VOL. IX. 



The Oologist. 



ALBION, N. Y., DEC, 1892. 



NO, 12 



Eggs of the California Mubre. — From photo by C. Barlow. 



Professional Egging; or the Collecting 

 Murre's Eggs in California- 



of 



"What kind of birds are those?", was 

 one of the numerous queries I pro- 

 pounded a deck-hand on the tug-boat, 

 while on my trip to the Farallone Is- 

 lands this summer, We had just steam- 

 ed through the Golden Gate into the 

 surging Pacific, with the gray, bareu, 

 sloping shore on either side gradually 

 creeping away from us, when a flock 

 of beautiful birds, with black backs in 

 striking contrast to their snowy white 

 breasts, winged their rapid flight across 

 the water from a point near the shore, 

 and gracefully settled on the crest of a 

 wave, a short distance from the boat. 

 As these were the first sea-birds I had 

 noticed, I did not recognize them at 



first, though I could have done so had 

 Iref erred to my prepared list of the 

 birds I expected to see on the trip. 

 This, however, was keeping company 

 with a lime and a piece of codfish, (pre- 

 ventatives (V) of seasickness) in my 

 pocket, and was left undisturbed. 



So I did not attempt to identify the 

 birds, but inquired of the deck-hand, 

 who seemed to have a correct knowl- 

 edge of the sea fowl, what they were. 

 He glanced toward the birds and repli- 

 ed: "Those are Murres." Here was 

 my first introduction to the California 

 Murre, and I admired the flock as they 

 executed many graceful feats in the 

 water, until the mountainous waves 

 hid them from view. 



The Murre, common as it is, is a 

 beautiful bird, and a nicely mounted 



