24 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 12 
swimming for several vards beneath the surface. A large fish twice rose at him, 
which the little fellow cleverly dodged. As in the case of the Ancient Murrelet 
(Heath, Condor, xvi, 1915, p. 35), the young are called to sea at night by the 
old birds. This, in the case of the present species, I have found to oceur when 
the chicks are from three to four days old. I have gained so much respect for 
their swimming powers that I am inclined to think that but few perish by being 
dashed against the rocks while entering the sea. I do believe, however, that the 
larger fish get a good many, and as their down readily becomes waterlogged, 
numbers must perish during the spring storms. When first hatched, they pre- 
sent the most attractive appearance of any bird I know. 
Shortly after dark during the breeding season, numbers of the adults make 
their way to the coves and shallow water about the islands, and from then until 
dawn they can be heard giving their characteristic ery, which may be deseribed 
as a shrill, slow twitter, about four notes to the second. At night, and especially 
when hunting nesting sites, they will sometimes be attracted to a light on shore. 
They doubtless make several trips to the nests each night, but during the day 
they keep well to sea, in pairs or family parties, and when pressed too closely, 
will rise to the wind and fly some distance rather than dive. When attacked by 
a Dueck Hawk while flying, they will suffer themselves to be caught rather than 
take to the water, but a wounded bird will almost make one believe that he has 
turned fish. 
It has been stated (12) that this species will vomit a thin yellow oil when 
handled, after the manner of petrels, but of approximately a hundred and fifty 
live birds which I have handled, not one has shown any inclination to do this, 
neither do their stomachs contain any oil, only a clotted, greenish slime in those 
that I have taken, and very little of that. It seems probable that this is only an 
indigestible residue, and that they are partial to all forms of small crustacea and 
other sea life. I believe, however, that they very seldom eat fish. 
13. Brachyramphus craveri (Salvadori) 
CrAvERI MURRELET 
Brachyramphus craveri (1) van Rossem, Condor, xvit, 1915, p. 74. (2) Grinnell, Pac. 
Coast Avif., 11, 1915, p. 175. 
Near the Coronados on August 13, 1914, A. van Rossem (7) and L. M. Huey 
secured six murrelets that conform to the descriptions of craveri. J. Grinnell 
(2) suggests that the characters-as given for this species are due merely to age. 
I have had little experience with this form, but am inclined to think that the dif- 
ference between craveri and hypoleucus is not due to age, for I have handled 
scores of birds of the latter race, and none of them have had dark under wing 
coverts. As hypolewcus wanders well north of its breeding range after the nest- 
ing season, it is only natural that craveri should do likewise. 
14. Cepphus columba Pallas 
PIGEON GUILLEMOT 
Uria columba (1) Cooper, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 1v, 1870, p. 79. (2) Henshaw, Rep. 
Wheeler Surv., 1876, p. 278. (3) Streator, Proc. Sta. Barbara Soc. Nat. Hist., 1, 
1887, p. 22. 
