THE TUFTED PUFFIN. 



(^ HESE birds nest in colonies, 



^ the family consisting of about 



^ thirty species, nearly all found 



~^ in the northern parts of the 

 northern hemisphere. Audubon is 

 said to have procured the specimen 

 figured by him at the mouth of the 

 Kennebec river, Maine, the only record 

 of its occurrence on the Atlantic coast. 



The Tufted Puffin breeds upon the 

 rocks and in the Rabbit warrens near 

 the sea, finding the ready-made burrows 

 of the Rabbit very convenient for the 

 reception of its egg, and fighting with 

 the owner for the possession of its 

 burrow. Where Rabbits do not exists 

 the Puffin digs its own burrows, and 

 works hard at its labor. The egg is 

 generally placed several feet within 

 the holes, and the parent defends it 

 vigorously. 



Like most of the sea birds, both 

 sexes assist in incubation, says a recent 

 writer, referring to the birds found at 

 the famous rookery in the open sea two 

 hundred miles west of Fort Wrangell, 

 an island often visited by the Indians 

 for birds and eggs, and are close sitters, 

 a great amount of probing with a long 

 stick being necessary to dislodge them. 

 A grassy hill side is a favorite retreat 

 and here it is dangerous to travel about 

 on account of the Puffins constantly 

 coming blindly out of their dark holes 

 with a force sufficient to upset one if 

 fairly struck by the flying birds. 

 When specimens are wanted they are 

 easily captured with snares set over 

 their holes during the night. The 

 vari-colored pear-shaped eggs are well 

 known and make good eating. 



The Farrallones are the home of 

 vast numbers of Puffins, as well as 



other sea-birds, though less numerous 

 than formerly. The nests have been 

 robbed for the eggs to an extent that 

 threatened their extermination until a 

 recent law was enacted for their pro- 

 tection. A portion of the island is a 

 veritable rookery, the grotesque birds 

 standing guard all about the rocks. 

 They are very awkward on land, 

 moving with a'comical waddling stride, 

 but on the wing are graceful, rapid 

 flyers. They dive and swim with 

 ease, pursuing the fish in the w^ater, 

 which, with crustaceans and insects, 

 constitutes their food. 



The Farrallones have become largely 

 known from the wholesale collection 

 of the eggs of sea birds for market 

 purposes. As they nest chiefly in 

 colonies, the eggs therefore being 

 numerous, it has been, hitherto, a 

 considerable industry. The eggers 

 starting together soon separate to cover 

 their various routes over the cliffs, the 

 birds appearing in rows all over the 

 hill side. "As an egger climbs his 

 familiar trail toward the birds, a 

 commotion becomes apparent among 

 them. They jostle their neighbors 

 about the uneven rocks and now and 

 then with open bills utter a vain pro- 

 test and crowd as far as possible from 

 the intruder without deserting their 

 eggs. But they do not stay his progress 

 and soon a pair, then a group, and 

 finally, as the fright spreads, the whole 

 vast rookery take wing toward the 

 ocean. Instantly the Western Gulls 

 congregate with their hollow kock-kock- 

 ka and shrill cries adding to the din, 

 to secure their share of the booty, and 

 the egger must then work rapidly to 

 secure the eggs." 



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