64 



THE OSPREY. 



ANCIENT MrRREI.KTS. 



We made 'skins' of the dead birds, and thus no time 

 was lost in securing specimens. We found later that 

 our guns were not needed to secure specimens of most 

 of the island species. 



I sat around the campfire late that night listening 



to the queer 

 Indian le- 

 gends the 

 boys told of 

 the Island. 

 The still 

 night air 

 was reso- 

 nant with 

 bird notes 

 and the flap 

 of m a n \- 

 wings as 

 dark, spec- 

 tre-like fig- 

 ures passed 

 about the 

 burning 

 logs. We re- 

 mained but 

 ten days on 

 the island, but the novelties and (|ueer sensations that 

 were crowded into that short space of time would 

 make ample material for a book. 



The rookery is divided into three islands. The 

 largest one on which we camped was mountainous 

 and heavily timbered ; it was occupied chiefly by 

 Cilaucous-winged Gulls, Violet-green and White- 

 crested Cormorants, Tufted and Horned Puffins, 

 Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auks, Pigeon and California 

 Guillemots. The south island was low and rocky 

 and covered with bushes, and chiefly occupied by 

 Leaches' and Fork-tailed Petrels ; while on the north 

 island the handsome little Ancient Murrelets had 

 taken up their abode. The Gulls and Tufted Puffins 

 were scattered more or less over the three islands, 

 as also appeared to be the case with the Black Oys- 

 tercatchers. 



Pufiins were the most conspicuous birds of the 

 place, we met them first at sea about fifteen miles 

 from the island — great rafts of them rising from the 

 water at our approach. As we neared the island the 

 commotion disturbed those on shore and they liter- 

 ally poured from the crevices in the rocks and circled 

 around in a dense cloud like a swarm of bees about a 

 hive. The two species appeared to be keeping quite 

 by themselves, the black Tufted Puflins coming from 

 holes in the soil at the top of the cliffs and flying at 

 quite an elevation, while the White-crested Horned 

 Pufiins could be seen emerging from the rocks and 

 skimming along closer to the water. 



During the middle of June I found fresh eggs of 

 both species. The Horned Puffins were numerous 



but their eggs were difficult to obtain as they were 

 invariably placed far back in the narrow cracks in 

 the face of a cliff. Like most of the sea birds both 

 sexes assist in incubation, and are close setters — a 

 great amount of probing with a long stick being 

 necessary to dislodge them. The Tufted Puffins were 

 constantly in sight, flying about in a most foolish 

 way, their little white eyes and ungainly red bill only 

 adding to their stupidity They scratched their holes 

 about the island wherever sufficient soil was to be 

 found. A grassy hillside is a favorite retreat and 

 here it is dangerous to travel about on account of the 

 birds that were constanth coming blindly out of their 

 dark habitations with a force liable to upset one if 

 fairly struck by the flying birds. When specimens 

 were wanted the birds generally could be killed with 

 clubs at such a place, or captured easily with snares 

 set over their holes during the night. We used the 

 eggs largely for eating purposes and found them ex- 

 cellent. 



f)n top of the hills in the thick woods the Auks 

 had taken up their abode. Little beaten paths were 

 found leading out in all directions in the underbrush 

 to suitable places for the birds to take flight. The 

 Cassin's Auks were found in greater numbers at the 

 southern end of the large island where their long, 

 winding burrows completely honeycombed the hill- 

 tops. .At the time of my visit their eggs had all 

 hatched and the old birds and young were found in 

 the holes during the day, coming out only at night, 

 when their incessant chatterings from every rock 

 and crevice could be heard above the din of bird 



TUFTEn PtIFFIN ON THE Hir.LSIDE. 



notes that fill the air all night long On clear nights 

 auks, puffins and petrels could be seen going and 

 coming in constant streams, and crossing each other's 

 flight like a swarm of mosquitoes On a foggy night 

 the campfire was a great attraction to them ; they 



