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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  eagerly 
  seizing 
  on 
  anything 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  stranded, 
  dead 
  or 
  alive. 
  They 
  are 
  

   particularly 
  expert 
  in 
  seizing 
  the 
  large 
  common 
  echini, 
  [S. 
  Drobachiensis) 
  break- 
  

   ing 
  them 
  on 
  a 
  stone, 
  and 
  devouring 
  the 
  well-filled 
  ovaries. 
  

  

  While 
  offshore, 
  the 
  flocks 
  of 
  auks 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  leisurely 
  swimming 
  in 
  groups 
  

   of 
  thousands, 
  against 
  the 
  current 
  ; 
  occasionally, 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  strong 
  for 
  them, 
  rising 
  

   all 
  together 
  and 
  settling 
  down 
  in 
  their 
  old 
  position 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  shore. 
  The 
  

   raurres 
  sometimes 
  intrude 
  among 
  the 
  smaller 
  auks, 
  but, 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  proposition, 
  

   each 
  species 
  keeps 
  strictly 
  by 
  itself, 
  though 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  several 
  species, 
  in 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  thousands, 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  of 
  one 
  another. 
  I 
  believe 
  they 
  obtain 
  

   most 
  of 
  their 
  sleep 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  Towards 
  evening, 
  they 
  all 
  come 
  in 
  shore 
  

   together, 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  goes 
  down, 
  and 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  bluffs 
  and 
  high 
  

   banks, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  still 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  harbors, 
  screaming, 
  whistling, 
  quarrelling, 
  

   and 
  making 
  a 
  great 
  disturbance, 
  all 
  night. 
  With 
  the 
  first 
  gleam 
  of 
  dawn, 
  they 
  

   go 
  out 
  to 
  sea 
  again. 
  I 
  believe, 
  also, 
  that 
  with 
  these 
  birds 
  the 
  male 
  does 
  a 
  large 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  incubation 
  ; 
  I 
  have 
  rarely 
  found 
  a 
  female 
  on 
  the 
  nest 
  ; 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  day-time, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  remember 
  a 
  single 
  instance. 
  This 
  holds 
  

   true 
  of 
  the 
  mormons, 
  urias, 
  small 
  auks, 
  and 
  both 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  petrels. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  convenience 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  may 
  find 
  it 
  difficult 
  to 
  recognize 
  the 
  geo- 
  

   graphical 
  names 
  of 
  localities, 
  (seldom 
  given, 
  and 
  when 
  given, 
  usually 
  misspelled 
  

   on 
  the 
  ordinary 
  maps) 
  I 
  add 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  approximate 
  positions 
  of 
  our 
  stations 
  

   in 
  the 
  islands 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  : 
  

  

  Lat. 
  N. 
  Lon, 
  

  

  Ohichagoff 
  Harbor, 
  Attn 
  Id 
  52° 
  55' 
  57" 
  173o 
  12' 
  22" 
  E 
  

  

  Kyska 
  Harbor, 
  Great 
  Kyska 
  Id 
  51° 
  59' 
  00" 
  177° 
  30' 
  00" 
  B 
  

  

  Constantine 
  Harbor, 
  Amchitka 
  Id 
  51° 
  23' 
  33" 
  179° 
  12' 
  12" 
  E 
  

  

  Bay 
  of 
  Islands, 
  Adakh 
  Id 
  51° 
  49' 
  16" 
  176° 
  52' 
  00"W 
  

  

  Nazan 
  Bay, 
  Atka 
  Id 
  52° 
  10' 
  30" 
  174o 
  15' 
  00"W 
  

  

  Iliuliuk 
  Village, 
  Unalashka 
  53° 
  52' 
  57" 
  166o 
  31' 
  36"W 
  

  

  Popoff 
  Strait, 
  Shumagin 
  Ids 
  55° 
  19' 
  17" 
  160° 
  31' 
  14"W 
  

  

  Sannakh 
  Reefs 
  54° 
  28' 
  00" 
  162o 
  52' 
  00"W 
  

  

  1. 
  Falco 
  gyrfalco, 
  Linn. 
  Jerfalcon. 
  

  

  The 
  form 
  of 
  Arctic 
  falcon, 
  referred 
  to 
  under 
  this 
  name, 
  is, 
  according 
  to 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Baird, 
  the 
  true 
  gyrfalco, 
  as 
  distinguished 
  from 
  candicans, 
  and 
  islandicus, 
  

   and 
  is 
  now 
  obtained, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  in 
  American 
  territory. 
  A 
  male 
  was 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  of 
  Kyska, 
  June 
  30th, 
  1873, 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  several 
  which 
  had 
  

   their 
  nests 
  on 
  the 
  brow 
  of 
  a 
  precipitous 
  and 
  inaccessible 
  cliff 
  at 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  harbor, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  water. 
  The 
  same 
  species 
  

   was 
  observed 
  flying 
  over 
  the 
  low 
  island 
  of 
  Amchitka, 
  a 
  little 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  

   It 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  common, 
  but 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  hawk 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  

   west 
  of 
  Unalashka. 
  It 
  appeared 
  to 
  pass 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  time 
  near 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  

   raisea 
  a 
  loud 
  outcry 
  when 
  any 
  one 
  approached 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  cliff, 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  

   below. 
  The 
  fragments 
  of 
  several 
  ptarmigan, 
  probably 
  remnants 
  from 
  some 
  of 
  

   its 
  meals, 
  were 
  noticed 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  bluff 
  below 
  the 
  nest. 
  Shot, 
  as 
  it 
  was, 
  

  

  