AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINS 



21 



CRESTED AUKLET 

 iEthia cristatella (Pallas) 



A (I. r. Number iS 



Other Names. — Snub-nosed Auklet. or Auk : Dusky 

 Auklet : Crested Stariki ; Sea Quail ; Kanooska. 



General Description. — Length, 9 inches. Color 

 above, brownish-black: below, brownish-gray. Bill, 

 shorter than head, with knob at base: a beautiful crest 

 of from 12 to 20 slender black plumes springing from 

 forehead, recurved gracefully over bill, about two inches 

 long; a slender series of white filaments behind each 

 eye. drooping downward and backward. 



Color. — Adults: Brownisli-black above, brownish- 

 gray below : no white anywliere : bill, coral or orange, 

 horn color at tip; feet, bluish-black; iris, white. Young: 

 Lacking bill plates, crests, and white filaments on side 

 of head; a white spot below eye; iris, brown; otherwise 

 as in adults. 



Distribution. — Coasts and islands of Bering Sea 

 and north Pacific, from Bering Strait south to Kodiak 

 Island and Japan. 



This is essentially a sea-bird of the far North, 

 its normal habitat being the north Pacific Ocean 

 and the islands of Bering Sea. In Yukon Harbor 

 they have been seen in myriads. Their ajipear- 

 ance there is thus described by Dr. Charles Town- 

 send in a leaflet prepared for the National .Asso- 

 ciation of Audubon Societies: 



" The surface of the water was covered with 

 them, and the air was filled with them. Large, 

 compact flocks launched themselves into the air 

 from the lofty cliffs, and careened toward the 

 vessel with great speed and whirring of wings. 

 Twilight did not come until after 9 o'clock, and 

 during the long evening the birds were amazingly 

 active. Flocks of them continued to come in 

 rapid succession from the cliffs, many passing 

 close to the ship at high speed and s\\ inging about 

 the harbor. After the anchor was drop[>ed near 

 the cliffs, a loud blast of the whistle made the 

 .Auklets still more abundant. 



" These birds appeared to be nesting chietly in 

 crevices in the cliffs, although they Cduld be 

 heard under the boulders near the beaches. To 

 discover the nesting localities is easy. One has 

 but to walk along the great ridges of vulcanic 

 stones thrown up by the sea. The stones are 

 rounded and sea-worn like pebbles, but they are 

 gigantic pebbles and cannot readily be moved. 

 The Auklets go far down among them, ])erhaps 

 three or four feet, and can be he;ir(l chattering 

 there during any part of the nesting-season. We 

 found that a considerable part of the food of this 

 and (ither kinfls of .\uklets consisted of amiihipod 

 crustaceans, or beach-fleas, as they are called, 

 when found under bits of seaweed along the 

 shore. The native .\leuts eat .\uklets, just as 



they do most other kinds of sea-birds and caji- 

 ture them with nets that are like a large dip-net 

 w ith a long handle. 



1 



Drawing by R. I. Br.i5!u-r 



CRESTED AUKLET 1 ; nat. size) 

 A strangely ornamented bird 



" We need not concern mn-sel\es. 1 think, about 

 the preservation of the .\ukk-ts. They dwell 

 .among the high cliffs :nul the botdder-strewn 

 beaches of a thuusand uninh;ibited islands, and 

 know how to slow aw.iy their eggs so s.afcly that 

 neither natives nor bhu- fo.xes can get them 

 easily." 



