134 



THE OSPREY. 



to take us out to the Rock by boat. The follow- 

 ing' morning we drove twelve miles up the 

 beach where our boat was l<> meet us, and soon 

 we were all aboard and off for the rock. 



Landing on the rock is hazardous, especially 

 for those who are not accustomed to such work, 

 but it was successfully made and one of the sea- 

 men took the boat out and away From the rock 

 to keep it from being battered to pieces. Thou- 

 ands of Gulls, Terns, Tutted Puffins ami Cor- 

 morants filled the air as we approached and 

 landed, and soon, after a tortuous climb, we 

 found ourselves on the summit of Otter Rock. 

 There the rocks were covered in places with sea 

 weed, and we found slight depressions showing 

 where many nests had been but were then 

 vacant. Many young Gulls, only a few days 



often beyond the reach, and in places where it is 

 impossible to get. The eggs are plain dirty 

 white, and measure 2.86 x 1.90. 



The Violet-green Cormorant nested on the 

 sides of the perpendicular rock, on projecting 

 shelves just wide enough to hold some weeds, 

 grass and the eggs. As Mr. Hretherton desired 

 a few sets of the eggs, he was again lowered, 

 and secured two sets; one of five eggs, an un- 

 usually large set. and one of four eggs. While 

 he was making the descent, I took the photo, in 

 which you see him about twenty-five feet down 

 and reaching for a set. 



The Pigeon Guillemot and Oyster Catcher 

 also nest there but no eggs of these birds were 

 secured on Otter Rock, although on the home- 

 ward trip the seaman secured a single egg of the 



P^Jj^ 'i% 



COLLECTING EGGS OF THE VIOLET GREEN CORMORANT. OTTEH ROCK. 



old, were found, as well as many sets of three 

 eggs in which rncubation was far advanced. 

 The Western Gull and Glaucous Winged Gull 

 breed there; their nests lire simple depressions 

 in the sea weeds in which their three eggs are 

 deposited. The average size of a set of the 

 former is 2.SS x 1.86 and they are of a light 

 grayish olive ground color, blotched and speckled 

 with dark and light shades of brown and lilac, 

 some of the spots appearing to be beneath the 

 surface. 



The odd and grotesque appearing Tufted 

 Puffin or Sea Parrot breeds on Otter Rock and 

 although we saw many of the birds, only one 

 set, which consisted of a single egg, was taken. 

 These birds nest in the deep crevices of the rock, 



latter for me. The color of the egg was drab, 

 blotched and speckled, chiefly at the larger end, 

 with dark brown. The egg - was only slightly 

 narrowed to a smaller point at one end, and its 

 measurements were 2.20 x 1.42. Time was fast 

 Hying and the roar of the incoming tide warned 

 us that we must leave, so climbing down to the 

 lower portion of the rock, we were soon aboard 

 the boat with our specimens which, although 

 few in number, were highly prized because of 

 the effort it cost to secure them. I suceeded in 

 git t ing several tine specimens each of the Gulls, 

 I lyster Catchers. Murre, Puffins, Murrelets and, 

 Cormorants, and have them mounted in my col- 

 lection. 



