﻿FUR-SEAL 
  SERVICE. 
  171 
  

  

  visited 
  by 
  Agent 
  Lembkey 
  iu 
  1899. 
  During 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  visit 
  on 
  

   June 
  30 
  last 
  the 
  air 
  was 
  so 
  filled 
  with 
  flying 
  birds 
  that 
  photographic 
  

   plates 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  exposure 
  showed 
  them 
  as 
  thick 
  as 
  flies 
  

   over 
  the 
  whole 
  sky 
  space 
  on 
  the 
  film. 
  In 
  short, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   birds 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  was 
  as 
  remarkable 
  as 
  the 
  very 
  remarkable 
  number 
  

   of 
  birds 
  on 
  shore. 
  The 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  scene 
  creates 
  upon 
  

   an 
  observer 
  is 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  millions 
  of 
  birds 
  inhabiting 
  this 
  little 
  

   island. 
  When 
  it 
  is 
  considered, 
  furthermore, 
  that 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  St. 
  

   Paul 
  and 
  St. 
  George, 
  especially 
  on 
  those 
  portions 
  of 
  shore 
  Hne 
  where 
  

   abrupt 
  cliffs 
  are 
  found 
  inaccessible 
  to 
  man, 
  contain 
  breeding 
  areas 
  for 
  

   these 
  same 
  species 
  many 
  times 
  greater 
  in 
  extent 
  than 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  

   Walrus 
  Island, 
  some 
  faint 
  idea 
  can 
  be 
  gathered 
  of 
  the 
  boundless 
  

   profusion 
  of 
  bird 
  hfe 
  about 
  the 
  islands. 
  

  

  It 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  eggs 
  by 
  the 
  egging 
  expe- 
  

   ditions 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island 
  natives 
  ever 
  has 
  had 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  

   diminishing 
  the 
  birth 
  rate. 
  The 
  eggs 
  most 
  sought 
  and 
  generally 
  

   obtained 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  murre. 
  This 
  species 
  will 
  lay 
  and 
  hatch 
  but 
  

   one 
  egg 
  if 
  undisturbed, 
  but 
  experiments 
  made 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  

   show 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  first 
  be 
  removed 
  the 
  bird 
  will 
  immediately 
  lay 
  another 
  

   and 
  a 
  third 
  if 
  the 
  second 
  be 
  removed. 
  In 
  some 
  cases, 
  even 
  a 
  fourth 
  

   egg 
  will 
  be 
  laid 
  if 
  the 
  previous 
  ones 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  away, 
  but 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  usually 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  bird's 
  

   endurance. 
  The 
  natives 
  never 
  remove 
  eggs 
  from 
  any 
  specific 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  area 
  more 
  than 
  twice 
  in 
  one 
  season, 
  and 
  all 
  such 
  eggs 
  when 
  

   removed 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  immediately 
  replaced 
  by 
  the 
  birds. 
  It 
  would 
  

   seem 
  that 
  this 
  could 
  have 
  no 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  birds 
  hatched 
  

   but 
  merely 
  would 
  make 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  hatching 
  somewhat 
  later, 
  a 
  matter 
  

   which 
  would 
  work 
  no 
  particular 
  loss 
  of 
  offspring. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  nature 
  many 
  murre 
  eggs 
  are 
  destroyed 
  

   and 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  replaced. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  usually 
  on 
  flat 
  sloping 
  

   rocks, 
  resting 
  in 
  a 
  mere 
  indentation 
  that 
  offers 
  a 
  precarious 
  resting 
  

   place. 
  In 
  a 
  crowded 
  breeding 
  ground 
  quarrels 
  are 
  mcessant, 
  and 
  as 
  

   a 
  result 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  started 
  rollmg, 
  and 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  extremely 
  

   thick 
  shells 
  many 
  are 
  broken. 
  Under 
  the 
  St. 
  George 
  cliffs 
  the 
  shells 
  

   of 
  murre 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  abundance. 
  

  

  The 
  murres 
  have 
  also 
  a 
  constant 
  and 
  vicious 
  enemy 
  in 
  the 
  glaucous- 
  

   wiaged 
  gull, 
  which 
  in 
  sheer 
  wantoimess, 
  when 
  hunger 
  does 
  not 
  serve 
  

   as 
  a 
  reason, 
  attacks 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  murre 
  the 
  moment 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  

   left 
  ungarded, 
  and 
  punctures 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  heavy 
  blow 
  of 
  the 
  beak. 
  

   On 
  Walrus 
  Island 
  clouds 
  of 
  the 
  gulls 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  settle 
  on 
  the 
  

   thickly 
  strewn 
  egg 
  spaces 
  just 
  deserted 
  by 
  murres, 
  and 
  to 
  begin, 
  with 
  

   every 
  sign 
  of 
  pure 
  maliciousness, 
  to 
  pick 
  at 
  them 
  and 
  to 
  gulp 
  of 
  their 
  

   contents, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  single 
  mouthful 
  only 
  from 
  each 
  egg. 
  They 
  also 
  

   would 
  start 
  the 
  eggs 
  roUing 
  down 
  a 
  rock 
  to 
  break 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   without 
  any 
  further 
  attention 
  from 
  the 
  gulls. 
  These 
  gulls 
  also 
  have 
  

  

  