160 Natural History of the Farallones. [ ZOE 
same pair mated year after year. The observation upon the con- 
_ stancy of the color of eggs of a single pair would need confirming 
by competent scientific authority, however, before it could be 
entirely credited. 
As I sat sketching the guillemots on the crest of the rock, their 
curious habit of bowing was repeatedly noticed. The first one in a 
row will deliberately bow his head, perhaps once, or sometimes two 
or three times, followed in turn by each one in the assembly. 
What the purpose of this curious maneuver is I was utterly 
unable to make out. The explanation that naturally suggests itself 
is that it is in some way connected with the courting of the birds, 
although there was really nothing to confirm this view. 
Brandt’s cormorant was also very abundant upon this West End 
ledge, and nested there in largenumbers. Between the eggers and 
the gulls the birds of this section have a hard time of it, however, 
and no young of either the guillemots or Brandt’s cormorant were 
discovered. After securing specimens of the adult of these species, 
together with a stray puffin, we started on our return course, visit- 
ing the rookery of Farallon cormorants on the way. Drawings 
were made of the old birds in various attitudes, and of the young 
in the nest. Plate xix shows a group of the young, with adult in 
the distance. The young are about as ugly specimens as nature 
ever permits, the comparison to a black greasy kid glove being 
especially apt in describing them. They are almost destitute of 
feathers, a little dark fuzz here and there indicating where they will 
eventually appear, while the pin-feathers may have started as dark- 
colored quills. On approaching a nest of young they would open 
their immense mouths and stretch their necks angrily towards the 
intruder, uttering a low, hoarse, plaintive Awa kwa kwa kwa kwa. 
On drawing nearer the cries are louder and very violent, the birds 
squawking loudly. One nest that I observed particularly, contained 
two young, one much larger than the other. As we sat watching 
them ata short distance the older bird was noticed preening and 
caressing the younger with its bill—a notable example of brotherly 
or sisterly affection. When the younger bird was removed and 
transferred to the collecting basket, however, the older one, instead 
of manifesting a decent amount of grief over the loss of its com- 
panion, commenced preening and dressing its own greasy skin in 
the most unconcerned manner imaginable the moment its own safety 
- 
