284 



CALIFORNIA BIRD STUDIES 



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Cassin's Auklet in Crevice 

 in the Rocks 



a Cassin's Auklet, beginning 

 his evening liymn in his home 

 under the floor of my room. 

 The second night he seemed to 

 change his tune to a piercing 

 "Let me go; let me go." It 

 required no small amount of 

 self-persuasion to l>elieve that 

 this unearthly sound was a 

 ])ird's voice and consequently 

 interesting if not altogether 

 desirable. 



No such effort was needed to 

 welcome the notes of tlie Rock 

 Wren, the one resident land 

 bird of the Farallones. Against 

 a background of the Murres' 

 harsh squawks and guttural 

 groans, of (lulls' screams and 

 cackles, of Guillemots' shrill 

 whistles, its mockingbird-like 

 song stood out with peculiar 

 charm and sweetness, as the 

 unconscious little musician 

 hopped calmly from rock to 

 rock among its strange com- 

 panions, apparently as much 

 at home as though it were in 

 the quiet seclusion of a Sierra 

 caiion. 



T have spol<on of the AVren 

 as tlic only land bird of the 

 Farallones. At present, I un- 

 derstand this to be true; but 

 at the time of my visit, a pair 

 of Ravens lived about Ai-ch 



