NO. 32 BIRDS OF ALEUTIAN ISLANDS — BENT 7 



million ; their numbers were beyond our power to even estimate. As 

 we approached near enough to disturb them, they came sweeping 

 down the slopes in great clouds so thickly that it seemed as if we 

 would be swept off our feet by the rushing tide of birds ; in their 

 haste to escape as they scrambled off their n^ests they sent a shower 

 of eggs rolling down the slopes to be smashed against the first rock 

 they struck ; and many of the birds bounded helplessly along over 

 the rocks and stones in their frantic efforts to rise ; it was an easy 

 matter to knock them over with sticks or even catch them in our 

 hands. When once well a-wing they would circle about the rocks in 

 bewildering clouds, a steady stream of swiftly flying birds ; and off 

 at sea great rafts of them could be seen sitting on the water. Practi- 

 cally all of the birds in this colony were Pallas's Murres. Their 

 eggs were thickly scattered all over the rocks in close rows along 

 the ledges, in every available hollow, nook or crevice big enough to 

 hold an egg and in dense masses, as close as the birds could sit, on 

 the flat spaces and on the sandy slopes. Even at this late date most 

 of the eggs were fresh or nearly so and no young birds were seen. 



Toward night, from about 5 p. m. until sunset, the population of 

 the already overcrowded island was still further increased by flocks 

 of Murres constantly coming in from the sea, sometimes in small 

 compact flocks of regular formation but more often in loose strag- 

 gling parties. Without any apparent cause a cloud of birds would 

 occasionally sweep down from the cliffs, circle about the rocks a few 

 times and then settle down. 



STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS 



Parasitic Jaeger 

 Onlv a few of these birds were seen about the harbors, particuiarly 

 at Kiska where they were feeding among the gulls. They were in 

 the dark phase of plumage, plain slate gray. On the inland tundra 

 on Kiska Lsland I saw one of these Jaegers flying about some small 

 ponds where they are fond of alighting and standing for some time 

 on some prominent little hummock, from which a good outlook is 

 obtainable ; at such times they are shy and difficult to approach. 



RISSA TRIDACTYLA POLLICARIS 

 Pacific Kittiwake 

 We saw quite a number of Kittiwakes between l^nimak Pass and 

 Unalaska, but as they were all in the distance it was impossible to 

 say whether they were of this or the following species. Elsewhere 

 among the Aleutian Islands they seemed to be very rare or entirely 

 absent. 



