NO. ;^2 BIRDS OF ALEUTIAN ISLANDS BEXT 2/ 



FULMARUS RODGERSI 



Rodgers's Fulmar 

 The Fulmars of the northern islands of Bering Sea are supposed 

 to be of this species while those about the Aleutian Islands are sup- 

 posed to be the Pacific Fulmar. There is so much individual varia- 

 tion in Fulmars that the careful study of a very large series is neces- 

 sary to determine satisfactorily the validity of this species and I 

 doubt whether the characters of rodgcrsi would prove sufficiently 

 constant to warrant its recognition as a distinct species. I saw Ful- 

 mars on the Pacific Ocean which certainly looked like rodgersi and 

 about the high cliffs of St. Matthew Island, where Rodgers's Ful- 

 mars w^ere breeding in large numbers, I could see from an advanta- 

 geous point on the top of the cliff, where I could look down upon 

 their backs, a great variety of color patterns on the birds circling 

 below me. It would be well worth while to collect a large series of 

 them here and thus determine the constancy of the specific characters. 

 This was the only breeding colony of Fulmars that we saw ; they 

 were breeding in large numbers all over the faces of several high, 

 precipitous, rocky cliff's where the eggs were laid on narrow ledges 

 entirely inaccessible so far as we could see ; but an hour or two on 

 shore with a camera was hardly time enough for thorough explora- 

 tion. 'The Fulmars were not shy and were constantly flying in and 

 out or conducting their courtships on the narrow ledges below me. 



PHALACROCORAX URILE 



Red-faced Cormorant 

 Among all the birds breeding in the large colonies of Walrus Is- 

 land, these beautiful and rare Cormorants interested me most, for I 

 had never seen the species alive before and there are very few places 

 where it can be seen, as it is restricted to Bering Sea, where it is con- 

 stantly resident. There was not a large number of them, perhaps 

 fifty or one hundred pairs, scattered over the island in small groups, 

 nesting on the broader level ledges on the outer and higher rocks. 

 The nests were rather prettily made of various kinds of seaweeds, 

 kelp, sea mosses and green grass, not very large and rather clean for 

 Cormorants' nests. Most of the nests contained three or four young 

 of various ages, naked and blind at first, but afterwards covered with 

 soft gray down mixed with white on the belly. The birds were ex- 

 ceedingly tame as they stood beside the nests brooding over their 

 young, allowing us to walk up and photograph them within a few feet. 

 The beautiful metallic colors of their plumage, purple, blue, green and 



