Proceedings of the United States National Museum

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COM- MANDER ^ISLANDS.

Leonhard

Stejneger

and

Frederic A. Lucas.

(WithPlatesii-iv.)

A.—CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HISTORY OF

PALLAS'

CORMORANT.

BY Leonhard Stejneger,

Curator oftheDepartment of^ReptilesandBatrachians.

About

fortyyears

ago

the

Great Auk

(Plautus impennis) of theNorth- ern Atlantic

became

exterminated. -A vigorous searchhasbeen

made

forit

and

its remains; fabulous

sums have

been paid forskins

and

eggs;

and

monographers,

among whom some

ofthe

most

prominent ornithologists,

have

collected together the

most

minute factsbearing

upon

itshistory,

and

discussedin

extreme

detailthe

number

ofspeci-

mens

extant as well as their individual history,so that the latest accountof this

remarkable

birdfillsaquarto

volume

of quite respect, able dimensions.

There

are

now on

record

about

eighty

mounted

specimens,or skins, seventy eggs,

and

countless bones as beingpre- servedinthevarious

museums

ofthe

Old and

the

New

World.

Within

the

same

periodanotherlargewaterbirdhas

become

extinct inthe

North

Pacific, without havingasyet attracted the attention of the monographers. Itisso rareincollections thatonlyfourspecimens are

known

to exist in

museums,

while

nobody

istheproud possessorof itseggs,

and no

bones

had

been foundorpreserveduntil I

was

sofor- tunate

some

years

ago

astorescue a fewofthem. Yet,thisbird

was

the largest

and handsomest

ofitstribe.

And

so littlehas been

known

of itthat thereisnot yet printed adetailed

and good

description of it.

The

birdwhich hasfared sobadlyis Pallas'sCormorant, or the Spec- tacledCormorant, PhalacrocoraxperspicillatusPall.

I

have

recordedelsewhere(Proc.

U.

S.Nat. Mus.,vi,1883,p. 65,

and

BulletinU.S. Nat. Mus.,No. 29,Res. Orn. Expl. Kamtsch., p.180)

my

reasonsforconsideringthis species extinct

and

the causes

which

led toitsextermination. It

seems

asifthevery causes

which

terminated theexistence oftheGreat

Auk worked

the

same

resultin Pallas's Cor- morant,

and

itiseven probablethatifthelatter,at

some

earlier period,

Proceedings NationalMuseum,Vol. XII, No.765.

84 ON PALLAS' CORMORANT STEJNEGER AND LUCAS.

alsoinhabited the other Aleutian Islands, asis

most

likely,volcanic eruptions

may have

playeda roleiu this

drama

as well as in thatof the

Great Auk.

True, the latter

was

entirelydeprivedofits

power

of flight,butit isevidentboth fromthe

measurements

of theskinsas well asofthoseofthebones,given below,thatthewingsof thiscormorant weredisproportionately small. Stellerspeaksofitsgreatbulkof

body and

itsweight,

which

varied

between

twelve

and

fourteenpounds,* so that

one

single bird

was

sufficientforthree starving

men

ofthe ship-

wrecked

crew.

With

this bulkit

combined

an unusual "stoliditas,"butitis pretty clearthatthisstupidity,

which made them

suchan easyprey,

was due more

to theirslownessoflocomotion

on

land

and

intheairthanto

any

special

temperament

or dullnessofintellect.

The

natives ofBering Island inform

me

thatthe

meat

ofthisspecies

was

particularly palata- ble

compared

with thatofitscongeners,

and

thatconsequently,during thelong winter,

when

other fresh

meat

than that ofthe cormorants

was

unobtainable,it

was

used asfoodin preferenceto

any

other. In brief, allthe circumstances

combined

to

make

short

work

atextermin- ating this bird atitslastrefuge,forthereis

no

evidence thatithas ever been found during ^historical times in

auy

other localitythan

Bering

Island.

The

result

was

that Pallas'sCormorant, which

was

found

by

Steller

and

his shipwrecked

comrades on

that desolate island in 1741,

and which

at that time

—

^{that is,before}

^man

^{ever visited its rocky}

shores

—

^{occurred therein} great numbers, ^"frequenUssimi? as Steller says,

became

extinctinabout a

hundred

years fromitsdiscovery.

The

history of this birdforms

an

interesting parallel to that of thegreat northern sea-cow (Rytinagigas).

Up

^{to1837or1839Steller}

seems

to

have

been the onlynaturalist

who had

seenthisbird, for,although

naming

itin hisZoographia,allPallas

knew

of the species

was

derived fromSteller'sobservations,

whose

de scriptionhe merelyquotes. Itis,then, safe toconcludethatit

was

not

among

the

many

water birds collected

by

Billings's expedition,

which

brought

home

suchrich spoils

from

theKuriles

and

theAleutianIsland, but

which

didnot touch atBering Island. In the above-mentioned year Captain Belcher, withthe Sulphur, visited Sitka,

and was

there presented

by

Kuprianoff, the Bussiau governor, with oneofthespeci-

mens

of this bird in his possession. Thisspecimenisevidentlytheone

now

iutheBritish

Museum,

while theothers

went

to theSt.Petersburg

Academy,

from

which

one

was

again secured

by

the

Leyden Museum.

Although

obtained fromthegovernorinSitka, thereisnothingtoindi- cate

whence came

^{thespecimens;}but

inasmuch

asBering Islandatthat time belongedtothe administrativedistrictof Sitka, at

which

portall thefurswerereceivedfromthat island beforebeing shipped^toEurope,

*Theaveragelengthofwingofadult Ph.perspicillatusis355mm(seetahlebeyon1)

andtheweight12to 14pounds. Compare withthis thefact recordedby

me

(Oni.

Expl.Kamtsch.,p. 186)thatPh.urile,thenearestallyof the presentspecies,weighs only 5 pounds,witha length ofwingof:500mm

.

V

°l889

n

']

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 85

all vessels from Bering Island consequentlyfirst stopping at Sitka, thereiseveryprobabilitythatthespecimensinquestionwerecollected onthat island. This conclusioniscorroborated

by

the

manner

in

which

P. perspicillatus

and

Leucostictegriscogenys arementionedtogether.

So

faras

known,

these are theonlyspecimensiuexistence,viz:

Two

inthe

museum

ofthe Imperial

Academy

ofSciencesin St.Petersburg;

onein the British

Museum, London;

oneinthe"Rijks

Museum/'

Ley- den,Holland.

Severalpicturesof Pallas's

Cormorant have

beenpublished.

A

large colored plate

by

Wolf,fromthe British

Museum

specimen,isin Elliot's Birdsof

North

America, a reduced

wood

engraving copyof which is

giveninthe

Standard

Natural History(orRiversideNaturalHistory), vol. iv, p. 192.

The same

specimen isalso figuredin

two

differentposi- tionsby

Gould

intheZoologyofthe

voyage

ofthe Sulphur,

and

poorly copiediuReichenbach's^"

Natatorum

Novitire." IuSchlegel's "Dieren- tiuin," p.281, thereisa wood-cut, probably taken fromthe

Leyden

speci- men.

According

to Dr.Fiusch (Abh. Natur. Hist. Ver.

Bremen,

in, 1872,p. 20)this species,

undoubtedly

from one of the St.Petersburg specimens, is represented

on

plate V, Fig.4,ofBrandt's u Icon.

A

^v.

Ross,"a

work which was

neverpublished.

Dr.

Theodor

Pleske kindlywrites

me

ⁱⁿ regardto thespecimensin St.Petersburg:

Through

thekindofficesof Dr. PleskeI

have

received fromProfes- sorBrandt'sheirsthatpartof themanuscriptofhisunpublished

mono-

graph oftheCormorants,

which

relatestothespecies, inquestion,with permission to publish it.

The

description isveryfull,

and

beingthe,

only accurate

and

detaileddescription of the speciesItake greatpleas- ureinprintingitinfull. In ordertoavoid

any

errorsI

deem

itbest to publish it in the languagein

which

it

was

originally written. I

have

preceded this description with a*

synonymy which

is thought to be nearly exhaustive.

PhalacrocoraxperspicillatusPall.

1826.—Phalacrocorax perspicillatus Pallas, Zoogr. Ross. As. II, p. 305.—Gould, Zool. Sulphur, p.49, pi. xxxii (1844).—Bonaparte, Cousp. Av. n,p.167 (1855).—Id.,Coinpt. Rend.,1856, xliii,p.—Taczanowski,Orn. Faun.Vert.

Sibir., p.66 (1877).—Id.,Bull. Soc.Zool. France, 1877, p.

41—

Ridgway, Noinencl. N.Am.B.,p.51(1881).—Id.,Man.N.Am.B., p.81(1887;.—Coues, CheckL.andDiet.,p.118(1882).—Id.,Key,2ed.,p.—^{(18— ).—Id.,}Auk,1864, p.144.—Id,Key,3ed.,p.— (18—).— Stejneger,Pr.U.S.Nat.Mus,vi, 1883, p. 65.—Id.,ibid., x, 1887,p. 138.—

M,

Auk.,1884, p.173.—Id.,Oru. Expl.

Kamtsch., pp. 180, 318 (1885).—Id.,Stand. Nat. Hist,, IV,p. 191, Fig. 92 (1885).—Baird, Brewer,

&

Ridgway, WaterB., N.Am.,n., p. 164, tig.

(1884).— A. O. U.Code andCheckL., p.351(1886).

1858.—GraculusperspicillatusLawrence,inBaird, B. N.Am.,p.877(1858).—Schle- Gel, Mus.P.-Bas,Pelec,p.17(1863).—Id.,Dierentuio,p. 281,^fig.(1871).—

Elliot, B.N.Am., pt.

—

,pi.50( ).—Gray,Hand-1.,in,p.127(1871).—

Coues, Key,1ed.,p.304(1872).—Id.,CheckL., p.101(1873).

1850.—GraculusurileReichenbach,Natat. Novit., pi. xvn,Figs.2311and2312{nee Gmel.)(Cf.Bonap.,ConspAv.i,p. 168,andA. B.Meyer,IndexReicheub., p. 44; nonameonthe plate_!)

86 ON PALLAS' CORMORANT — ^{STEJNEGER AND LUCAS.}

Brandt'sdescription,herepublishedforthefirst time,is literally as follows:

DESCRIPTIO.

Carbo perspiciUaUisspecierumgenerisCarbonuinbucusque notorumniaximam sis- terevidetur. Corporiseuim mole Carborem cormoranumsuperat.

Rostruui robustuin,satis altuni,inodiceelongatum,nigrum,apice

summo

albicauti- corueo,basimarginibusquetamencorueo. Cnlmiuisbasissuprarotundata,convexa, mediumsupra subrectum. Culmiuis margiue anteriorissubrectiapex supradertri basinbandproniinens sedangustasutura distiuctum. Culmiuissuperiorfaciesnee non paratonorum atque gnathidiorumapice uncato, acuto, elongato, gonydeni in rostroclausolouge superante. Exteriorfaciesteuuiterperlougitudiuemsubelevato- striata, striistenerisplusminusve parallelis. Dertrumin baseosfaciei superioris lateribus sulcoarcuatosatisprofundo exaratum,infacie lateraliauteui sulcispa- rum distinctis,transversis,obliquis, subparallelis 2 vel tribus iustructum. Gouys subrectaet inmediovix proniinens.

Myxa

apice truncato rotundata.

Frontis anticapars,geuae, regio ophthalmica, spatiuuiangustum poueorisaugu- lnui,mentumetgulae

summum

initium uudacinnabariua, alboetcoeruleovaria ut ingallopavone (Steller). In genispeumebrevissimae, solitariae, sparsae. Oculi annulomeinbranaceo, nudo, elevato, subelliptico, lato,albo,perspicilluniquodam- niodoaemulante,cincti. Interoculi annuluiuet superioremorisangulimarginem calvum spatiumtriangularepennisbrevibusobsessum.*

Alaecomplicatae vixaduropygii posterioreniextremitatemporrigeutes.

Caudaiuverti subspathulata,basiaugustior,epennis 12 composita.

Tarsi promagnitudineadinodumbreves.

Colorin universum ater. Capitis anterior pars cum gulainitioviolaceonitens.

Capitis posteriorpars,collum, pectus, abdomeu, dorsum,crissumet uropygiuui ob- scure vel aureoviridenitentia luceanguloplusminusverectoinobservatoris oculos rerlexaplusminusveobscureviolascentia. Peunaeparapteriietbumeralesnee non tectricesalarum supraesubpurpurascniteviolaceo-nitidae, anguste nigro-margin- atae, rotundatae vel obtuse subacuminatae, apice fere subellipticae. Remiges primariaeettectricesalaruminferiorese subfuscescente nigrae. Remigessecunda- riaeuigrae,limboexteruo plusminusvesubnitidepurpurascenteviolaceae. Cauda cumtectricibusatra,subopaca. Rectricumscapi supra ad apicem usquealbi,mar"

ginibus nigricautibus, apiceautem cum inferiore facie nigri. Frontis posterioris partiset verticispenuaedilatataemedioatraemarginibussubpurpureo-violascente veliuterduiu subvirescente nitidulae in cristamsubtetragonamanticeangustiorem basilatam,suberectam retrorsum spectantem, posticesubtruncatam,3"ferelongam apice 2"latam iusignemelevatae. In occipitispostremaparte et cervicis

summo

crista alia2" louga 24"lata,flabelliformis, basiangustiore pennissatis latis atris marginevirescentibusmediaplus minusve subpurpuresceutibusformata, retrorsum spectans conspicitur. Infrontismedio supraoculos, intemporibuset in lateribus superiorispartis collipennae candidae angustae Iad f lineae latae elongatae,1-3"

lougae,lineares,acutae,feresubsetaceae, subsolitariaesparsae invenieutur,quarum quaeiufrontesuutbieviores,interdumpollicares velpaulo ultra; quasveroincollo observarelicetmultolongiores, 2-3" lougievadunt. Praeterea veroetiamintem- poribusetcollopeuuulaealbaebreves penicilliformes apice tantumradiolatae. In femoribusmacula Candidatriangularisa quovisbypochoudriolateincipienset ad crususque angulo acumiuatioexteusaepennis longis,valde acuminatisapicibus radiolisrarioiibuscomj>ositisformata. Pedesatriunguibusobscurecorneis.

FeminaeStelleroauctoreet cristis etmembrana perspicilliformi,alba oculoslate cingente carent.

PondusStelleroauctore 12-14 librarum.

*Obbancceaunnlumpeculiarem Pallasiusbaud incommodespeciemnostramper- spicillatumnominavit.

VO i889.

11

']

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 87

MeusuraeavisadultaeinMuseoAcadeinicoservatae.

A

rostiiapicead caudae apicem 39"

ad frontem 3" f}'"

ad orisangulum 4" $"'

A

froutiadcaudaebasin 27" 10'"

dorsi initium , 14" 7"

Abalarum angnlo humeali ad remigutn apicem 13" '.'>"'

Caudae longitude... ....^ ?" 5'"

Tarsilotigittido ^ ; 2" 6'"

Longitudodigitiinteruiad unguisbasin t 1" 3'"

secundi 2" V"

tertii 3" V"

quartiseu externi i;. ., 4" ^2"'' i

have

thoughtituseful totabulate the

measurements

given

by

the variousdescribersreducedtomillimeters

:

88 ON PALLAS' CORMORANT STEJNEGER AND LUCAS.

kindsofwaterbirds.

Among

the latter a particularly large pelvis ofa Plialacrocorax atonceattracted

my

attention,

and

as1

bad bad

Pallas's

Cormorant on my mind

sinceIstartedfrom

Washington

1

was

not slow inconcludingthatI

had

to

do

with thebonesofthis bird.

Had

I

had

timetodigout the whole depositIshould probably

have

obtained

more

bones,but with the

above

suspicionIdidas

much

digging

and

collected as

many

birdbonesasthecircumstances

would

allow.

A

fullaccountof this findisgivenby Mr.

Lucas

inhisreport

which

forms theremaining portionof thisarticle.

B.—DESCRIPTION OF SOME BONES OF

PALLAS'

CORMORANT (PHALACRO-

i()RA

X PERSPICILLA

TUS.)

BY Frederic A.Lucas,

AssistantCurator of^theDepartment of Comparative Anatomy.

Dr. Stejneger has very kindly placedin

my hands

fordescriptionthe bones above mentioned.

They

are as follows:

Rostral portion ofcraniuminadvance Right fused metacarpals,very iuiper- of thefrontonasal hinge,withattached

j

feet,

palatines. Threepelves,lackingpubicbones.

Lowermandible.

Rightramusoflowermandible.

Two

nearlycompletesterna.

Rightcoracoid.

Right humerus.

Lefthumerusofanother individual.

Rightulna.

Rightfused metacarpals.

Left femur.

Two

lefttibiae.

Righttibia.

Two

left tarsi.

Secondcervicalverlebra.

Thirdcervicalvertebra.

Ninth(?)cervic.ilvertebra.

The more

importantofthese are figuredonthe

accompanying

plates, all figuresbeingofnaturalsize,

and drawn by

the author.

The

bones,althoughstained,areina

good

state ofpreservation,being butslightlyweathered,

and

allarefrom thoroughly adult iudividuals.

For

thebetter

aud

briefer descriptionof thesebones they

have

been

compared

with thoseof

an

adultPlialacrocorax carbo,

and

theoppor- tunity has been takentotest,to

some

extent, the value ofthe sub- genera Urile

and

Phalacrocorax,

by comparing

at the

same

timethe corresponding bonesof P. urile

and

P. tlilophus.

The

^formerbird is, for the species, large

and

the latter

somewhat

undersized,althoughadult.

The

rostrumofperspicillatiisisnearlyaslongasin carbo,but

much more

slender,

and

is readily distinguished from it

by

the deep,lateral, longitudinalgroovecharacteristic ofthesub-genus Urile.

The

undersurface of therostrumislessgrooved,longitudinally,than thatof carbo

and much

lesssothanthat of ^7*. urile.

The

palatines are aslong asthoseof carbo, anteriorly narrower

and

U.S.NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL.XII PL. II

f,.

L

^'

^m

~\<£*?

Bonesof Pallas'SCormorant-naturalsize. (Page88.)

1.Ventral aspect of rostrum.

•„>.Lateralaspectofrostrum

:!.Rijditramus<>flower mandible, externalaspect.

4.Ri^htramusofLower mandible,internalaspecl

5.Rightmetacarpals

U.S.NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS VOL.XII PL.

W

¹

€ f

ft ^•

Q

9

I

Bonesof Pallas'SCormorant—naturalsize. (Page88.)

1.Leftlateralaspectofpelvis.

-'.Dorsalaspect ofpelvis.

U.S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL.XII PL.IV

Bonesof Pallas'sCormorant—naturalsize. (Page88.i

1.Right coracoid, ventralaspect.

2.Sternum, ventralaspect.

3.Femur,anterioraspect.

4.Tarsus, anterioraspect.

5.Tibia,anterioraspect.

VO i88ft

n']

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 89

posteriorlywider,conforming inpattern very nearlytothose ofurile, whiledilophusresemblescarbo in this respect.

The

trans-palatineangleis

more rounded

thanincarbo,

much more

thaninurile, resemblingin this dilophus.

The

inner portion ofthepost-palatineislessproducedventrallythan incarbo,

and

thepterygoidarticulationwider

and

flatterthanincarbo, the palatinethus lacking thekeelpresentincarbo.

The same

differencesare found

between

the

same

partsofurile

and

dilophus.

The

maxillo-jngalbarisaslongas thatofcarbobut

more

slender.

The

lower

mandible

is slightly shorter

and

decidedly

weaker

than thatofcarbo,

and

the lower mandibleofurile is proportionately still

weaker

than thatof dilophus.

The

dentary portion ofthe mandibleis

more

deeply grooved along theinner surfacethan thatof carbo,being comparatively the

same

as inurile.

The

cuttingedgesofthe mandibleare comparatively straight as in carbo

and

dilophus,buturile differsfromallthree inhavingthemandi- ble distinctlyrecurved.

The sternum

istransverselyflatter than thatofcarbo,being atrifle

more

flattenedeven thanthat ofurile.

The

carinaisalsoshorterthan in urile,butin size

and

general

appearance

the sterna of perspicillatus

and

urileresembleone another veryclosely.

From manubrium

to ineso-xiphoid the

sternum

is13^minshorterthan that of carbo,being exactlyaslongasthatofurile.

The

proportionof carina tototallengthisshorterthan iueithercarbo orurile,the

sternum

fromanterior

end

ofcarina tomeso-xiphoid

meas

uriug2^,nmlessthanthat of carbo

and

4

mm

_{lessthanthatofurile.}

Between

the costal borders the

sternum

is slightlywider thanin eithercarbo orurile.

The

rudimentary

manubrium,

like thatofurile, lies in theplaneof the

body

of the sternum, whileincarbo

and

dilophus the

manubrium

liesintheplaneof.the keel.

Ifalinebe

drawn between

the costal processesitwillbe foundthat thecoracoidarticulatiousprojectless

beyond

thisline

and

form a

more

obtuse angle with one another than they

do

incarbo,

and

the

same

is true ofurileas

compared

withdilophus.

The sternum

isnon-pneumatic, as in urile,but iu carbo

and

dilophus good-sized foramina pierceits dorsal face just

back

oftheridge

formed by

the coracoidal groove.

Itiscertainly interesting to find thesternaof these

two

represent- ativesof the sub-generaPhalacrocorax

and

Urile, respectively,agree- ingwith

one

anotherinthese slight structural poiuts.

Articulations are present for five pairsofribs,the

same number

as in carbo.

One

specimen of urile has four pairs of articulations, anotherhasfive

on

theleftside

and

four

on

theright,

and

dilophushas butfour pairsof costalfacets.

90 ON PALLAS' CORMORANT STE.INEGER AND LUCAS.

The number

of ribs articulatingwiththesternumis,however,subject to slight variation, especially

among

water birds,

and

without anex- tensiveseriesofspecimensit isalittledifficulttobesure ofthe

normal number.

The

coracoidisofthe

same

lengthasthatof carbo,10

mm

_longerthan

inurile; but,while the proximal

end

isbut^littleheavierthanincarbo, the shaft

aud

especiallythedistal

end

are

much more

massive.

The

epicoracoidisprolonged

upward

intoasharper

hook

than in

any

of theotherspecies athand, butthisprocessissubject toconsiderable variationwithageorinvariousindividuals.

One humerus

isalittlelongerthan that of carbo, theotherisofex- actlythe

same

length; both are

much

stouter,especiallyin the proxi-

mal

half.

The humerus

^is practically non-pneumatic, the foramina being very minute, while the

pneumatic

foraminaof carbo,

though

notlarge, are readily seen.

The humerus

of urile differs fromthat of dilophus precisely as that of perspicillatus

from

carbo.

The

ulna is distinguishable from that of carbo only

by

its greater weight,

and

the

same may

besaidof the

humerus

of urileas

compared

with that of ^dilophus.

The

fusedmetacarpalsare slightlyshorter

and

slightlystouterthan in carbo,

and

here again the

same

differences areobservable

between

the metacarpalsofurile

and

dilophus.

The

"sacrum,"as a whole,is aslong as that of carbo,but itscom-

ponent

partsare

more

heavily built.

Itcomprises six presacrals,

two

true sacrals,

and

ninepost-sacrals,

aud

the three"sacra" of perspicillatus agree withone anotherinthese particulars.

Phalacrocorax carbo has six pre-sacrals,

two

true sacrals,

and

nine orten post-sacrals. P.urilehas six, two,eight,

and

dilophussix,two, nine.

The hypapophyses

ofthe anteriorthree vertebras

have

been broken

off,but although the

compressed

centra

are

largerthan in carbo,the

hypapophyses seem

to

have been

smaller.

The

^six presacrals present few salient characters, but the dia.

pophyses

of the fourth vertebras lieat rightangles to the vertebral column, whileinthe three otherspecies the diapophysesof this verte- braare directedforward.

The

sacral

and immediate

post-sacral vertebrasvaryinthe develop-

ment

of theirparapophyses inallfour species

under

consideration.

In all three specimensofperspiciUatusthe

two

true sacralsbear

no

parapophyses, while the

two

succeedingvertebra*

have them

extended to,

and

ankylosedwith,theilium.

The

diapophyses

and parapophyses

of these vertebras areunited

by

a thin plateof bone,butthat thisis

due

toageis

shown by

thecondition obtainingintheotherspecies.

^889."']

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

01

These

latteralso indicate thatthe canalformed

by

theseprocesses, thecentraof their vertebnc,

and

the ilium,islarger onthe right side than ontheleft,

and

thatitis first obliteratedon the left side.

Incarbo neither the sacrals nor the second post-sacral bear para- pophyses, althoughtheseare presentonthefirstpost-sacral,unitingit firmlywith the ilium.

In one

example

of urile, slender, but wellmarked,

parapophyses

connect the

two

sacralswiththe ilia.

Inanother

and much

smallerspecimen the secondsacral hasa para- pohysison theleftside,therebeing

no parapophyses

on thefirstsacral.

Iuboth specimensof urile thefirst,but not the second,postsacral bears parapophyses. Finally,dilophushas strongparapophyses onthe secoudsacralandfirstpost-sacral,but

none

onthesecondpost-sacral.

The

variationinthe sacralregionofthese specimensisnotonly in- terestingiu itself,but interesting from the fact that it isunusualfor parapophysestobe presentat^all

on

the true sacral vertebraeofbirds.

Viewed

from abovethe ridgeformed

by

theconfluent spinous proc- esses of the ^sacrals"iswider than in carbo,

and

the iuterpophysial foraminaare nearly closed, whileincarbotheyareveryopen.

Although

these characters

depend

to

some

extent onage,they

do

not entirely,

and

the

same

differences exist

between

the"sacra"ofurile

and

dilophus asbetweenthose of perspicillatus

and

carbo.

The

pelvisis

much more

rugose than in carbo,allattachmentsfor muscles beingstronglyemphasized.

The

auti-trochanterisplacedfarther

back

thanincarbo,

and

is

much more

rounded, thusaffording

more

play to thefemur.

Just

back

of the anti-trochantertheouter

edge

of theiliumis raised

and

thickened, forming a flat, subtriangular spot about

an

inch iu length.

Thispeculiar flatteningoftheilia,taken in connection withthesize

and

rugosity of the pelvis,is sufficient to distinguish it from that of otherspecies.

The

ilium ofurile has a flattened spot,but proportionately smaller thanin perspicillatus.

Back

ofthisflattenedportionthe dorsal

edge

ofthe iliumisbentout- ward,

making

thispartofthe iliumoutwardly concave,

where

iucarbo itisconvex.

The

postiliaof carbo

and

dilophus

round

gently

outward and down- ward

throughouttheir entireleugth fromtheirjunction with the dia- pophyses.

Viewed

fromthe sidethe dorsal outline of the

"sacrum"

^{is slightly} decurved, whilethat of carboisvery nearly straight,

and

the

same

dif- ference exists

between

urile

and

dilophus.

The acetabulum

is slightlylarger

and

forms

more

nearlya perfect circlethanincarbo.

The

ilioischiaticforamenis subelliptical

and

wide, the longitudiual

92 ON PALLAS' CORMORANT STEJNEGER AND LUCAS.

diameter being nearly twicethevertical, whilein carbothis

foramen

is

more

pointed posteriorly,

and

narrower, the length being

more

than threetimesthe height.

Inconsequenceofthesizeofthisforamen thedistaucefrom thedor- saledgeof the ilium totheventral

edge

oftheischiumis

much

greater thanincarbo.

The

barofthe ischium

bounding

theobturator spaceissharp-edged, rugose,

and concave

exteriorlyon the posterior portion, while thecor- respondingportion oftheischiumincarboiscomparatively

smooth and

slightly

convex

posteriorly.

The

posterior borderoftheischium is straighterthanincarbo

and

the iliopubic articulation one-third shorter.

The femur

is5

mm

longer than thatof carbo, inevery

way much more

massive,

and

withallthemuscular ridges

more

pronounced, whilecuri- ously

enough

it is

more

pneumatic,

having

several foramina in the ventralaspectofthe

neck

that arelackingincarbo.

Thereis nothingto distinguish the

femur

of urilefrom oneofdilo- phusofthe

same

length,

and

ofthe

two

that of dilophusisslightly the heavier.

But

in the specimenofurile in

which

the

humerus

corresponds in length to that of dilophus,the

femur and

tibia are both longer

and

heavier thanin dilophus,

and

thetarsusalittlelighter.

The

phalanges,again, are

more

massivein urilethanindilophus.

The

smallest of the threetibise isslightly longer than thatof carbo, the cnemialcrestis

more expanded, and

thecuemialridges fartherapart anI

more

pronounced.

The

distalextremityofthe tibiaisalso wider thanin carbo,butat itssmallestdiameter theshaftis

no

larger.

The

muscularridges

and

groovesare

more marked

thanincarbo,but in the absenceof

more

material

and making due

allowanceforindivid- ual variation,it isdifficulttopoint outcharacterswhichdefinitelydis- tinguishthetibiaeofthe

two

birds.

The

tarsusisofthe

same

lengthasincarbo,but

much

wider,and,as throughout, withallthe ridges

more

pronounced.

Littlecan besaidconcerning thethree cervical vertebrae,exceptthat unlike the other bones they arelessstrongly builtthan the correspond- ing bouesincarbo.

From

the foregoing notesitwillbeseen that the differences existing

between

correspondingbonesof perspicillatus

and

carbo also exist be-

tween

the

same

bonesofurile

and

dlophus,

and

thatconverselyperspi- cillatus

and

urileagree with one anotheras

do

carbo

and

dilophus.

The

sub genera Phalacrocorax

and

Urile,therefore,

seem

to reston

good

structural foundations, each being characterized

by

internal as well as external characters.

Unfortunately

no

skull of perspicillatusis tobe had, but the crania of carbo

and

dilophusagreewith oneauother,whilediffering strikingly

from

the craniumofurile.

XII,^"1

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 93

From

the

harmony

of theotherpartsit isnot

assuming

too

much

to supposethatthe skull of perspieillatus

would

resemble thatof urile.

With

theexceptionofthe

sternum

the greatersizeof thebonesdis- tinguishesthoseof perspieillatus

from

thoseof urile,whilewell-marked differences of

shape

orproportion exist

between

tlie corresponding bonesof perspieillatus

and

carbo.

P. perspieillatusappearsto

have

been a

much

heavierbirdthancarbo,

and

abird of

weaker

flight; with

more

robust

and

muscularlegs,

and

a

more

slender

and more

feeble

head and

neck.

In

comparing

thefollowing tablesof

measurements

it

must

be said thatthey

do

notadequatelyconvey the impression

produced by

a com- parisonofthe bones themselves. Thus,in tbe

measurements

of the lowermandiblethe greatest verticalwidthiscomparativelyas great as incarbo,but from this point the

ramus

tapers rapidly either

way

so that asa

whole

themandibleis

much weaker

than thatof carbo.

So

toowiththehumerus,

where

the greatest proximal width isonly

2mm

_{greater thanin carbo, although the}

bone

in itsentiretyis

much more

stoutlybuilt.

Measurements(in millimeters) of corresponding ^bonesof Phalacrocoraxperspieillatus, carbo,urile,anddilophus.

[Allmeasurementsareinadirect lineandnot along curves.]

Rostrum

:

Tipofmandibletoextremity of maxillo-jugal bar Maxillo-jugalbar

Tipof mandibletoposteriorend of palatine Widthacrossnasals, atfrontonasalhinge Lowermandible

:

Lengthoframus Greatest height oframus Sternum

:

Anteriorendof carinatonieso-xiphoid Manubriumtomeso-xiphoid Depthof carina

Widthacrossarticulationsoffirstrib Widthacross articulationsof fourthrib (Joracoid

:

Length

Breadth ofsternalarticulation

Greatest distalbreadth Humerus:

Length

Greatest proximalbreadth

Greatest diametermidway betweenextremities.

Greatestdistalbreadth Ulna:

Length

Greatestproximal breadth

Greatestdiameter of shaftmidwaybetweenex- tremities

Pelvis

:

Greatest length of ilium

Fromanteriorborder of iliumtoexternal angle of anti-trochanter^.'.

Greatestwidthofiliainadvanceof acetabuia...

Leastwidth ofiliainadvanceofacetabuia....

Width betweenouterextren.itiesofanti-trochan- ters

Lengthofilio-isehiaticspace

P. perspieil- latus(Na-

tional

94 ON PALLAS CORMORANT STEJNEGER AND LUCAS.

Measurements (in millimeters) of corresponding ^bonesof Phalacroeoraxperspicillatut caroo,urile,anddilophus.

[Allmeasurements:ireindirect lineandnot along curves.]

seum,535).

Pelvis—Continued:

G.eatest widthof ilio-ischiatiespace Fromdorsaledge ofilium,above theilio-ischiatic

foramen, toventral edge of ischium Lengthof iliopubicarticulation Betweenposterior terminationsof ischia Femur:

Length

Greatest proximal width

Greatest diametermidwaybetweenextremities.

Greatestdistalwidth Tibia:

Length

Widthacrosscneraialridges

Widthat distalend ofarticulationwithfibula..

Least transverse diameter ofshaft..."

j

Distalwidth

"Tarsns:^"

Length

Proximaltransversewidth Distalwidth

P. urile ;P.dilophuK (National Museum, 12502).

15+

42 (Natiomi Museum,

18050).