484 THE DIVING BIRDS — rYGOPODES. 



sujjply, as they are too far to be easily reached, and the birds are consequently free 

 from being wantonly and unnecessaril}'- disturbed. They begin to lay from the 17th 

 to the 27th of May — so Dr. Cooper was informed by INIr. Tasker, of the lighthouse — 

 and eggs can be found as late as August, since the many robberies to which the 

 birds are subjected oblige tliem to lay several times. As the eggs are laid on the 

 bare rock, and often on narrow ledges which are sloping and slippery, there are also 

 numerous chances of breakage ; and the birds have many enemies besides man, so that 

 Nature has provided them with the ability to lay many successive times in order that 

 some, at least, of the eggs may be hatched. Yet as each female lays but one egg at 

 a time, and as the birds are robbed of many thousands, the wonder is that so many 

 birds are successfully raised as must be in order to form the enormous flocks that 

 are still seen together. Probably if they were scattered over a more extensive sur- 

 face, or along the whole coast, their numbers would not seem so great. Even now, 

 the oldest eggers begin to see a diminution in the numbers ; and probably as the old 

 birds die off there will be much fewer raised to supply their places. There is, how- 

 ever, one fact in their favor ; namely, that the market value of their eggs has decreased 

 so much with the increase in the product of eggs of the domestic Hen, that they are 

 now worth little more than one third of the price of the latter ; and consequently the 

 gathering of them is no longer profitable after they begin to be a little scarce. This 

 occurs about the first of July, or after the gathering season has lasted about six weeks ; 

 and the birds are then left to themselves. The mode of gathering the eggs is as fol- 

 lows : The island is divided into two parts, and each is hunted over every other day. 

 After noon, the eggers having previously broken every egg they can find, so as to 

 secure freshness for the next lot, start out with large baskets, which they leave at con- 

 venient points. The men then scatter, and collect the eggs from the ledges, carrying 

 them down in a bag suspended in front, from Avhich they are transferred to the bas- 

 kets ; and when these are full, a covering of dry seaweed is put over them to protect 

 them from the Gulls, and they are carried to the storehouse, and thence shipped to 

 San Francisco. 



On the approach of the men the Murres reluctantly flutter off, and often drag 

 with them the precious eggs, which are dashed to pieces on the rocks, while the 

 birds fly to some distant point on the rocks or the water, making only a faint croak- 

 ing sound, the only note with which they seem to be gifted. At this time the Gulls, 

 which have been following the eggers with loud screams, watching their opportunity, 

 sometimes seize an egg by sticking their open bill into it, and fly off to eat its con- 

 tents at their leisure. Dr. Heermann relates an instance in which two Gulls made 

 a feint of attacking the Murre in front, while another stole up behind and seized the 

 egg, when the three flew off together to devour it. 



Specimens of the eggs of this Murre from the Farallones show, according to 

 Dr. Cooper, the following differences : The ground-color is white, greenish, blue- 

 green, sea-green, yellowish, or cinnamon, and they are either unspotted, or blotched, 

 speckled, or variously streaked with different shades of brown or black. They meas- 

 ure generally from 3.30 to 3.53 inches in length, by from 1.90 to 2.05 in width. Occa- 

 sionally very small ones — which are possibly abortive — measure only 2.05 by 1.45 

 inches. 



Limited numbers of this species were found by Mr. H. W. Elliott on the Prybilof 

 Islands, perched on the cliffs Avith the " Ari'ie," the two resembling each other so 

 closely, and being so inuch alike in their habits, that it requires a i)ractised eye to 

 distinguish them, ludess the observer is very near. The largest gathering of these 

 birds seen at any i)l;u'e on tlu'se islands was a flock of about fifty, at the high bluffs 



