BIRDS FROM THE FARALLON ISLANDS. 35 



When sending the eggs to San Francisco, they are simply 

 tumbled into the fishing boat; many are thereby dented or 

 slightly cracked, but they are seldom broken enough to in- 

 jure their market value. At San Francisco they are boxed 

 and taken to market. 



The single large egg laid by the murre is deposited at any 

 place upon the rocks furnishing space enough for the 

 bird to sit. Its pear shape, an all-wise provision no doubt, 

 preventing it from rolling off of a slightly inclined plane. 

 The egg is constantly guarded by one of the pair, for if left 

 exposed it would be at once carried away by some watchful 

 gull. Sometimes two or three gulls will combine to rob a 

 murre that is separated a little from the colony; by feints 

 and tormenting from all sides the murre, in an unguarded 

 moment, or when striking at a gull, is certain to expose the 

 egg, which is immediately snatched by one of the gulls, 

 who, flying away, is pursued by the others for a share of the 

 spoil, which they seldom get. The gull in possession of the 

 egg retires to a convenient spot and breaks the egg, not by 

 dropping it, for by that he would lose the contents, but by 

 rolling it around against the rocks till it is dented sufficiently 

 for the gull to insert his beak. 



The gulls pick murres' eggs up bodily, and carry them away 

 in their capacious mouths, but do not stick their bills into 

 them to get hold, as stated by some writers, whose observ- 

 ations must have referred to eggs already broken by the 

 gulls or eggers. 



When the young is hatched the parents must be ever as 

 watchful, for the gulls will steal a young murre as soon as 

 they would an egg, and will swallow as large a young as 

 they can get down their insatiable throats. 



As soon as the young can care for themselves, that is, af- 

 ter the pin feathers are started, the murres leave the island, 

 or if the gulls are particularly numerous or troublesome, 

 old birds, in order to save their young, crowd them from 

 the rocks down and into the ocean where by diving they can 



