THE BIRD BOOK 



20. Least Auk let. Aethia pusilla. 



Range. — North Pacific on the islands and coast 

 of Alaska. This is the smallest of the Auklets; 

 length 6.5 in. This species has no crest, but has 

 the slender white plumes extending back from 

 the eye. The entire under parts are white sparse- 

 ly spotted with dusky. This species is by far the 

 most abundant of the water birds of the extreme 

 Northwest, and thousands of them, accompanied 

 by the two preceding species, nest on the rocky 

 cliffs of the islands of Bering Sea. Their nesting 

 habits are the same as those of the other Auk- 

 lets, they placing their single white egg on the 

 bare rocks, in crevices on the cliffs. Size 1.55 x 

 1.10. Data.— Pribilof Is., Alaska, June 8, 1897. 

 Single egg laid in crevice. Thousands breeding 

 on the island. 



While 



21. 



Ancient Murrelet. 

 antiqittt.s. 



Synthliboramphus 



i.( 



Range. — Pacific Coast, breeding from the bord- 

 er of the United States, northward, and wintering 

 south to southern California. 



"V 



v 



m 4 | -*-* ■ 



*« 



:~t Auklet 

 Ancient Murrelet 



Marbled Murrelet 

 The Murrelets have no crests or 

 plumes and the bills are more slen- 

 der than the Auklets and are not 

 highly colored. The ancient Mur- 

 relet or Black-throated Murrelet, 

 as it is also called, has a gray 

 back, white under parts and a 

 black head and throat, with a broad 

 white stripe back of the eye and 

 another formed by the white on 

 the breast extending up on the side 

 of the neck. They breed abund- 

 antly on the islands in Bering Sea, 

 laying one or two eggs at the end 

 of burrows in the banks or on the 

 ground, and in some localities in crevices on the cliffs. The eggs are a huffy 

 white color and are faintly marked with light brown, some of these being in 

 the shape of spots and others lengthened. Siae 2.40 x 1.40. Data.— Sanak Is- 

 lands, July 1, 1894. Two eggs on the ground under a tuft of grass and in a 

 .slight excavation lined with fine grass. 



26 



Buff 



