Vol. XXI 

 1904 



Ray, Fortnight on the Farallojies. 43 S 



island weeds and grasses, and has about as much claim to ingenuity 

 as those of most sea birds. They vary little in size, averaging 

 thirteen inches across, the cavity being eight inches by four deep. 

 About many of them I noticed small heaps of ejected fish bones. 

 When we arrived nearly all the nests held fresh eggs, and on our 

 departure many young were pipping the shell and several had 

 emerged. We found the eggs, when boiled, to be indistinguish- 

 able in flavor from those of the chicken, and they usually formed 

 some part of the daily fare during our two weeks' stay. There 

 being four keepers with their families on the island, the gull colo- 

 nies have been divided into four routes, visited every other day. 

 These routes are all on the flats or gradual slopes, those on the 

 rugged ridges being left undisturbed. Only single eggs are taken, 

 nests containing more being left, and the average yield of a route 

 is seventy-five eggs. After being repeatedly robbed the birds 

 continue laying until finally they become content to hatch a pair 

 or a single &g^, although three is the full set, and in this way the 

 laying season gradually comes to a close, which it was nearing 

 when we left, as we found numerous singles in which incubation 

 was far advanced. 



But even when the gulls begin to set their troubles are not over, 

 for, later, many of the 'squabs,' which have the fatality to taste 

 like chicken, find their way into various fricassees and potpies to 

 grace the table of the Farallonians. According to the keepers 

 but few gull eggs ever reached the city markets in the old ' egg- 

 times,' and personally I do not remember ever seeing them on 

 sale. The shells, compared with those of the murre, are frail and 

 would not stand shipment ' murre style.' 



Mr. Cane found a white and almost unspotted gull's egg the 

 first week in June, and Charles Love of our party collected on 

 June II a pair, of which one is light pearl and the other greenish 

 clay, and both are but faintly marked. Runts of various sizes 

 were not uncommon. We found the markings to vary from fine 

 scrawls or small spots to great blotches, some of which covered 

 half the side of the egg. Specimens with light and dark ground 

 colors were frequently found in the same set, as well as those with 

 the different styles of markings. Although the gulls seldom eat 

 the eggs of their own kind, on several occasions I noticed them 



