422 Bird -Lore 



plumage of wild birds for personal adornment. At one time many of their 

 fancy costumes were decorated with bills of the Puffin, tail-feathers of the 

 Flicker, wing-feathers of the Gull, and breasts of the Swan. E. W. Merrill, 

 of Sitka, showed me several Indian garments thus decorated. He informs 

 me that of late years ver^^ few bh-ds are killed for their plumage by the Indians. 

 He states, however, that they still kill Swans whene^'er they have the oppor- 

 tmiity, as they consider the flesh of this bird a great delicacy. The Ra\'en, 

 tlie Woodpecker and the Kingfisher are regarded as sacred by the Indians 

 of southeastern Alaska, and may frequently be seen carved on their totem 

 poles. 



St. Lazaria is the only island in tlie immediate \dcinity that is used to 

 any great extent by the water-fowl as a breeding-grounds. On some of the 

 small rocks oflt Biorka Island, tweh"e miles to the southward, there are small 

 colonies of Gulls, Cormorants, Guillemots and Puffins, but they are ver}^ small 

 and unimportant as compared to the numbers of birds nestmg on the reserva- 

 tion. 



The following is a detailed account of the birds found on the reservation: 



BREEDING WATER-BIRDS 



LiDida cirrhata. Tufted Puffin. 



Breeding abundant!}' all around the island on the edges of the bluffs. 

 The burrows are dug into the soil among the grass roots to an average depth 

 of five feet. Xest cavity is thinly lined with dry grass. IMost of the nests 

 examined contained downy },-oung by July 31. Estimated number of pairs 

 nesting on island, 2,000. 

 Fratcrcida coniicidata. Horned Puffin. 



Probablv a dozen pairs nesting in crevices of overhanging cliffs. On August 

 15, tliree pairs of these birds were observed carrying small fish mto crevices 

 m a clift" on the northeast side of the island. They were undoubtedl}' feeding 

 voung, as both birds were engaged in carrying fish. I succeeded in climbing 

 to within a few feet of the entrances to the nest cre^'ices, but was miable to 

 see far enough in to ascertain tlieir contents. 

 Ccrorli'uica )iioiiocerata. Rhinoceros Auklet. 



Tills bird has not been pre^"iously recorded as breeding on the reser\*ation. 

 I found, however, unmistakable evidence that a colony of from fifty to a 

 hundred pairs had nested and raised their }'Oung previous to the time of my 

 arrival on tlie island. This colony was situated on the north slope about 

 one hundred and fifty feet above the water. The burrows were in the ground 

 among the roots and stumps of trees. They measured less m diameter than 

 those of the Puffin and averaged se^•en to eight feet in length. There was 

 apparently no attempt at nest-building. Most of the burrows examined were 

 empty, the young ha\"ing apparently taken to the water some little time 



