Page:Auk Volume 37-1920.djvu/334

248, New Birds for the Pribilofs. [April

Pribilof Islands are perhaps more favorably situated for intensive biological study than any other place in our Arctic possessions. They lie near the center of Bering Sea where there is a very prolific development of marine life. They are the home of the famous Alaska fur seal and the seat of extensive Government establishments for the care of the skins of these animals. Good facilities exist for field collecting in almost all branches of biology and much detailed study might be done with the equipment and laboratories that are maintained there.

Ornithology is especially interesting in the region because of the enormous numbers of sea birds. Various employees of the Government have given the subject more or less attention and several large collections have been made. Whenever even a comparatively small amount of collecting has been done, some unusual visitors have been discovered. The permanent bird population, comprising breeders and regular migrants, numbers but 35 species, of which 21 have been found nesting, while the migrants and accidental stragglers which have been secured or observed have swelled the list to 129 species, including those reported in this paper. Of this number specimens have been collected of all excepting 6, and the U. S. National Museum contains specimens of all which have been collected excepting one. The stragglers come from all directions, at all seasons, and it appears that the end of the list may not be reached until practically all of the avifauna of Northwestern America and Northeastern Asia shall have been recorded. No less than 13 new records for North America have been made here. Some remarkable and unexpected visitors have landed, such as the northern flicker, Japanese cuckoo, Japanese haw finch, Kamchatkan pine grosbeak, brambling, and Kamchatkan sea eagle.