926 



Till'. IMCEOX GUILLEMOT. 



On the whole, liowevcr. I am iiichiied to consider them strictly monogamous, — 

 at least in the a\ian sense, w hieli takes aceonnt of only one season. Sportive 

 l)uisuit often takes place in the water, and the I'apiilit) witli which these birds 

 can ai)])ear and di--a] [lear at the surface wmild he instrncti\e to the aspirants 

 of the old swinmiini; hole. 



A cock-light between ri\al suiturs is ;ipt to be (luite a spirited atiair. .\s 



they face each oihei- npun the surface of the water, the combatants hold their 



^ tails, inconspicuous at other times, 



bi>ll upright : .and this, with their 

 o]jen mandililes disclosing a bright 

 red mouth and throat, gives the 

 birds a somewhat fi iiinitlable ap- 

 ])earance. The actual scrimmage, 

 however, is likely to take place 

 beneath the water rather than up- 

 1 in it : and the onlooker has no 

 means of guessing the battle's 

 l)rogress till the weaker bird 

 bursts fnnn the water like a riv- 

 ing tish, and so b\- change of 

 scene gains a momentarv advan- 

 tage of his pursuer, or owns tie- 

 feat outright. 



l)uring a recounoissance among 

 the S.in Juan Islands conducted 

 in June. 1903, some Guillemot 

 eggs were found in quite open 

 situations n|)on ledges and the 

 like: and this, fmni the heavy 

 coloration of the egg, one woukl 

 lake to be the 1\])ical or original 

 custom; bnl in the maiority of 

 cases i-etirement seems to be 

 uppermost consideration in the 

 bird's mind. Crannies, otTering 

 at least some shelter, were most 

 frerpiently chosen. .\n abrupt 

 sea-wall of conglomerate, frnm wliicb one of the larger, rounded, constituent 

 boulders had fallen, afforded an ideal niche for one pair of l)irds. .A.nother 

 bird attempted a cunning sandstone chamber on a Destruction Island reef, but 

 evidently found the narrow entrance inconvenient for an expectant mother, 



Taken on the l'/illi(imsan Rocks. Plwto by the .Uilhor. 

 PIGKON C.UII.I.K.MOT'S KGCS. 



since she called one egg a "set. 



lie eggs s 



hown in the illustration are four 



