1 04 AxTiioxY, The Fiihiian of Southern California. \t%\ 



My brother once found a Pacific Fulmar in San Uiego Bay, the 

 only record, by the way, that I have of their entering the harbor. 

 As he had no gun he gave chase in his skiff and captured it 

 without injur}-. He said that at first it was rather wild but after 

 flying a few times it gained confidence and only attempted to 

 escape by swimming, when it was easily overtaken and caught. 

 It was in no way injured or diseased so far as I could determine 

 by dissection. 



Although mention has been made of their following fishing 

 sloops, fish form a very small part of their diet while on this coast. 

 In fact it is the exception. I have never found small fish in the 

 stomachs of those I have taken, nor have I seen them catch fish 

 for themselves, though I have no doubt regarding their ability to 

 do so should they fall in with a school of small herring or 

 anchovies, and from their associating with the flocks of Shear- 

 waters I infer that they derive a part of their food from such 

 schools of small fry when they are common. There is, however, 

 a large jelly fish (^Medusa l) that is usually abundant along this 

 coast during the time of the Fulmars' sojourn, and these are never 

 disregarded by the ever hungry birds. I have often seen a Fulmar 

 sitting on the water by the side of a jelly fish, part of which it had 

 eaten, so filled that it would scarcely move out of the way of the 

 boat. Specimens shot while these Medusce are common I have 

 always found with the stomach filled with these alone, and half a 

 pint of the slimy mass will often run from their mouths when 

 lifted from the water by their feet. 



I think the Fulmars enjoy a monopoly of this diet, for I have 

 never seen other species eating it, nor will Gulls, nor any of the 

 sea birds that I have observed, pay any attention to a Fulmar 

 that is eating a jelly fish though they all claim their share if the 

 food is of a kind that they care for. 



The abundance of the Fulmars olf this coast would seem to 

 have some relation to the abundance of the Medusce, since the 

 winter of 1893-94 was noted for the almost if not entire absence 

 of Fulmars as well as jelly fish until some time in late February 

 or March when both jelly fish and Fulmars appeared in small 

 numbers. 



I have occasionally seen Fulmars busily engaged in picking 

 small Crustacea (?) from the kelp, but as a rule they prefer to 



