36 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



chick was also seen. A number of young birds in the down 

 were encountered at Hood Island in February, all running 

 about in a lively manner. Two or three young just able to 

 fly were also noted walking about in hunched-up attitudes 

 among the adults, and apparently begging for food. 



As a rule these gulls could be approached fairly closely. 

 After two visits to the islet off northeast James, however, the 

 birds of that place became quite wary, often flying before the 

 boat arrived within shot-gun range. As a rule this gull is 

 not lured to a decoy; but exceptions were observed south of 

 the archipelago, when two approached, one to examine a 

 wounded Dark-rumped Petrel, the other a wounded Peruvian 

 Booby. 



Their enemies on land seemed to be the Galapagos Hawks. 

 Two young birds on Hood Island, which were tied up and 

 left for a short time, were killed and torn to pieces by one of 

 these birds. The Man-o'-war Birds often pursued the adult 

 gulls to make them disgorge, and the evolutions gone through 

 by both species were very surprising, the victim dashing about 

 in all directions. One poor gull was observed with two of 

 its enemies in pursuit. It did not disgorge, and as a result 

 one of the pirates seized its foot, injuring it so that it hung 

 down, after which the tormentors desisted. 



When flying, birds of this species seemed to have alternate 

 upward and downward movernents of the body with 

 each stroke of the wings. Usually they flew singly 

 or in flocks not exceeding half a dozen. On north- 

 east Indefatigable some were seen circling high in the air 

 without any discernible movement of the wings. They never 

 circled about the vessel except at sea. Birds were seen rest- 

 ing on the water in only two instances, once at Daphne and 

 once at sea. In the latter case a bird, which was flying close 

 to the water, alighted. Three others very high in the air 

 then came swooping down in long spirals, as Man-o'-war 

 Birds do, and sat on the water with the first bird. Whether 

 or not they were feeding, could not be ascertained. 



I have never for a certainty observed them feeding, and 

 rather suspect that as a rule they do so at night. Their diet 

 seems to consist chiefly of squids, which both young and old 

 often disgorge when being killed. At Daphne five or six 



