europeanbird, it is this form that shouldappear on our Check- List and Gaviaarcfica arctica should be droppeduntil suchtime as a North Americanspecimen is procm'edand, by careful comparison

• Since the above was written I have examined the two British Columbia birds. One is clearly a Pacific Loon. The other is most like Siberian specimens and may be a straggler from that country. It is not the European form of arclira. 290 STI•O•.,An ObservationTent. L•uly{'Auk with Europeanbirds, proved to be of that form. If, however,we do not recognizeGayla arctica suschkini as distinct,then the Euro- peanbird is entitledto a placein our avifaunaonly on the strength of its casual occurrence in Alaska.

AN IMPROVED OBSERVATION TENT.

BY R.M. STRONG.

Plate X.

IN a precedingnumber • of this journal, I describedwith an illustration, a tent WhichI had used in studyinggulls at their breedingplaces. This tent wasa modificationof a type described by Sawyer? It is inexpensiveand free from certainobjectionable features of other bird blinds. However, it is small and low. Being only four feet high, one is not able to stand erect in it, and there is not sufficientspace to handle apparatuscomfortably. In the same communication, I stated that I had devised and used a largertent sincedoing the work there described. It hasoccurred to me that an accountof the improvementsmight be useful to somereaders of this journal. Tents of this type have no stay lines to interrupt the camera view, and they can be set up on rocky siteswhere it is not practica- ble to drive tent stakes. Furthermore,they are of very convenient shape,and are economicalof groundspace. The contourof the tent is maintainedby a frame which givesa flat horizontalroof and steep, slightly-slopingsides. The frame consistsof eight polesheld in positionby four socketpieces at the cornersof the roof and four anchoringpoles to be describedlater. In the oldertent, the frame poleswere held togetherby blocksof

• Strong, n.M. On the Habits and Behavior of the Gull, Larus argenlaltts Pont. The Auk, Vol. XXXI, Nos. 1-2, January-April, 1914. Plates III-X and XIX-XX, 1 text figure. . 2 Sawyer, E.J. A Special Bird-Blind. Bird Lore, Vol. XI, no. 2, March-April, 1909. pp. 71-73. One page of text figures.