34 Nelson on some Birds oj St. Michael's, AlasTca. 



Puffins {M. cor nicu lata), but they were equally curious. On enter- 

 ing a small cove, several males of the Surf Duck [CEJemia perspicil- 

 lata) in full breeding plumage arose clumsily and with shrill whis- 

 tling wings moved out to sea. 



From some great basaltic boulders, on the seaward face of the 

 island, which is itself a rock of the same material, half a mile long by 

 a few hundred yards wide, there arose a large flock of Pacific Kitti- 

 wakes (Larus tridactylus kotzebuei) ; scattering here and there, some 

 alighted a short distance off in the water, others circled slowly 

 overhead, while a few left at once for safer resting-places. Many 

 of these Gulls were young, as could be plainly seen by the large 

 dark patch on the back of the neck. Several were soon stowed 

 away in the kyak. Now landing, I carried the boat up a few steps, 

 and started to investigate the Mormon nurseries. Concealing my- 

 self in a convenient nook, but a short time elapsed before the old 

 birds began returning, but almost instantly disappeared into their 

 holes, to be greeted by low growling and snuffling noises, which one 

 could easily imagine to be an animated curtain lecture by Mrs. Mor- 

 mon. All the nests proved to be at the bottom of long, winding 

 holes dug into the narrow, dirt-filled ci'evices with which the rocks 

 abounded, thus rendering any attempt to reach the nests futile. 

 The eggs had but recently been hatched, as could be ascertained 

 by the thin, metallic piping of the young, easily heard when the 

 ear was placed close to the entrance. 



While I was scrambling about among the rocks, several Ravens 

 were circling high overhead, uttering hoarse, croaking cries. The 

 summit of the island is covered with a rank growth of grass and 

 other herbage in which Budytes jiava is more abundant than I have 

 seen it elsewhere. As I reached this part of the island several of 

 these little wanderers came flying about my head, in long, swinging 

 curves, uttering a sharp, metallic, clinking note, crossing and re- 

 crossing each other's paths heedless of danger, until several of their 

 number were reposing in their ornithological winding-sheets of 

 paper in my collecting basket. The others suddenly became shy, 

 and scattered about on the small hillocks, keeping cautiously out 

 of range as I advanced until near the opposite side of the island, 

 when they circled back to their former positions. As I drew near 

 one of the bluff's a Pigeon Hawk {Falco colnmbarius) darted out 

 almost at my feet, and was cleanly missed (fault of the gun, of 

 course !). In a small patch of scrubby alders (Almis viridis), on 



