270 GABRIELSON,SomeAlaskan Notes L[Auk April

SOME ALASKAN NOTES

BY IRA N. GABRIELSON

(Concluded[romp. 150) CALn*ORNIAMumu•, Uria aalgecali[ornica (Bryant).--This was prob- ably the mostabundant species observed on the trip. We did not see California Murres until we reachedSeward (June 10) where there was a large colony associatedwith the still more numerousPacific .The deepwater at the baseof the cliff allowedus to drift the boat closeand in the clear depthswe could see the birds literally flyingunder the water as expertlyas fishes. Often they came to the surface,saw the boat, and instantly dived again. The great coloniesof the Semidisand were the largest,composed largely or entirely of this species. In the former island group, wheneverwe approachedthe precipitouscliffs dosely enough to see distinctly,we found every available shelf and nook crowdedwith tourres. At Kagamil Island we traveledin the 'Brown Bear' for at least two miles along cliffs similarly occupied,and the water was covered with birds. These were two of the most impressiveof the bird coloniesseen on the trip. On BogoslofIsland an almostequally large concentra- tion of tourrescontained both this speciesand the next. PALLAS'SMumu•, Uria lornvia arra (Pallas).--Thisnorthern species was first found on BogoslofIsland (June 24). At St. GeorgeIsland (July 8) and St. Paul Island (July 4-6) Pallas's Murre was common,while at Walrus Island (July 7) the enormous murre colony was comprisedlargely, if not entirely, of this species. I saw only one bird there that I thought was a California Murre and it movedaway before I couldbe sure. Pallas'sMurre wasabundant also at St. Matthew Island on July 8 and 9. PIGEONGUILLEMOT, Cepphus columba Pallas.--The Pigeon Guille- mot was widely distributedbut never in great numbers. It was first seenat PortageBay (June 4) and wasnoted throughoutthe trip along the Peninsula and through the Aleutians. MARBLF•MURRELET, Brachyramphus marmoratus (Gmelin).--A Marbled Murrelet found dead on the street in Ketchikan (June 8) was the first one noted in Alaska. The specieswas common at Peters- burg and PortageBay (June 4), and was particularlyabundant in Glacier Bay and adjacent waters (June 7). A number were noted and one collectedin the upper end of Iliatuna Lake. It wascommon in PrinceWilliam Sound (August10), and aroundSitka (August12). Vol.6t] GA•PaELSO•,Some Alaskan Notes 271 •944 a

On August13, at Little Port Walter, a singlejuvenile wasfound above the weir apparentlyunable to get out; it remainedall day and dived away from us acrossthe pool wheneverwe approached. ANCXENTMI•RRELET, Synthliboramphus antiquus (Gmelin).- Un- doubtedlyAncient Murrelets were presentamong the thousandsof birds noted at distancestoo great for certain identification,but they were definitely recordedon only four occasions--allbut one in the . Two were seenclose to the boat in Bay (June 27), two othersat the Ogliuga Island on the sameday, and ten or more on the west side of on June 30. A singlebird allowedour boat to approachclosely about forty miles off St. George Island on July 3. CASSlN'SAmCLET, Ptychoramphus aleuticus (Pallas).--Severaltimes auklets,which were almostcertainly of this species,were seenabout Kodiak Island and in the Aleutians,but the only positiveidentifica- tions were made in SalisburyStraits on August 12 and around the southend of Baranof Island on August 13. PAROQUETAUKLET, Cyclorrhynchus psittacula (Pallas).--Wesaw aukletsin the Shumaginsthat we were reasonablysure were of this species,but the first observedat closerange were at Chagulak (June 20) where there were numbersinhabiting the samerock slide with a much greatercolony of CrestedAuklets. The specieswas present in smallnumbers on (June25), and on KasatochiIsland (July 26). St. GeorgeIsland (July 3) had a great number of Paroquet Aukletsbut theywere relatively inconspicuous in the incrediblemasses of Least and Crested Auklets that swarmed over and around the island. They were much more evident in the smaller colonieson St. Paul (July 4-6), and werealmost lost again among the greathosts of tourres and gullson Walrus Island (July 7). Paroquet Auklets were the most abundan,tauklet on St. Matthew Islandand PinnacleRock (July 8-9), considerablyoutnumbering the otherspecies in the partsof thoseislands that we explored. CR•ST•r)AVKLV. T, Aethia cristatella(Pallas).--This striking species, whosegeneral outline and carriageare somuch like thoseof the Cali- fornia Quail, wasfirst seen at ChagulakIsland (June25) which har- bored a large colony. We saw enormousswarms of auklets,many of themof this species,off (July 26) wherelarge col- onies are known to exist. The greatestauklet colonywe visited in the Aleutianswas that on KasatochiIsland (June26) wherethe pres- ent specieswas secondin abundance. Off , a seaotter made severalhalf-hearted attempts 272 GABm•LSON,Some Alaskan Notes I.[Auk April to catchone of two CrestedAuklets sitting on the water near the kelp beds. The otter's effortsdid not seem to bother the auklets as they merely flew a few yards and settled down again. On St. GeorgeIsland (July 3) this specieswas second in abundance in the great bird assemblageand it was common on St. Paul (July 4-6) and fairly abundanton St. Matthew (July 8). LE•,sTAUX•LET, Aethia pusilla (Pallas).--Thesetiny seafowlwere un- believablyabundant in someplaces. We were in two of the largest coloniesand passedclose by a third. Gray saysthat farther to the westward in the Aleutians there are other great auklet coloniesin which this speciesfurnishes a dominatingelement. The first Least Auklets we sawwere conspicuousin the great swarms of birdsfound to the north of Koniuji Island on June 26. We visited a major colonyat KasatochiIsland (June 26) and the greatestof all at St. GeorgeIsland (July 3). In addition to thesevast concentra- tions we saw numbersof the birds in small flocksat Tanaga. The specieswas common on St. Paul Islandand alsoon St. MatthewIsland. While watching a great mass of Pallas's Murres on Walrus Island (July 7), somethingfaintly incongruousin the landscapeattracted my attention. It was a single sitting solemnly on a small rock amid the thousandsof larger birds. It was the only one noted on that island. So few naturalistshave been privileged to observethese great Alaskan bird concentrationsthat a reproductionof my noteson two of them may be justified. On KasatochiIsland the great attraction was the auklet colonymade up largelyof this speciesand the . This island is a mountain peak rising abruptly from the water, so precipitous,in fact, that in only a few spotswhere slide rockhas weathered off the cliffsor brokentheir sheerfaces is it possi- ble to ascend. We made a somewhatprecarious landing at the base of one of theseslides and slowlyworked our way upward. My notes on this occasion are as follows: "I dimbed a rock slide trying to collectone of the Aleutian wrensbut, failing to get within range, sat on a rock and watchedthe showput on by the auklets. There were three species,the Least Auklet by far the most abundant, with the CrestedAuklet secondin numbers,and the ParoquetAuklet representedby a few pairs. Scatteredpairs of Tufted Puffinsalso were present. Gray saysthat in 1936 this island had a large puffin colony and attributes its decreaseto the introduction of blue foxes on the island." (Note: This is one of severalbird islandsfrom which the foxes are being re- moved. As we saw three foxes on the one slide and as there are neither beaches from which the foxes may obtain sea food or rodents, it is evident that the foxes are entirely dependentfor food on the bird population.) Vol.61] GABRIELSON,Some Alaskan Notes 273 •944 a

"From the looserocks of this slide came a great medley of chatter and ducks. Th• louder, coatset notes were those of the Crested Auklet, which looks like a red-billed quail. They talk among themselvesexactly as do quail coveys. The LeastAuklets have a softervoice, but they, too, chatterincessantly in the slides. "The Crested Auklets predominated in numbers at the bottom of the slides while the Leastswere most abundant in the smaller rocks toward the top. "As the birds leave the nesting crevices,they walk out to a rock that is in the dear and pitch off. Aviatorsmight well have watchedthese little sea fowl per- form to get the idea of power diving. That is exactlywhat they do. They dive from the rockswith wingsworking at top speed,pitching straight down the slopes. By the time they reach the water and flatten out to dart away over the sea they have attained terrific speed. The wings of the two specieswhistle in different tonesas they dive, that made by the CrestedAuklet being deeper. As the birds straighten out over the water, they occasionallyrock from side to side as I have seenquail do at high speed. Sometimesin the dive they sideslip--behavingas do teal and other small duckspitching down from a height. "As evening advanced,the flocksof Least Auklets, with a few of the larger crested speciesoften intermingled, increasedin size until the clouds of individuals were like the great blackbird swarmsof the Middle West and Gulf Coast. These flocks circled and swirled as ribbonsand drifts of black, or occasionallywhite, smoke on the skylineor as shadowsover the w•ter, twistingand turning in fantasticfigures. "When one of the flocksswerved in over the rock slide the roar of wings was almost deafening. The bulk of the birds sweptback out to sea but dozensout of each flock dropped like falling leavesto alight on the rocksnear their par- ticular domiciles. "Some, seeing me, immediately took off again. Others would look me over, cockingtheir headsfirst to one side and then to the other, before finally deciding that I was unimportant. When that decision was made they went about their business,which consistedof posingon the rocksor strutting about a bit, like half- grown quail, before popping into their holes. The absurd gravity of the Least Auklets, with their spotted coats and big eyes, made apparently bigger by the scattered,stiff, white feathersabout the head, was one of the most amusing traits noted in a lifetime of bird watching. "As these swarmsof birds maneuvered over the water in intricate patterns, the synchronizationof their movementscompared favorably with that of the appar- ently well-drilled sandpipers. Sometimesthousands of birds in a single flock al- ternately flashedwhite or black in the setting sun." At St. George,which is a comparativelylow island, the auklet col- onieswere mostlyconcentrated on a long, low volcanicridge back of the village. This site,however, harbored by no meansall of the birds, which were everywherewe went; it merelywas the greatestassemblage. UndoubtedlyI sawhere the greatestnumber of living birds in the air and on the water that I ever sawin one day. My notesfor St. George are as follows: "July 3. When I went up to the pilot houseabout 7 a.m. we were about fifty miles from St. George. Fur sealswere scatteredover the comparativelycalm sea and tourresand red-leggedkittiwakes began to appear in small numbers.* * * * 274 G,.•oN, SomeAlaskan Notes •.Aprili'Auk

"I noted one Ancient Murrelet about forty miles off shore at about the time the first Tufted and Horned Puffins were observed. As we neared the islands the number of birds, both in speciesand individuals,increased. Paroquet,Least, and CrestedAuklets appearedin the order named, and by the time we were within three miles of shore the Least Auklets outnumbered all others combined. Many birds of the year were amongthem, a fact verifiedby collectingone. "We landed about 2 p.m. Over the last mile of water the Least and Created Aukletshad been swirlinglike swarmsof insects. As we landed,the air over the villagewas filled with hurryingflocks. When we reachedthe little hill on which the buildingsstand, a long, low ridge wasexposed to our view and the air between us and the ridge,as well as that overit, wasfilled with circling,swirling thousands of birds. Auklets constantlyflying over the village to join the milling throngs were mostlyLeasts but there were many Crestedand a few Paroquetsamong them. All the afternoon,hastening bands from all directionsjoined the circling hosts. When one remembers that the sea for miles out had been dotted with them, and the air over it filled with great swarms,drifting like shadowsover the surfaceof the water,some idea of the immensityof the populationmay perhapsbe obtained. The occasionalendless processions of SootyShearwaters on the Oregoncoast, the blackbird cloudsof the MississippiValley, and the myriadsof waterfowlon some of the greatestconcentration areas are the only thingsin my experiencethat even remotelycompared with theseauklet hosts. "Mr. Mandeville,the actingsuperintendent, told us that in springthe natives make nets on hoops,about the sizeof a barrel hoop, to catch thesebirds for food, as they fly over the edgesof low bluffs. He said that one boy sometimescatches asmany as a hundreda day. When onereflects that the aukletsare literally whizzing projectiles,such a feat seemsimpossible until the numbers present are taken into account. "The nativesalso collect the eggs. Three of us went through a colonytrying to locate downy young. We found shellsof recentlyhatched eggs but no eggsnor downies. The comicalLeast Auklets sat around on the rocks,ogling us owlishly as we delvedfor nests. They seemedentirely unconcernedand they proved to be right. All that we accomplishedwith our rock-rollingeffort was a slight disturb- ance of the landscape. We finally gave it up and concludedthat our combined egg-huntingintelligence quotient was considerablybelow that of a ten-year-old native boy." WHISKEREDAUKnET, Aethia pygmaea (Gmelin).--Two membersof the party,Jackson and Tripp, camein from the trip acrossAtka Island (June 30) sayingthey had found a live "dickeybird" in the trail and caughtit. As one of the party had broughtin a newly-fledgedAlaska Longspur a few days before, I expectedsomething similar and was surprisedwhen they produced our firstspecimen of this,the mostlocal and least known of the Aleutian Island auklets. On July 1, we saw severalhundred in the watersbetween Carlisle and Kagamil Islands and along the great cliffs on the latter island. Their behavior on the water and in the air did not differ from that of the other species. Vol.6•'[ GABmELSON,Some Alaskan Notes 275

RHINOCEROSAUKLET, Cerorhinca monocerata (Pallas).--We identified this bird with certaintyonly twice. We sawbetween twenty-five and thirty birdsjust outsideof Cape Spenceras we startednorth across the Gulf of Alaska (June 7). They were mostlyin pairs and the breedingplumes were conspicuous. As we camesouth over the Gulf of Alaska (August12) we observeda numberas we nearedSalisbury Straits on the run into Sitka. HORNEDPUFFIN, Fratercula corniculata (Naumann).- This small puffin,though widely distributed, was never present in largecolonies, and in fact was usuallyseen in smallernumbers than its larger rela- tive. The first seenwere a few pairs near Seward (June 10). We also saw scattered individuals on the waters about Kodiak Island. In the Semidis,Horned Puffinswere more abundant,equalling or per- hapsexceeding the Tufted Puffinsobserved. The birdswere coming and goingout of nestburrows along the topsof the cliffsbut there was no great concentrationof them in any one spot. From the Shu- magin Islandswest and north the Horned Puffinwas usually the more abundant of the two. TUFTEDPUFFIN, Lunda cirrhata (Pallas).--Thiswas one of the wide- ly distributedwater birds, being found about most of the rockyislands visited. It was first recorded when scattered individuals were seen just outsideCape Spencer(June 7). We sawsmall nestingcolonies scatteredfrom the Barren Islands (June 13) to the Pribilofs. NOR•HWmTERNHORNED OWL, Bubo virginianuslagophonus (Ober- holser).--Two horned owls, taken by Collins and O'Connor, agents of the Alaska Game Commission,on June 26 along Willow Creek, north of Anchorage,and put into storagefor me, provedto be of this form. AMEmC• HAWKOWL, Surnia ulula caparoch(Mfiller).--Two in- dividualsnear Fairbankson August4 were to be the only onesnoted during the summer. RuFousHUMMINGBIRD, Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin).--Twowere seen near Petersburgon June 4. WESTERNBELTED KINGFISHER, Megaceryle alcyon caurina (Grinnell). --Singlebirds were noted at eachof three places-Petersburg(June 4), Yakutat (June 8), and Little Port Walter (August 13). NORatERNFLICKER, Colapres auratus luteus Bangs.--Woodpeckers of all kinds provedto be scarcealthough a carefullookout wasmain- tainedfor them in woodedcountry. This flickerwas noted as follows: one at Yakutat (June8), two alongSusitna River near Curry (August 2), threenear Fairbanks (August 4), two alongSteese Highway (August 6), and five along RichardsonHighway (August9). 276 GABR•ON,Some Alaskan Notes LAprilI'Auk

NORTHERNRED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, Sphyrapicus varius ruber (Gmelln).--Three birds near Petersburg(June 4) and one at Portage Bay on the sameday were the only onesobserved. SIT•A HAm¾ WOOOPE½•ER,Dryobates villosus sitkensisSwarth.-- Singlebirds, one eachat Petersburgand PortageBay on June 4, were the only hairy woodpeckersseen. BATCHELV•'SWOOOP•½•, Dryobatespubescens leucurus (Hart- laub).--Asingle downy woodpecker, presumably of this fbrm, was seen on the shoresof TustaminaLake (July 30). It wasnot taken,so the subspeciescannot be positivelystated. SAY'SPHOeBe, Sayornis saya saya (Bonaparte).--Say'sPhoebes were seenonly twice,as singlebirds on Kalgin Islandon July 28 and near the RichardsonHighway on August9. OL•vE-SID•OFLYCaTCHer, Nuttallornis mesoleucus(Lichtenstein).-- A singlebird wasnoted south of PaxtonLake alongthe Richardson Highway on August9. PALrSOHom•,va) LA•, Otocorisalpestris arcticola Oberholser.--This pale raceof hornedlark wasnot commonin the territoryvisited. About a dozenindividuals were seen above timber line in Mt. McKinleyPark on August3 and about the samenumber were found along the Steese Highway halfway between Fairbanks and Circle on both August 6 and 7. V•o•T-gm• SWAllOW,Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns.--A1- though noted at intervals,swallows were not usually common. Four of this specieswere seenin Petersburg(June 4) and a like number, or slightlymore, were constantlyabout the buildingsat CooperLand- ing on the Kenai River (June 11-12). TP,•ESWALLOW, Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot).--TreeSwallows were among the more abundant representativesof the family. The first seenwere two flying about over the Situk River (June 8) near the fisheriescabin. The specieswas not noted again until we reached Dillingham (July 17) whereit wasrather commonnot only about the town but over the river and adjoining tunch-a. It was also common on the lakesat the headof Wood River (July 18). A few individuals were observedover BrooksLake (July 20) and a single bird flew about Stevenson'sRoad House on Iliamna Lake (July 24). The only concentrationof swallowswas seenon July 30 about a mile north of Tustamina Lake. Here a large birch tree standing somewhatisolated in an openflat wasfilled with a mixed groupof Tree and Bank Swallows. There were several hunch-ed birds in the tree or flying about it. Vol.6 • -] GA•R•ELSON,Some Alaskan No tes 2 7 7 J944 .•

BANKSWALLOW, Riparia riparia riparia (Linnaeus).--Thisspecies was first recordedwhen two birds were seenflying about the fish weir on the Karluk River on Kodiak Island (June 17). Five individuals werecirding aboutan abandonedcannery at Chignik (June19) and the specieswas fairly commonon the shoresof MorzhovoiBay (June 21). Severalwere observedat Dillingham (july 17) and on Wood River Lakes (July 18). It was fairly commonat BrooksLake (July 21), BecharofLake (July 21), and on the Kasilof River (july 29). ßAbout a dozenbirds were flying about a bankfilled with BankSwallow burrowsat KenaiVillage (July28) but noneof the birdswas observed to enter or leave the burrows. Bank Swallowsmade up about half of the concentrationat TustaminaLake on July 30, noted above. BARNSWALLOW, Hirundo erythrogasterBoddaert.--The first bird I saw at Wrangel (july 3) as I steppedfrom the boat was a lone Barn Swallowflying over the street. At Petersburg,the next day, the specieswas the most conspicuousbird; as many as fifteen were in sightat once. Three birds were seenat Juneau (June 5) and a pair was flying about an old trapper'scabin on the shoresof Glacier Bay (June 7). Two were noted at Yakutat (June 8) and the specieswas not seenagain until July 21 on UgashikLake wherea similarnumber was present. About a dozenbirds were about Sieverson'sLodge on Iliatuna Lake duringour stay (july 24-25). AI.ASKAJAY, Perisoreuscanadensis fumifrons Ridgway.--Three AlaskaJays were observed(one adult and two fully fledgedyoung) on the Kenai River (june 11), and two wereabout the fisheriescamp at BrooksLake. (July 20). There were someten birds about a cabin and clearingon the Kasilof River (July 29) where we spentan hour waiting for the tide to rise sufficientlyfor us to get over a sandbar. Two were presenteach morning about our cabin on Tustamina Lake (July 30-31). The specieswas common in Mt. McKinley Park (August 2 and 3) and along the SteeseHighway on August6. At Circle, eight cameto one tree as I 'squeaked'at a group of sparrowsin a thicket. SXELI•ER'SJAY, ½yanocittastelleri stelleri (Gmelin).-Several were seenin and aboutJuneau on June 5 and 6. One wastaken by me on the 6th and oneby Dufresneat Cordovaon June 10. AMERICANMAGPIE, Pica pica hudsonia(Sabine).--The Magpie was a conspicuousand fairly commonelement in the avian population of Kodiak Island, the ShumaginIslands, and the baseof the Alaska Peninsula. NORXX-IERNRAVEN, Corvus corax principalis Ridgway.--The Raven waswidely distributedbut not commonand my notesdo not record more than five in any one day. 278 GABRIELSON,SomeAlaskan Notes LApril['Auk

On BereskinIsland I watcheda youngRaven just learningto fly. An empty nest on the cliff below indicated its probable,late home. This bird took off from the edge of the cliff in the face of a strong breezeon somewhatuncertain wings, flew out a few yards and then turned back to alight again. This feat wasrepeated a scoreof times. At Tanaga Island my attention was attractedto an Arctic Tern's nest by the frantic criesand divesof the parent birds, obviouslyagi- tatedby somethingbehind a big rock. As I steppedaround it, a Raven flushedfrom within a few feet of the terns' nest containingtwo eggs. NORTHWESTERNCROW, (2ortJtt• brachyrhynchos caurinus Baird.-- Crowswere presentin small numbers.The first land birdsseen on the trip wasa flockof about twentycrows flying over the harboras we came into Ketchikan (June 3). There were also a number about Peters- burg, Juneau, Kodiak Village, and Karluk. LONG-TAILEDCHICKADEE, Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis (Har- ris).-Three or four chickadeeswere noted about the cabin on Tusta- mina Lake (July 20). YUKO• CHICKADEE,Penthestes atricapillus turneri Ridgway.--A single bird collected in an alder thicket on the mountain above Larsen'sBay, Kodiak Island (June 17) proved to be of this form. COLUMBIAN CHICKADEE, Penthestes hudsonicus columbianus (Rhoads).-ColttmbianChickadees were collectedat Kenai Lake (June 12), Kodiak (June 14), Tustamina Lake (July 31), and at Brooks Lake (July 19) on the Katmai National Monument. CHES•UT4;ACKEDCHICr•DEE, Penthestes rufescens rufescens (Town~ send).-Chestnut-backedChickadees were noted at PortageBay (June 4) and Little Port Walter (August 13). CALXVORNIACVa•EVER, Certhia familiaris occidentalisRidgway.--A femalecollected at PortageBay on June4 provedto be of thisform. DIVVER,Cinclus mexicanus unicolor Bonaparte.--A single bird was noted on Wood River on July 18. A•,sr,a• WRv_S•,Nannus hiemalis alascensis (Baird).--Five individuals of this form were seen and one was collectedon St. George Island on July 3. T•AGA WRV•, Nannus hiemalistanagensis Oberholser.--Eight or ten individualsof this subspecieswere seenon Tanaga Island (June 27) anda like numberon Atka (June30). A singlebird wascollected on the latter island. In addition,specimens of this and other forms were taken at Chagulak,Kasatochi, Ogliuga, , and Carlisle islands. This tiny wren-the smallestland bird of thesegloomy islands-is Vol.61] GABRIELSON,Some Alaskan Notes 279 1944 .• quite abundantin places. It is confinedlargely to the rockybeaches and immediatelyadjacent areas and wasseldom noted more than a hundred yards from the water's edge. Its clear, bubbling songwas alwaysa welcomesound. SEMIDI WREN, Nannus hiemalls semidiensis Brooks.-Three birds were seenon Choweit Island (June 18). KOmAKWREN, Nannus hiemalishelleri (Osgood).--Asingle speci- men wascollected on AfognakIsland (June 13). WESTERNWINTER WREN, Nannus hiemalis pacificus (Baird).-Winter Wrens were notedat Petersburg(June 4), Yakutat (June 8), and Port Walter (August 13). EASTERNROtaN, Turdus migratoriusmigratorius Linnaeus.--Robins were commonand widely distributedon the mainlandfrom the Kenai to the baseof the Alaska Peninsula. A few birds alsowere present alongthe Litnik River on AfognakIsland (June 15). The robin was often commonon the tundra where the plentiful supplyof berries furnishedan easyliving. NORTHWESTERNRO!•IN, Turdus migratoriuscaurinus (Grinnell).-- This racewas observed at Petersburg(June 4), PortageBay (June4), Juneau (June5), and GlacierBay (June 7). PAC•VmVAmF_• THRUSH, Ixoreus naeviusnaevius (Gmelin).--Noted at Petersburgand PortageBay (June 4), Juneau (June 5), Glacier Bay (June 7), and Yakutat Bay (June 8). Barely-fledgedyoung were seenat the last place. NoRa'I-mm•VAmED THRUSH, Ixoreus naevius meruloides (Swainson). --This race was noted at Afognak,Dillingham, Wood River, Tusta- mina Lake, SteeseHighway, and RichardsonHighway. It was one of the more commonand conspicuouswoodland birds. Young out of the nest,but still unable to fly well, were seenon Afognak. There is little differencein the breeding plumagesof these two forms as seen in the field. AI•s• HERMITTI-mUSI-I, Hylocichla guttata guttata (Pallas).--Birds collectedat Yakutat (June8) and Kodiak (June 14) wereof this form. Birds noted at Afognak (June 15), Chignik and Metrofania Island (June 19), Naknek (july 19), and RichardsonHighway (August9) probablybelong here. DwAgvHEWM•T TI-mUSI-I, Hylocichla guttata nanus (Audubon).--A bird collectedat Juneau (May 5) by Greanyis of this race. RUSSET-BACKZ•)THRUSH, Hylocichla ustulataustulata (Nuttall).- Two individualswere seen at PortageBay on June 4. OZaVE-SACKEDT•-mUSH, Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Tschudi).-- 280 GA•RI•SON,Some •11askan Notes ILApril'Auk

SeveralOlive-backed Thrushes were seen along the SteeseHighway (August6), and one wasnoted near PaxtonLake on the Richardson Highway (August9). GRAY-C•IV.VXV. D T•IRUS•I, Hylocichla minima aliciae (Baird).--Amale of this specieswas collectedat Dillingham on July 18. EUROPEASW•IEATV. AR, Oenantheoenanthe oenanthe (Linnaeus).-- The Wheatearwas one of the birds I hoped mostto seein Alaska. I had gatheredthe impressionthat it was a rather uncommonspecies that one couldexpect to seeonly occasionally.I wasdelighted, there- fore, to find it actually commonin two widely separatedlocalities. We sawnumbers in Mt. McKinleyPark on both August2 and 3 and alongthe SteeseHighway, about midwayfrom Fairbanksto Circle,on both August6 and 7. On August8 we sawtwo more of thesebirds on the RichardsonHighway just southof the Tanana River crossing. In Mt. McKinley Park the Wheatearswere in smallflocks of six or eight to a dozenor more. They were feedingalong the shouldersof the road and in action and behavior were much like pipits. Many spottedyoung were among them. We had a good opportunity to studyseveral at closerange as we sat on a rockyoutcrop high in the mountainon August3, watchinga groupof DaWssheep. The Wheat- earswere all around us, sometimeswithin a few feet. In appearance, especiallyaround the head and the breast,they resemblea female Bluebird;but when they flush,displaying the white in the tail, they suggestMcCown's Longspur. The flocks,and even individuals,have the trait of someother grass- land birds of whirling off the ground, and mounting high into the air, apparentlybent on gettingout of the country,only to swerveand land again closeto, if not upon, the spot previouslyoccupied. On August6, the first one we sawwas perched on the topmosttwig of a sprucewith its breasttoward the car. In the early morninglight the soft pink of the breastlooked red enoughfor a Bluebird and we stoppedthe car and trained the glassescarefully upon it before we could be sure that our eyeswere not playing tricks upon us. Kv.•coa•r's W•r•r•owW.•RBr•v.R, Acanthopneuste borealis kennicotti (Baird.)--Asingle bird, which I took to be of this species,flew ahead of us up a smallstream on the north end of St. Matthew Island (July 9). One was collectedat Dillingham (July 18), and a secondspeci- men, one of three birds that were making a great disturbanceover my presencenear a small, densewillow, was taken at BrooksLake (July 19). In general appearancethese birds reminded me of Tennessee Warblers althoughthey were more nervousand excitablethan that species. Vol.6• 'l GABm•So•,Some Alaskan Notes 281 1944 a

WESTERNGOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird.--Anumber of kingletswere noted at PortageBay (June4) and Juneau (June 5). Two were seenon AfognakIsland on June 15. EASTERNRUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, Corthylio calendulacalendula. (Linnaeus).--Kingletswere commonat Kenai Lake (June 12) and a singlebird wasseen at Kodiak (June14). There werefour or fivein one sprucetree on Tustamina Lake (July 30). SITKAKINGLET, Corthylio calendula grinnelli (Palmer).--TheSitka Kingletwas in full songup to, and including,June 8. We sawit commonlyat PortageBay, Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Yakutat. I have a specimenof this race taken by Greanyon May 5 at Juneau. AMERIGANPIPIT, ,'tnthusspinoletta rubescens (Tunstall).--Pipits were fairly common,many of them in the odd juvenile plumagesel- dom seenin the United States. A number were collectedin the hope of gettingrepresentatives of Asiaticforms, but all provedto be of this race. BOHEMIANWAXWING, Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps Reichenow.- On August3, in Mr. McKinleyPark, Dufresnefirst discovered a group of thesebeautiful birds, consisting of adultsand newlyfledged young. A few dayslater (August8 and 9), thisproved to be oneof the most commonspecies along the RichardsonHighway, with both adults and juvenilespresent. Their behaviorwas much like that of the CedarWaiTing at the sameseason. These birds perchedconspicu- ouslyin the topsof the smallspruces and calledsoftly to one another as we worked about in the timber to get better views of various individuals. NORa•aWmTERNSHRIKE, Lanius borealis invictus GrinnelL--This shrikewas one of the conspicuousbirds of the interior country. Like its more southerncousins, it showeda decidedfondness for telephone wiresand polesalong the highways. It wasseen at frequentintervals in Mt. McKinleyPark (August2-3), alongthe SteeseHighway (August 6-7), and along the RichardsonHighway (August8). ORaNGE-CROWNEDW•,P.•ram, Vermivora celata celata (Say).--An Orange-crownedWarbler, probably of this race, was heard singing and was later seenon the lower Kvichak River on July 23. LUTESCENTWAP.•rS•R, Vermivora celata lutescens(Ridgway).--Sev- eral were seenat Juneau (June 5) and two at Glacier Bay (June 7). They werecommon at Yakutat (June8) and on the Kenai River (June 11 and 12). Specimenswere collected at the last-namedplace. ALASKAYELLOW WAm•LER, Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pallas).-- This specieswas one of the two mostcommon warblers observed on the trip well out onto the Alaska Peninsula. 282 GAmUZLSON,Some Alaskan Notes LF AprilAuk

BLnCK-•'OLLWARBLER, Dendroica striata (Forster).--Apair wasob- servedon a mountainslope above Kenai Lake (June 11), and one was collectedat Dillingham (July 17). GRINNELL'SWATER-THRUSH, Seiurus noveboracensisnotabilis Ridg- way.--Fouror five birdswere seenand one wascollected along a little streamtributary to TustaminaLake, on July 31. NORTHERNPILEOLnTED WAR•L'm, Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pallas). --This was the most widely distributed warbler and a number of specimenswere collected. RusTYBLnC•mIm), Euphagus carolinus (Miiller).--Severalwere seen at Dillingham (July 17) and a smallnumber around the University of Alaska groundsnear Fairbanks (August5). Ko•)iA•CPIN,• GROSBEA•C,Pinicola enucleatorflammula Homeyet.- Pine Grosbeakswere not commonanywhere. A singlemale wasseen by Dufresnein Yakutat Village (June8). We sawthree pairson the Kenai, all in the vicinity of Kenai Lake (June 11 and 12). A single male was noted at Kodiak (June 14) and two were observedon Afognak (June 15). Two were seenfrom the train alongthe Susitna River (August2). Only two specimenswere taken, one by me at Kenai and the other by Collins and O'Connor near Palmer on June 27, and held in cold storageuntil I reachedAnchorage on July 31. Both of thesespeci- mensare of this race. The birds along the Susitnamay have been of this race or of the more northern alascensis. ALEUTIANRosy FINCH,Leucosticte griseonucha (Brandt).--This handsomefinch was one of the real joys of the Aleutian and other islands. We saw it first on the Semidi Islands (June 18) where a dozenbirds were presentalong the rockybackbone of ChoweitIsland. From that time on they were presentin varying numbersthroughout the points visited on the Aleutians, the Alaska Peninsula,and the islandsof . They were exceedinglyabundant on St. George (July 3) and St. Paul (July 4-6). On St. George, a nest containing three eggswas found by Frank Beals. It was placed on a low cliff and was made of coarsegrass stems, somewhat scantily lined with finer fibers. It wasrather bulky--aboutsix inchesacross-resembling a Catbird'snest but more looselyconstructed. I was also showna similar nest built in a tool house. HOARYREDPOLL, Acanthis hornemanni exilipes (Coues).--Twovery pale redpollswere seenon Nunivak (July 11) in a narrow band of willow of sometwo-foot stature but, nevertheless,the largestwoody Vol.6•-[ GA•UX•a•O•,Some Alaskan Notes 283 •944 a

plants we had seenfor weeks. The next day I found about a dozen similar birds about a patch of slightlylarger willows on Cape Van- couver, , and collectedtwo which proved to be of this subspecies. COMMONREDPOt% Acanthis linaria linaria (Linnaeus).--Thisbird wasvery commonabout timber line on the Kenai and whereverthere was a patch of alders or willows along the Alaska Peninsulaor the shoresof Bering Sea. It was also commonin all placesvisited in the interior. RED CROSSBar%Loxia curvirostrapusilla Gloger.--A flock of about twenty-fiveRed Crossbillswas seenhigh up aboveKenai Lake in the edgeof the timber on June 12. S•Tr•A CROSSB•Lr.,Loxia curvirostra sitkensis Grinnell.-About a dozenbirds of this form were seenat PortageBay (June 4), and a somewhatlarger number at Juneau (June 5). More than twenty-five were observedabout the fishery laboratory at Little Port Walter (August 13). WmT•-W•NG•DCgossu•r.r., Loxia leucopteraGmelin.--There were numbersof White-wingedCrossbills along the Litnik River on Afog- nak Island (June 15). These birds were not in flocksbut were scat- tered,in pairsor as individuals,over severalmiles of timber. They werecommon, distributed in the sameway, on KalginIsland (July 28) and in the timber north of TustaminaLake (July 30). W•sx•ma SAVANNA• S•'•tvatow, Passerculus sandwichensLs alaudinus Bonaparte.--Thiswas one of the commonland birdsof the Territory. An effortwas made to collectSavannah Sparrows at frequentintervals along the coast, and in the considerableseries taken, all birds from Juneauto Chignik seemto be nearer to this form. From westof the latter point and throughthe Aleutians,as far as we found Savannah Sparrows,the specimensseem nearer to sandwichensis. AL•U•A• SAVA•NA•I S•'Am•OW, Passerculus sandwichensis sandwich- ensLs(Gmelin).--My birds from SandPoint, ShumaginIslands (June 20), and Morzhovoi Bay (June 21) were closerto this form as were all specimenstaken west of thesepoints. Severalbirds were seenon Metrofania Island but none was collected. It was somewhat of a sur- prise to me to find SavannahSparrows common on Kagamil, Carlisle, and Amukta Islands,all points beyond what I had understoodthe range of the speciesto be. They were particularly numerouson Kagamil. Sl.a•r•e-cot.olteDJuNco, Junco hyemalis hyemalis (Linnaeus).-Juncos were commonabove Kenai Lake (June 12) and among them were 28 z} G,•RIZI•SON,Some Alaskan Notes ['Auk I. April bob-tailed fledglings. They were common in Mt. McKinley Park about patchesof timber (August2-3), at Fairbanks(August 5), and very commonalong all of the RichardsonHighway below timber line (August8-9). OREGONJUNCO, Junco oreganusoreganus (Townsend).--Ten to twelveindividuals were noted about the animal pensof the fur farm near Petersburg (June 4). Wzsrv.P,s Tm•v. SP.•vatow, Spizella arborea ochracea Brewster.--Tree Sparrows,including many newly-fledgedyoung, were commonabout Dillingham (July 18), Naknek (July 22), Iliamna Lake (July 24-26), Mt. McKinley Park (August3), along the SteeseHighway (August 6), andalong the RichardsonHighway (August 8-9). It wasnoted that these,as well as other sparrowsand shorebirds,fed freelyon the dried, last-year'sberries of crowberryand blueberrywith which the tundra wascovered. As the new crop of berriesbegan to ripen the birdsswitched from the dried to the freshdiet with the consequence that everychin had a reddishstain. This was noticedparticularly in birds taken at Iliatuna Lake. GAMBEL'SSPARROW, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall).-- Gambel's Sparrowswere common on the Kenai, the Alaska Penin- sula,and in the interior. The swarmsof sparrowsalong the interior highways,of which this specieswas a large element,reminded me of early Octoberdays in Oregon. GOL•)v.S-CXZOWSV.•)S•,.•vatow, Zonotrichia coronata (Pallas).--These handsomesparrows were commonat or near timber line on the Kenai (June 11-12). They were also numerouson Barren Islands (June 13), Kodiak (June 14-16), and Afognak (June 15). West of Kodiak we saw a few at Chignik (June 19) and four birds on Metrofania (June 19). From here they are not again mentioned in our notes until we reachedthe first patch of willows on Nelson Island where, amongthe other birds in a squarerod or two of brush,we found a single Golden-crownedSparrow. It was also fairly commonabout Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet. EASTERNFOX SP.•RROW,Passerella iliaca iliaca (Merrem).--Eastern Fox Sparrowswere fairly commonat Dillingham (July 17) and about the WoodRiver Lakes(July 18). They werealso in numbersalong the RichardsonHighway south of Fairbanks(August 8). SX-IUMt,GIN Fox SPt,RROW, Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis(Gmelin). --These big sparrowswere fairly commonalthough not so abundant as the Kodiak race. Specimensof this form were collectedat Semidi Islands(June 18), Chignikand MetrofaniaIsland (June 19), Shu- magin Islands (June20), and FalsePass (June 22). Vol.62] GABR•SON,Some Alaskan Notes 285 2944 .J

KODIAKFOX SPARROW, Passerella iliaca insularisRidgway.-Nowhere on the trip wereFox Sparrowsso abundant as on Kodiakand adjacent islandswhere they were the mostconspicuous land bird. Specimens of this race were collected at several localities. VAtS•EZFox SPARROW,Passerella iliaca sinuosaGrinnell.--Fox Spar- rowswere as rare on the Kenai as they were commonon Kodiak and I saw only a singlebird abovetimber line near Kenai Lake (June 12),which I failed to collect. One of thisrace was taken about twenty- five miles north of Valdez on the RichardsonHighway (August9). YAKUTATFox SPARROW,Passerella iliaca annectensRidgway.--Fox Sparrowswere alsoscarce about Yakutat. The only birdsseen were three in the village on June 8. TOWNSENDFox SeARROW,Passerella iliaca townsendi (Audubon).-- A skin presentedto me by J. M. Greany,taken May 23 at Juneau,is of this race. I heard Fox Sparrowssinging in Juneauon June 5 but failed to find them in the open country. LINCOLN'SSeARROW, Melospiza lincolni lincolni (Audubon).--A singlejuvenile bird collectedon the portagetrail betweenIliamna Lake and Cook Inlet providedour only recordfor this species. ALEUTIANSONG SeAm•OW, Melospiza melodia sanaka McGregor.- SongSparrows in the portionsof Alaskawe visitedwere restricted to a narrowbelt almostwithin sightof salt water. They were essentially birdsof the rockybeaches, and the beachdrift and rocksexposed by the recedingtides were their chosenhaunts. I made an effort to collect SongSparrows whenever practicable in orderto havedefinite locality recordsfor the races.All SongSparrows taken from the SemidiIslands westward were of this form. BISCHOF•'SSONG SeARROW, Melospiza melodia insignis Baird.- Specimensreferable to this race were taken at Barren Islands (June 13), Kodiak village (June 14), and Uganik Bay, Kodiak (June 16). In thisarea Song Sparrows were distinctly less numerous than Fox Spar- rows,a conditionthat did not often prevail along the shoreline. K•NAI SoN•SeAm•OW, Melospiza melodia kenaiensis Ridgway.--Song Sparrowswere very scarceon the parts of the Kenai that we visited, and the only representativesof this race taken were obtainedon the Copper River Flats (June 10). YAKUTA•SoN• SeARROW, Melospiza melodia caurina Ridgway.--Only the birds taken at Yakutat Bay are referableto this race. Soo•¾SoN• SeARROW, Melospiza melodia rufina (Bonaparte).--Birds collectedat Little Port Walter (August 13) belongto this form. RusTYSoN• SeARROW,Melospiza melodia morphna Oberholser.-- 286 GABRIELSON,Some Alaskan Notes L['Auk April

Birds taken at PortageBay on June 4 seemto be closerto this form than to any other althoughthey are not typical. Ar•ASX•ALO•4GSVUR, Calcarius lapponicus alascensis Ridgway.--This was one of the speciesthat varied considerablyin abundancefrom one island to the next. It was first seenat Morzhovoi Bay, on June 21, where it was fairly commonin the sand dunesand about Frosty Peak. Then only two birds,both males,were seenon (June25). We did not seethe speciesat all on ChagulakIsland, but on neighboringAmukta (June 25) it was very common,probably exceedingin numbersall other passerinespecies combined. Here Frank Beals found one nest containingfour eggs. Longspurswere commonand in songabout the Atka village (June 26), and on cross- ing the island (June$0) we found it to be the mostabundant small bird on the island. On the part of TanagaIsland coveredon June 27, only threeor four pairsof thisbird werenoted. The specieswas outnumbered by the SongSparrows, Rosy Finches, and the TanagaWrens. I did not seeit on Ogliuga, althoughSnow Buntingsand Rosy Fincheswere present,and the low grassyisland seemed as suitablefor longspurs as otherswhere it was common. On Amchitka (July 28) it again ex- ceededall otherpasserine birds in numbersand it wasalmost equally commonon Carlisleand Kagamil Island (July 1). I did not note the speciesat all on St. Georgealthough it occursthere, while Snow Buntingswere more numerousthan on any other islandvisited and RosyFinches were very common. On St. Paul, the Longspurwas well distributed but in actual numbers it was less abundant than the Rosy Finch. On St. Matthew (July 8) it wasfairly common,but wasgreatly out- numberedon the tundrasby McKay's Snow Bunting and Pribilof Sandpipers.On NunivakIsland (July I0 and 11), the numbersof thisspecies and the SnowBunting were about equal, while on Cape Vancouver,Nelson Island (july 12), it was again the most abundant passerinebird. Pm•xLox•S•4ow BU•4TX•4G, Plectrophenax nivalis townsendi Ridgway. --This was one of the more common land birds of the Aleutians and Pribilofs. In many placesit was the wildestand mostwary of the land birds,whirling up and awayat the slightesthint of danger. This wastrue of both individualsand flockseverywhere except on St. George Islandwhere they were mostabundant and alsovery tame,allowing us to walk to within a few feet as they fed in the grassor among the rocks. We first found the specieson the SemidiIslands (June 18). Vol.6•- I GABRIE•ON,Some Alaskan Notes 287 •944 • '

Notes on its relative abundanceare given in the discussionof the AlaskaLongspur and there is no needof repeatingthem here. McKA¾'SSNow BVNXINa, Plectrophenax hyperboreus Ridgway.--As we approachedthe shore of St. MatthewIsland (July8), homeof this beautifuland rare finch,there was much speculationas to when we would see the first one and how abundantthe specieswould prove to be. Both questionswere soonanswered. There was somesurf running,so we had to hunt for a placeto land. Eventuallywe found a quiet spot betweentwo rockypoints at the edgeof a large snow bankpiled high just above the reach of thetides. AsI jumpedfrom the boat,I hearda sparrow'ssong above my head,and thereon the edgeof the drift satmy first McKay'sSnow Bunting. As we climbed up the low bluff that facedthe seaand got onto the flat tundra,flut- teringwhite specks answered the questionof abundance.There were many of them--sometimesscores--in sight at one time. Thesebirds, like the Pribilof SnowBunting, have a tendencyto fly a considerable distancewhen disturbed. They were, however,less easily frightened. They are veryactive and alert with a nervoustrick of givingthe wings a quick flirt as they hop about,searching for food. This speciesshowed a distinctpreference for the cliffsand beaches rather than the extensivetundra areas. Fully fledgedyoung were on the wing althougha few werestill beingfed by the parents. The next day we landedwell toward the northernend of the island and found the Snowflakescommon but much more widely distributed over the rolling hills than they were in the roughersouth end visited the previousday. The birds were also much more suspiciousand hard to approach,behaving much like the Snow Buntingsof the .

A CORRECTION.--Inthe previousinstallment of this paper (Auk, 61: 125,January, 1944), the SemipalmatedSandpiper (Ereunetes pusillus) was erroneouslyrecorded from . This record should be creditedto the WesternSandpiper (Ereunetes maurii Cabanis). Fish and Wildli[e Service Washington,D.C.