276 BULLETIN 121, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Egg dates. — Southern Alaska: Twenty-four records, June IG to 

 July 31 ; twelve records, June 29 to July 19. Aleutian Islands : Four 

 records, June 20 to July 4. 



PHALACROCORAX PELAGICUS RESPLENDENS Audubon. 

 BAIRD CORMORANT. 



HABITS. 



The Baird cormorant is clearly distinct, subspecifically at least, from 

 the northern subspecies of Phalacrocorax pelagicus and it has been 

 suggested that it might be even a distinct species. To what extent 

 the northern and southern forms intergrade and what the limits 

 of the respective breeding ranges are I must leave to others to in- 

 vestigate and decide; but for the purposes of this life history I 

 shall assume that the birds which breed from the coast of Washing- 

 ton southward are resplendens. Much of what I have written about 

 the life history of pelagicus would apply equally well to the smaller 

 southern form, so I will not repeat it. 



Nesting. — The nesting habits of the Baird cormorant are shnilar to 

 those of the pelagic, but very different from those of its neighbors 

 on the California coast, the Farallon and Brandt cormorants. The 

 latter two are almost absurdly tame, whereas Baird is very shy 

 about its breeding grounds. The two larger species breed in large 

 colonies and build their nests on the flat tops of the rocky islands 

 or on the broader and more accessible ledges, whereas the slim, little 

 Baird cormorant almost always builds its nest on the narrowest and 

 most inaccessible, little shelves or crannies on the face of some steep, 

 rocky cliff, usually breeding in small scattered groups or singly. 

 The Baird cormorant also uses no sticks in the construction of its 

 nest. 



Prof. Lynds Jones (1908) gives the following account of the nest- 

 ing habits of the Baird cormorant on Carroll Islet, off the coast of 

 Washingtoii : 



The nesting places of this cormorant were small ledges or grottoes in preci- 

 pices. Therefore the most of them were nesting on the ocean side of the 

 island, and at various elevations. Nests were usually placed not nearer to- 

 gether than several feet, possibly because of the character of the rock face. 

 The birds were uniformly more timid than the white-crested. Their single 

 barklike cry was not often heard, even when they were disturbed or fright- 

 ened. 



None of the nects exn mined contained sticks, but were wholly composed 

 of dry grass, with occasionally a few feathers in the lining. All of the nest 

 except the outside was clean, but the outside was characteristically covered with 

 lime, and the rocks below the nest for many feet were white with the same 

 substance. In fact, the nesting places of these bii'ds could be discerned at 

 considerable distances by the white streaking of the dark gray rocks. All along 



