130 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 7-No. 17 



the nests contained two eggs, the remain- 

 der but a single one, the birds having evi- 

 dently just begun to lay. Almost all the 

 grease wood bushes on the island con- 

 tained a nest of the Great Blue Heron, 

 but very few of these had commenced to 

 lay yet. I was determined to pay these 

 islands several visits in the near future, 

 looking at them as perfect oological bonan- 

 zas from a collector's standpoint. I brought 

 away but comparatively few eggs, but some 

 of the members of the party having more 

 faith in their gastronomic qualities than 

 myself, loaded themselves down with as 

 man}- as thej' could conveniently carry, 

 hoping thereby to add an extra course con- 

 sisting of a fine "omelet au naturel" to 

 our prospective supper of broiled Teal 

 Duck and Swan chowder. The said ome- 

 let was dulj' and artistically prepared, but, 

 alas ! it was not a success. As I did not 

 taste the dish I cannot describe its partic- 

 ular flavor, but I well remember the re- 

 mark made to me by our chef de cuisine : 

 " Captain, I don't hanker after any more 

 Pelican egg om'let ; you can take all the 

 rest of the eggs, they taste too fishy ; if I 

 have to eat iish I prefer to take them 

 straight." 



April 22d, I made another trip to Mal- 

 heur Lake, and remained there till the 

 28th, exploring in the meantime all the 

 islands and the southern shores of the lake 

 thoroughly. On this and subsequent visits 

 I could, with little trouble, have loaded a 

 wagon with eggs, I found them so plenty, 

 that literally every foot of ground down 

 to the water's edge was covere.l with nests. 

 Each of these contained generally two 

 eggs, although three and four to a nest were 

 by no means rare, and occasionally I found 

 as many as five, all evidently laid by 

 the same bird. Two eggs seems to be the 

 usual number laid, however. These are 

 dull, chalky white ru color, rough to the 

 touch, caused by a calcareous deposit on 

 them, and always more or less blood 

 stained. In some specimens the white 



ground color was nearly hidden so they 

 looked almost a chocolate brown. The 

 shell of these eggs, thick as it is, ajid par- 

 ticularly if the eggs have been washed, is 

 very brittle, soft and easily broken. Their 

 average size is about 3.45 X 2.30 in- 

 ches. Measurements of a few selected 

 specimens are as follows: 4.08 X 2.15, 

 4.04x2.20, 4.01x2.19, 3.99x2.20, 3.72 X 

 2.40. 3.86x2.55, 3.87x2.32, 3.62x2.40, 

 .3.60x2.40, 3.57x2.35, 3.20x2.51, 3.17X 

 2.23, 3.20x2.21; two rant eggs, 2.69 X 

 1.88 and 2.46 X 1-73. As will be seen there 

 is considerable variation, but it must also 

 be remembered that these eggs were selected 

 out of several thousand. The various dis- 

 crepancies in the plumage of these birds 

 at different periods of the year is now well 

 understood. On being disturbed at their 

 lireeding places they would quietly fly out 

 a short distance into the lake and remain 

 there imtil the intruders had left or hidden 

 themselves. A protracted stay on the 

 islands was anj'thing but pleasant, the 

 whole place being alive with fleas, and the 

 stench from decaying fish was almost un- 

 bearable. The young, none of which 

 seemed to be more than a week or so old, 

 were perfectly naked, not a sign of a feather 

 being visible, and they certainly could not 

 be called attractive creatures. Eggs placed 

 under a domestic hen hatched in twenty- 

 nine dsiys, and the injured and disgusted 

 look of that poor bird at the result of her 

 lengthy and protracted setting haiiuts me 

 still. Although awkward on the laud, these 

 birds are by no means ungraceful on the 

 water as well as on the wing, and they pre- 

 sent a pretty sight coming and going in 

 long single files from their breeding places. 

 They are a sedate and silent bird, showing 

 a great deal of tact and good sense com- 

 bined with considerable activity on their 

 fishing excursions. It has been my good 

 fortune to observe them closely while so 

 engaged. Some twelve miles to the south- 

 west of the islands where they breed is 

 their principal and favorite fishing ground. 



