58 The Wilson Bulleton — No. ()3. 



(lance there, the P>hick Oystercatcher, and the royal entertain- 

 ment which we received at the hands of the light keepers. 



The three da}'s upon the island were devoted to the study of 

 the nesting habits of Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, 

 and Rhinoceros Atiklets, more particularly the Aukkts, which 

 were far the ni'ost numerous nesting birds of the island. Dur- 

 ing the day nothing is to be seen or heard of these birds, but 

 at night their curious calls and whirring flight are everywhere 

 heard. The birds burrow into the perpendicular banks which 

 face the ocean in many places, or into the turf-covered banks, 

 which are only a little less steep. The burrows mav lead al- 

 most straight into the bank for a dozen to fifteen feet, or more 

 nearly parallel the surface, apparently depending somewhat 

 upon the character of the soil. The few attempts to burrow 

 into coarse gravelly material were soon abandoned in favor of 

 the sandy soil. A very few nest burrows w^ere made within a 

 foot of the surface of the turf and could be uncovered from 

 above. Every burrow examiined was forked, the shorter and 

 unused branch invariably being the one nearer the face of the 

 bank, while the used branch continued some distance into the 

 bank, ending in a nest of grassy material mixed with feathers 

 where the hole was enlarged for more room. 



Our visit was clearly at about the middle of the breeding 

 tim'e of these birds, for there were half-grown young and eggs 

 less than half incubated, and all grades between. The parent 

 birds were usually found with the young, and often with the 

 eggs. They had the very uncomlfortable habit of vigorously 

 using the strong bill upon the intruding fingers, sometimes 

 drawing blood. The young birds seldom offered any resist- 

 ance, but crouched in the end of the burrow. They are covered 

 with a soft, black down, with a light patch beneath. The eggs 

 Were usually filthy from the mH.Kldv feet of the old birds, but 

 with the filth washed away revealed a nearly white ground, 

 color with much obscured shell markings of lavenders and 

 purples, much like the eggs of the Tufted Pliffins. 



It is difficult to estimate the nuntbers of the Rhinoceros 

 AViklets which nest upon this island, because their distribution 

 is not uniform. An estim'ate based upon the apparent average 



