SAGMATORRHINA LATHAMI.
LA THAM’S G U I L LEMOT.
SAGMATORRHINA LATHAMI. Bonp. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1851,) p. 202.
SAGMATORRHINA LABRADORIA. Cass. B. of N . Am. p. 904.
This curious bird, the largest of the particular group it represents, is an inhabitant of our Northwestern, coast, and the single specimen
as yet obtained, is in the collection of the British Museum.
The Prince of Musignano, in his paper published in. the Zoological proceedings above quoted, says of this bird, that “ It is the largest
species of the svLb-femily, which is. well known to contain the dwarfe of the water-birds; it is one-third larger than Ceralorrhina
Monocemta, of which it has precisely the coloring, wanting only, (at least in the state we have it) the little white feathers above the
eye and at*the corners of the mouth. The proportion of wings, tail, feet aud toes are the same; the bill and toes must have been
reddish, the cere and membrane black. Like the Ceratorrhina, it seems to be confined to the Northwestern Arctic regions of America,
and we are led to believe it does not extend to the Siberian shores, from the circumstance of its not having been noticed by
Russian naturalists.”
It is not at all improbable that the present specimen is immature, from the absence of any hair-like feathers about the head, so
characteristic of many members of this family, as well as the exhibition o f a few white feathers upon the sides and lower part of the
abdomen, as shown in the plate, which would seem to indicate that, like its ally, the 0. Monocerata, the lower parts would be white
in the adult.
Below is a life-size representation o f the head of an immature specimen, received lately by the Smithsonian Institution, from the
island of Kodiak, Alaska Territory, which is considered to belong to this species. I am indebted to the Secretaries for the privilege of
introducing it here.