﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  33 
  

  

  of 
  mouth 
  and 
  fauces, 
  scarlet. 
  Young 
  in 
  down 
  : 
  feet 
  lead-coloi-, 
  bill 
  and 
  eyes 
  

   black. 
  The 
  nest, 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  in 
  down 
  were 
  all 
  obtained 
  about 
  July 
  11th, 
  

   1872, 
  at 
  Round 
  Island. 
  Coal 
  Harbor, 
  Unga 
  Island, 
  Shumagins. 
  They 
  were 
  

   also 
  common 
  at 
  Delarofi' 
  Harbor, 
  Unga, 
  and 
  seen 
  at 
  Kadiak, 
  but 
  not 
  at 
  Una- 
  

   lashka, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Unimak 
  Pass. 
  On 
  entering 
  Coal 
  Harbor, 
  Unga, 
  we 
  

   were 
  at 
  once 
  struck 
  with 
  a 
  peculiar 
  white 
  line 
  which 
  wound 
  around 
  the 
  

   precipitous 
  cliffs 
  of 
  Round 
  Island, 
  and 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   birds 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  an 
  opportunity 
  was 
  afforded, 
  I 
  took 
  a 
  boat 
  and 
  went 
  to 
  

   the 
  locality 
  to 
  examine 
  it. 
  The 
  nests, 
  in 
  their 
  position, 
  were 
  unlike 
  anything 
  I 
  

   had 
  ever 
  seen 
  before. 
  At 
  first 
  it 
  appeared 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  per- 
  

   pendicular 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  but 
  on 
  a 
  close 
  examination 
  it 
  appeared 
  that 
  two 
  

   parallel 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  metamorphic 
  sandstone 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs, 
  being 
  harder 
  than 
  the 
  

   rest, 
  had 
  weathered 
  out, 
  standing 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  cliff 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  four 
  

   inches, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  irregularly. 
  The 
  nests 
  were 
  built 
  where 
  these 
  broken 
  ledges 
  

   afforded 
  a 
  partial 
  support, 
  though 
  extending 
  over 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  their 
  width. 
  

   The 
  lines 
  of 
  nests 
  exactly 
  followed 
  the 
  winding 
  projections 
  of 
  these 
  ledges, 
  

   everywhere, 
  giving 
  a 
  very 
  singular 
  appearance 
  to 
  the 
  cliff, 
  especially 
  when 
  the 
  

   white 
  birds 
  were 
  sitting 
  on 
  them. 
  The 
  nests 
  were 
  built 
  with 
  dry 
  grass, 
  agglu- 
  

   tinated 
  together 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  rock 
  in 
  some 
  unexplained 
  manner 
  ; 
  perhaps 
  by 
  a 
  

   mucus 
  secreted 
  by 
  the 
  bird 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  The 
  nests 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  shallow 
  

   depression 
  at 
  the 
  top, 
  in 
  which 
  lay 
  two 
  eggs. 
  The 
  whole 
  establishment 
  had 
  an 
  

   intolerable 
  odor 
  of 
  guano, 
  and 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  very 
  filthy. 
  The 
  birds 
  hardly 
  

   moved 
  at 
  our 
  approach 
  ; 
  only 
  those 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  leaving 
  their 
  posts. 
  

   I 
  reached 
  up 
  and 
  took 
  down 
  two 
  nests, 
  one 
  containing 
  two 
  young 
  birds, 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  empty. 
  Wind 
  coming 
  up, 
  we 
  were 
  obliged 
  to 
  pull 
  away, 
  and 
  the 
  bird, 
  

   which 
  came 
  back, 
  lighted 
  on 
  the 
  rock 
  where 
  her 
  nest 
  and 
  young 
  had 
  been, 
  with 
  

   evident 
  astonishment 
  at 
  the 
  mysterious 
  disappearance. 
  After 
  flying 
  about 
  a 
  

   little, 
  she 
  again 
  settled 
  on 
  the 
  spot, 
  and 
  suddenly 
  making 
  up 
  her 
  mind 
  that 
  foul 
  

   play 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  some 
  other 
  bird 
  had 
  taken 
  place, 
  she 
  commenced 
  a 
  furious 
  

   assault 
  on 
  her 
  nearest 
  neighbor. 
  As 
  we 
  pulled 
  away 
  the 
  little 
  fellows 
  began 
  to 
  

   be 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  boat, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  ludicrous 
  expression 
  of 
  

   nausea, 
  imitating 
  as 
  closely 
  as 
  a 
  bird 
  could 
  do 
  the 
  motions 
  and 
  expression 
  of 
  a 
  

   sea-sick 
  person, 
  they 
  very 
  soon 
  deposited 
  their 
  dinner 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  nes-t. 
  

   It 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  small 
  fishes 
  or 
  minnows, 
  too 
  much 
  disorganized 
  to 
  be 
  iden- 
  

   tified. 
  Eggs, 
  in 
  a 
  moderately 
  fresh 
  condition, 
  were 
  obtained 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   time, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  far 
  advanced 
  toward 
  hatching. 
  

  

  These 
  birds 
  are 
  very 
  curious, 
  and 
  scouts 
  are 
  always 
  seen 
  coming 
  from 
  a 
  flock 
  

   of 
  them 
  when 
  a 
  boat 
  or 
  other 
  unusual 
  object 
  approaches. 
  These 
  scouts 
  very 
  

   soon 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  flock 
  if 
  not 
  molested, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  flock 
  then 
  proceeds 
  to 
  

   investigate 
  the 
  phenomenon. 
  

  

  They 
  have 
  a 
  shrill, 
  harsh 
  cry, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  low 
  whistle 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  the 
  

   usual 
  expression 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  disturbed 
  or 
  alarmed, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  to 
  their 
  

   young, 
  or 
  in 
  communicating 
  with 
  each 
  other. 
  They 
  leave 
  the 
  harbors 
  after 
  

   the 
  young 
  are 
  fully 
  fledged, 
  and 
  are 
  found 
  off 
  shore 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  except 
  in. 
  

   storm?. 
  

   Proc. 
  Cal. 
  Acad. 
  Sci., 
  Vol. 
  V.— 
  3. 
  April, 
  1873. 
  

  

  