A Trip to the Farallones, 



over with dusky gray. Upon being 

 approached they would run and attempt 

 to squeeze into any little cranny in the 

 rocks they happened to espy, but were 

 very readily caught by hand. The nest 

 is a simple affair, composed of dry 

 weeds, and placed almost anywhere 

 upon a rocky hillside. No nests were 

 observed on the steep cliffs overhang- 

 ing the sea, the favorite situation being 

 a hillside of moderate slope. The eggs 

 are remarkably well protected in color, 

 and the nest itself is so trifling an affair 

 that it may frequently be almost 

 stepped upon without being discovered, 

 unless the attention is especially directed 

 toward finding it. The birds are ex- 

 tremely noisy and vociferous as long as 

 an intruder remains in their territory, 

 hovering over him in large numbers and 

 swooping down upon him with menac- 

 ing cries and gestures. Altogether, 

 one feels more comfortable when he 

 gets off their preserves. The birds 

 may, however, be fairly charged with 



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