AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINS 



27 



above a big colony where we could watch the 

 ordinary run of life and not disturb the birds in 

 any wav. When a Alurre arrived from the 

 fishing grounds, he alighted on the outer edge 

 of the shelf. Then, like a man in a Fourth of 

 July crowd, he looked for an opening in the 

 dense front ranks. Seeing none, he boldly 

 squeezed in, pushing and sho\ing to right and 

 left. The neighbors resented such behavior and 

 squawked and pecked at the new arrival. But 

 he pressed on amid much opposition and com- 



plaint until he reached his mate. They changed 

 places and he took up his vigil on the egg. The 

 mate, upon leaving the colony, instead of taking 

 flight from where she stood, went through the 

 former proceeding, often knocking over several 

 neighbors who protested vigorously, jabbing at 

 the parting sister. Arriving at the edge of the 

 ledge, she dropped off into space. The contin- 

 uous going and coming made an interesting per- 

 formance for the onlooker. 



William L. Finley. 



Photo by W. L. Finley and H. X. Bohlni.iii 



CALIFORNIA MURRES 

 Off Oregon coast on Three Arch Rocks Reservation 



BRUNNICH'S MURRE 

 Uria lomvia lomvia {Liinunis) 



A. O. U. Xumber 31 See Color Plate 3 



Other Names. — Franks' Guillemot ; Tliick-hilled 

 Giiilk'iiint : 'ihick-billed Murre ; Briinuich's Guillemot; 

 Polar Guillemot; E^K-bird. 



General Description. — Length, i,S inches. Similar 

 to common Murre in plumages and changes, but crown 

 darker in contrast with throat and sides of neck; hilt, 

 shorter and stimtcr with cutting edge of upper jaw 

 flesh-colored. 



Nest and Eggs. — Indistinguishable from those of the 

 Murre. 



Distribution. — Coasts and islands of north .-\tlantic ; 

 breeds from southern Ellesniere Land, and northern 

 Greeidand to Hudson Bay and Gulf of St. Lawrence: 

 resident in Greenland and Hudson Bay; south rarely in 

 winter from Maine to South Carolina, and in interior 

 to northern Ohio, central Indiana and central Iowa. 



