T able IX.
List of Birds detected on the North Georgian Islands and adjoining Seas, lat. 73° to 75° N„
on Sir Edward Parry's first Voyage.
Strigidje. Strix nyctea.
F ringillid* . Emberiza nivalis.-
Corvid* . Corvus corax.
H irundinid* . Species ignota.
Caprimulgid* . Caprimulgns Americanus.
T etraonid* ., Tetrad rupestris,
G rallatores. Calidris arenaria, Charadrius pluvialis, Ch. semipalmata, Strepsilas collaris,
Tringa variabilis, Tr. cinerea, Tr. maritima, Numenins borealis ? Phalaropus fulicarius.
N atatores. Sterna arctica, Laras glaucus, L. argentatos, L. leucopterus, L. eburneus, L.
tridactylus, L. Sabinii, Lestris pomarinus, L. parasitica, Procellaria glacialis, Uria
Brunnichii, U. grylle, U. alle, Colymbus septentrionalis.—(A natid.e .) Anas cygnus,
A. bernicla, A. spectabilis, A. mollissima, A. glacialis.------34 in all.
All these birds are migratory, arriving on Melville Island in May, and departing
with their young broods in October. A sailor, who was walking in the month
of February near the ships, saw what he described as a large white bird, flying
near the ground. “ If it were a bird,” says Captain Sabine, “ it was most
probably a Strix nyctea; but neither this nor any other individual was observed
before or afterwards, until the general arrival in May; and as scarcely a day
passed afterwards in which birds of this species were not seen, it seems reasonable
to conclude that this solitary and somewhat uncertain instance does not
justify an exception to the above general remark.” This table may be compared
with the list of Greenland birds given below*.
* List of Greenland Birds.—(Captain Sabine.)
F alconid2E. Falco albicilla, F. islandicus, F. peregrinus, F. tinnunculus.
Stb ig id ie. Strix nyctea, St. asio.
STtviADiE. Sylvia oenantbe, Parus bicolor.
Fringillid;e. Emberiza nivalis, Fringilla Lapponica, F. Linaria.
Corvidae. Corvus corax.
T etraon G id.®. Tetrao lagopus. . rallatores. Charadrius hiaticula, Ch. pluvialis, Ardea cinerea, Tonga cinerea, Tr. maritima, Tr. alpina, Tr.
interpres, Scolopai gallinago, Sc. Lapponica, Phalaropus hyperboreus, Ph. platyrhynchus. J
Natatores. Sterna hirundo, Larus marinus, L. glaucus, L. argentatus, L. eburneus, L. tridactylus, L. Satami,
Lestris parasiticus, Procellaria glacialis, Pr. puffinus, Alca impennis, A. torda, A. arctica, A. alle, Uria Brun-
nichii U. grylle, Colymbus glacialis, C. septentrionalis, Pelecanus carbo, P.graculus, P.Bassanus.—(A n a tid ä .)
Mergus merganser, M. serrator, Anas anser, A. bernicla, A. spectabilis, A. mollissima, A. boschas, A. clangula,
A. hyemalis, A. histrionica.------In all 55 species.
Table X.
Comparative View of the number of Species in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, on the
Banks of the Saskatchewan, in the 64th parallel, in the Arctic Islands, and in the Fur
Countries in general.
Resident, and of course breeding
Philad.
Lat. 40° 44
Saskatch.
Lat. 54°. 24
64thIn p athraellel.
16
ILslaatn. d7s4.°
0
FuInr Cgeonuenrtarli.es
40
Migratory, that summer or breed 60 117 87 34 198
„ that winter only 71 1 0 0 0
,, that pass in spring or autumn 55 37 10 0 0
„ doubt if they breed or pass merely 0 8 0 0 0
Accidental visiters 51 2 0 0 0
281 189 113 34 238
This summary shews, that the number of species whieh are known to rear their young on the banks of the Saskatchewan amount to 141, while there
are only 104 species enumerated as breeding in the vicinity of Philadelphia,
where ornithology has been so much more thoroughly investigated. It also
appears that as great a variety of birds breed in the 64th parallel as in the
40th. The number of species that arrive from the north merely to winter in
Pennsylvania exceeds those that come from the south to breed there; while
the birds that simply pass on their way to the north nearly equal the latter. The
resident birds diminish gradually as the latitude increases.
Table XI.
List of Species common to the Old World and to the Fur Countries.
F alconid* . Aquila chrysaeta, A. (Halisebtus) leucocephala, A. (Pandion) haliseeta, Falco
peregrinus, F. islandicus, F. sesalon, Accipiter (Astur) palumbarius, Buteo vulgaris,
B. lagopus, B. (Circus) cyaneus.
S trigid* . Strix otus, St. brachyota, St. nebulosa, St. nyctea, St. funerea, St. Tengmalmi.
SvLviAm:. Parus atricapillus, Anthus aquaticus.
A mpelid* . Bombycilla garrula.
F ringillid* . Alauda calandra? A. cornuta, Emberiza (Piectrophanes) nivalis, E. (Pi.)
Lapponica, Pyrrhula (Corythus) enucleator, Linaria minor.
Corvid*. Corvus corax, C. corone, C. pica.