A TRIP TO THE FARALLONES 



when he gets off their preserves. The birds may, however, be 

 fairly charged with inconsistency, for they are inveterate 

 plunderers themselves. As the eggers go about the rocks, 

 starting all the birds from their nests, the gulls follow closely 

 in their train, breaking every cormorant's egg which they 

 chance upon, and devouring the contents. They even man- 

 age to crack the tough shell of the murre's eggs if any happen 

 to escape the vigilance of the eggers. 



Continuing our scramble up the rocks we presently reached 

 the summit of the west end, where a scene never to be forgot- 

 ten lay before us. We were upon the very edge of a preci- 

 pice with a sheer drop of several hundred feet to the sea be- 

 low. Far beneath, the angry surf was foaming and thunder- 

 ing, while away off was the unbroken horizon line of the 

 ocean, misty and vast, distinguished with uncertainty from the 

 gray-blue sky= All about the rocky ledges were vast crowds 

 of murres, huddled upon the narrow rims of the cliff wall. It 

 was a scene of indescribable animation. Some of the birds 

 were busy dressing their plumage, while now and then one 

 would rise up and flap its wings as if to relieve the tension of 

 its cramped position, and then settle back contentedly in the 

 same spot. A bird upon the topmost ridge stretched its neck 

 out and leaned far forward as if contemplating a plunge into 

 the seething waters below. One of their most curious habits 

 is that of bowing. The first bird in a row will gravely bow his 

 head, perhaps once, or, not infrequently, two or three times, 

 followed in turn by each one in the assembly. Sometimes the 

 motion is more undignified, like a sudden ducking of the head 

 as if to dodge a blow, and the entire row may participate in 

 the ceremony at once. 



[43] 



