62 THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



crevise in the rock which may be only slaty black. 



just large enough to admit the bird and in Uria lomuia arra 



which but one pair will lay, or an apertur? YARRA. [PALLAS'S MURRE] 



large enough to admit the body of a man Resident. The great egg bird of Alaska 



and in which several pairs will lay. is not so abundantly plentiful on Kadiak 



In either case no pretense of a nest is Island as they undoubtedly are in other 



made and in a few instances the eggs were localities. 



found laid on the bare gravelly beach out The writer never found their eggs, al- 



of the reach of the tide. Eggs are laid from though many eggs were brought by the 



the middle of May till the end of June, natives and said to be Yarra, but for 



that is, fresh eges may be found during reasons that will be shown when treating 



that period. Two eggs form a set but of the Black Oyster-catcher the writer 



how many eggs the bird is capable of lay- learnt to mistrust all native ornithologists, 

 ing in a season is hard to tell. The This bird is without doubt the most 



writer has taken six eggs from the same stupid that it has been my fortune to deal 



nest and to all appearances laid by the with Thewriterwas camped on Chineak 



same bird. Bay with a party of natives in January 



The young are hatched in July and are when a Yarra was seen approaching the* 



covered with a heavy down, bia:k on the beach swimming along leisurely, as I 



dorsal and dirty white on the ventral sur- reached foi my gun one of the natives 



faces. By the middle of October they touched my arm saying in Rufsian not to 



have all left the island except some of the use it, at the same time picking up a rock 



young birds as before stated. Two about the size of a brick he quietly strolled 



theories may be advanced to account for down to the waters edge and that fool bird 



these young birds remaining neither of came right on to meet him until they 



which may be correct but both of which were within a few feet of each other, then 



are reasonable. The first and most the native let tly his rock and Mr. Yarra 



probable is, they are hatcHld late in the literally turned up his toes. Afterwards 



season and are not strong enough to fly several specimens were taken in this man- 



with their parents, and so are left to shift ner by the natives many of whom are 



for themselves. The second is that the quite proficient at stone throwing, 

 parents have been killed. Stercorariua pomarinus. (?). 



In the museum of the Oregon State POMATORHINUS JAGER. 



Agricultural College may be seen a series A young and badly damaged specimen 



of these birds collected by the wrrter illus- was taken in July 1893 which might be 



trating every phase from the egg to the refered to this species, and in 1894 a pair 



mature bird; also one unique specimen in of birds were seen all during the summer 



which every alternate feather of the entire months and undoubtedly nested there, 



plumage is white while the others are The writer spent several day and r<nved 



