[oer 
406 Hanna, Birds of St. Matthew Island. 
posing the summit. Some of their burrows were twenty feet long but so 
shallow that they could be broken open easily and often bird and egg would 
be found at the end. A semblance of a nest is constructed of moss and 
feathers in a shallow depression near the end of the burrow. These bur- 
rows are used year after year, usually with a small amount of excavating 
annually. 
Fratercula corniculata. Hornep Purrin.— Horned Puffins nest in 
large numbers on every favorable cliff. Their grotesque heads may often 
be seen protruding from their burrows near the tops of the cliffs and the 
few feathers and moss fragments constituting the nest may be found 
from three to six feet back under the turf covering the top stratum of rocks. 
This sort of location seems to be preferred, but some nest in deep holes 
on the sides of the cliffs. On the Pribilof Islands both species of Puffins 
nest together but on St. Matthew there is much less admixture. The eggs 
of this species are less chalky, more inclined to be spotted with purple, and 
are longer than those of the Tufted Puffin. 
Phaleris psittacula. Paroqurr AuKLEeT.— In the aggregate large 
numbers of this species breed on the islands. They are not usually found 
in colonies but single pairs nest here and there on the boldest headlands. 
The single egg is found in a rock crevice and is very difficult to obtain. 
AEthia cristatella. Crestep AUKLET.— Except for a large colony 
found on the cliffs about two miles south of Cape Glory of Russia this 
species is rare. It breeds in limited numbers on Hall Island and a few 
were seen at almost every landing on St. Matthew. They are believed to be 
less common than on the Pribilof Islands where they form an insignificant 
portion of the wonderful ornithological display. 
#Ethia pusilla. Least Aukiet.— Four flocks only of this species 
were seen and these in every case were feeding in the sea just off shore. 
It is possible a few may breed but none were seen on shore, even on beaches 
which seemed very favorable for them. 
Cepphus columba. Picron Gui~LemMot.— Found casually on all 
cliffs where they breed high up and well protected from the foxes. While 
this species nests at Unalaska and at St. Matthew absolutely none stop at 
the Pribilofs during the summer. No plausible explanation for this pecu- 
liar distribution can be given. 
Uria troille californica. Catirornia Mure. 2 
Uria lomvia arra. Pauuas’s Murre.— Both species of Murres are 
exceedingly abundant on all cliffs. On many projecting ledges they nest 
side by side. When sitting on their eggs they are usually very tame and 
this enables one to identify a particular bird before the egg is taken. With- 
out such identification it becomes doubtful to which species an egg may 
belong as eggs apparently intergrade in all characters. The birds may be 
easily distinguished on the cliffs by color. The species first named is 
a dull dark bronze on the head and back, while the latter is jet black. 
Also the bill of the latter is shorter and thicker and it bears a long narrow 
white stripe below the gape in the breeding season. During the nesting 
