AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINS: Family Alcidae [311] 



more restricted on sides of head and lower throat faintly mottled with dusky." 

 (Bailey) (See Plate 53, B.) Downy young: "When first hatched the young murre 

 is covered with short down which varies from 'bone brown' to 'hair brown' above, 

 almost black on the head and neck, except that the throat is mottled with white; 

 the under parts are white; the head and neck are sparsely covered with long, hair- 

 like filaments, grayish white or bufTy white in color., giving the bird a coarse hairy 

 appearance." (Bent's description of the young of murre, U. ttoille troille, which is, 

 in this plumage, indistinguishable from the California Murre.) Si%e: Length 17, 

 wing 8.30, bill 1.86. Nest: None, single egg laid on bare, rocky ledge. Egg: i, 

 almost endlessly variable in color and markings, ground color pure white to light 

 blues and greens, sometimes without spots, but usually beautifully speckled, 

 scrawled, or blotched with various shades of brown or black. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Santa Barbara, California, north to Pribilofs 

 and westward through Aleutians to Asiatic coast. Winters from Aleutians south- 

 ward. In Oregon: Abundant year-around resident of coast, breeding on every suitable 

 island and rocky headland. 



THE CALIFORNIA MURRE is undoubtedly the most abundant seafowl of the 

 Oregon coast and next to the American Coot the most abundant breeding 

 water bird in the State. It remains on the coast throughout the year but 

 is less common in winter than in summer. It frequents the rocky head- 

 lands, more particularly the high offshore rocks, where it lays its single 

 egg on a bare, rocky ledge, usually in early June, and where the incu- 

 bating birds stand in soldierly rows in almost unbelievable numbers 

 (Plate 52.). By August, the young are able to leave their rocky ledges 

 and take to the water. During the latter part of July and August, the 

 ocean near shore is covered with California Murres, each young bird in 

 the company of an adult that it follows about begging for food (Plate 53). 



Despite its abundance we can find no earlier published reference to it 

 as an Oregon bird than that of Finley (1902.). His writings and those of 

 Bohlman many years ago made nationally famous the immense bird 

 colonies on Three Arch Rocks off the Tillamook coast. Probably no one 

 knows how many hundreds of thousands of birds nest on this reserva- 

 tion, but the murres make up the largest single element in the bird 

 population, flying about the rocks like a giant swarm of bees. Although 

 Three Arch Rocks is the most famous Oregon colony, it is by no means 

 the only one, as other offshore rocks with suitable ledges and nesting 

 places have their quota of these birds. 



Their food in general consists of a great variety of marine life small 

 fish, worms, and other invertebrates but we have no definite data on 

 their food habits in Oregon. 



Pigeon Guillemot: 



Cepphus columba Pallas 



DESCRIPTION. "Bill black, straight, and slender, upper edge of nostril feathered; 

 feet bright red in summer, pink in winter. Breeding plumage: black, except for large 



