A Trip to the Farallones, 



nested, I also found the nests of Cassin's 

 auklet. This little bird is nocturnal 

 in its habits, so I saw little of the adults, 

 although the young were found in their 

 crannies and could always be recognized 

 by the little upturned snub bill and the 

 gray feet. At night, especially if the 

 moon is up, the birds are very abun- 

 dant and noisy. Their notes resemble 

 the creaking of a rusty gate, and may 

 be represented by the syllables creek-a- 

 reek ! creek-a-reek ! creek-a-reek ! 



Another nocturnal bird of the island 

 is the ashy petrel. It is perhaps not 

 so rare but is difficult to discover on 

 account of its secretive ways. The nest, 

 which is generally placed under a large, 

 loose rock, is frequently indicated by 

 the strong, musky odor in its vicinity. 

 The flight of the petrel is light, quick, 

 and noiseless, resembling somewhat the 

 movements of a bat. I did not hear any 

 note uttered by the bird. It has been 

 recently discovered that Leach's petrel 

 also nests upon the Farallones. The 

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