CALIFORNIA WATER BIRDS. No. III.* — SOUTH 

 FARALLON ISLAND IN JULY. 



BY LEVERETT M. LOOMIS, 



Curator of the Department of Ornithology. 

 [With Plates li and Hi.] 



During the afternoon of July 7, 1896, I left San Fran- 

 cisco for South Farallon Island in the gasoline schooner 

 that made weekly visits to the island for the eggs gathered 

 by the lighthouse keepers and their helpers. The out- 

 ward trip was lengthened into the second day, for the 

 schooner had business that required her to pass the night 

 at Bolinas, some twelve miles up the coast. Happily the 

 bank of fog that usually rests over the ocean at this season 

 of the year was half a dozen or more miles out from the 

 heads, leaving an open way along the mountainous shore, 

 which stood out in bold relief against the eastern sky 

 with Tamalpais in the background. 



Between Point Bonita and Bolinas not many birds were 

 seen, but within the Golden Gate Western and Heer- 

 mann's Gulls were numerous. There were also a few 

 California Murres. 



In the morning, after waiting several hours for high 

 water on the Bolinas bar, the schooner was headed toward 

 the Farallones, and soon entered the bank of fog, which 

 shut out sky, land, and sea, limiting our vision to a 

 small circumference of water. About ten miles offshore 

 ' Gonies ' began to be plentiful. Often several were 

 near the schooner at one time. So far as ascertained, 

 all were Black-footed Albatrosses — none the young of the 

 Short-tailed Albatross or the dark phase of the Giant 



* 'No. I,' Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., vol. v, June 19, 1S95, pp. 177- 

 224. 



'No. II,' ibid., vol. vi, Feb. 21, 1896, pp. 1-30. 

 Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., 2d Ser., Vol. VI. August 29, 1896. 



