BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 9 



divers and swimmers under water, and voracious in their 

 pursuit of small fry. Unlike marbled murrelets they did 

 not seek safety in flight when pursued. Neither did they 

 dive as soon or remain as long under water when keeping 

 out of the way of the boat. If a whitecap developed 

 near them they would always escape it by diving. That 

 this little Auk leaves its summer home in the land of ice- 

 bergs and comes south in considerable numbers in winter 

 to California has not been generally known to ornithol- 

 ogists." 



In April it starts north again, and by May 20 has 

 reached the breeding ground in Alaska. Here it selects 

 a nesting place, either a deep crevice in the rock, the 

 abandoned burrow of a rabbit, or under the heavily 

 matted grass. Under the grass it burrows its way for 

 two or three feet, and there scratches out a small cavity, 

 lining it carefully with dry grass from the outside. Here 

 two buff eggs are laid. These are brooded by one bird 

 during the day, while the other feeds out at sea. At 

 night they change places. The only account of their 

 nesting habits has been given by Mr. Littlejohn, who 

 spent some time with them on an Alaskan island. He 

 describes the squeaky noises made by the nocturnal birds, 

 murrelets, auklets, and petrels, as effectually banishing 

 sleep. " As if not satisfied with the constant babble of 

 their neighbors, the murrelets took especial delight in 

 alighting at the foot of the A-shaped tent, toe-nailing 

 it up to the ridgepole, resting there a moment, and then 

 sliding down the other side." 



