20 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



In some places a dozen or more would be sitting erect in a row, like 

 black soldiers, while others would be reclining and still others were 

 continually passing overhead on their way to and from their nests 

 which were farther from the shore. The only notes that we heard any 

 ■of them utter were while they were in the water; they were very high 

 pitched, long-drawn whistles or wails, a sound which, while not loud 

 ^would easily carry for a distance of perhaps three or four hundred 

 yards. While they did not move about much on the rocks, their walk 

 when they did so was not ungraceful. Their flight was very rapid and 

 always performed at a low elevation above the water, I do not recall 

 at any time during our stay, of seeing one more than twenty feet above 

 the water and the majority were much closer than that. 



One of the most noticeable facts observed was that practically every 

 bird seen, except those that were flying out from the rocks after having 

 been to the nest, had a long red kelp worm or clam worm in its beak. 



Every few minutes each bird in the water would dip his head beneath 

 the surface and we concluded that it was for the purpose of wetting 

 these worms and keeping them alive, for we could see that those held 

 in the beaks of birds on the rocks were still alive and squirming. 

 Evidently young Guillemots like their food served fresh and while still 

 alive. 



The waves broke over the rock-weed covered rock upon which the Guillemots sit and sun J 

 themselves. The bird flying has a worm in his bill: others are lined up at a distance in the I 

 water. ■ 



These worms were held in the bill by the extreme end, allowing them 

 to hang down to their full length, and in no instance did we see one of 

 the birds holding them in any other way. 



We watched the birds very closely when they went in shore to feed 

 their young but it was afternoon before we could locate a single 

 entrance where there was any liklihood of being successful with the 

 camera. We could easily see where the bird went but nearly always 



