190 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



were more numerous than at any time since he had been 

 with me. 



On the 26th a few adult Marbled Murrelets appeared — 

 the first of the season. They came from the northward 

 in couples, and passed with great rapidity down the coast. 

 There was quite a movement southward of California 

 Murres, chiefly of individual birds. A few scattered 

 Northern Phalaropes were also seen going south. A female 

 that was taken displayed no signs of recent oviposition. 

 It had retained more of the breeding plumage, however, 

 than the one shot on the nth. 



The passage of individual California Murres down the 

 coast continued on the 27th as on the 26th. One Murre, 

 frightened by being shot at, turned upon its course and 

 flew northward for some distance. Then it rose higher 

 in the air, apparently to get its bearings, altered its course 

 so as to head south again, and finally descended to the 

 ordinary level of flight. This maneuver was resorted to 

 a second time before it got fully in line with the southerly 

 trend of the shore. The whole circumstance seemed to 

 indicate that the bird recognized the landmarks, and was 

 able to determine the direction by them and regain its 

 former course. 



There was also considerable migration south in Northern 

 Phalaropes on this day. In two hours during the fore- 

 noon seven small companies rounded Pt. Pinos — the 

 largest one had nine birds in it. The testes of a male 

 that was shot were those of a bird that had bred. A visit 

 to Seal Rocks revealed that a large flock of Black Turn- 

 stones was occupying the place of the few individuals 

 found there on previous visits (the last occasion being 

 July i8th), proving an invasion from another locality, 

 presumably from the north, as in the case of the Northern 

 Phalaropes. 



