LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN DIVING BIRDS. 137 
teresting account of the early departure of the young, which is cer- 
tainly a striking performance: 
The journey of the young to the sea is one of the most interesting sights on 
the island, and by the aid of a lantern was witnessed on several occasions. The 
-pilgrimage is made during the night within a day or two after hatching, and is 
evidently initiated by one or both of the parents who take up a position on the 
sea not far from the shore. Here, about midnight, they commence a chorus of 
calls resembling the chirp of an English sparrow with the tremulo stop open, 
and in response the young beautiful, black-and-white creatures, as active as 
young quails, soon pour in a living flood down the hillsides. Falling over roots, 
scrambling through the brush, or sprawling headlong over the rocks, they 
race at a surprising rate of speed drawn by the all-compelling instinct to reach 
the sea. They may be temporarily attracted by the lantern’s light, and flutter 
aimlessly about one’s feet; but sooner or later they heed the calls and once 
more plunge down the slopes. Almost every night during these migrations the 
surf was pounding violently on the rocky beaches, and many times one could 
see the young swept off the cliffs, and after struggling a moment in the waves 
they disappeared from sight and seemed doomed to destruction. 
To test the correctness of this observation a young murrelet, which came 
down the slopes early one evening, was liberated on the beach close to the 
dashing surf. Without a moment’s hesitation, and without the stimulus 
of a parent’s call, it plunged boldly into the water, poised a moment on the 
summit of a great foam-crested wave, and dived with surprising speed and 
accuracy to reappear 10 seconds later as many feet at sea. A, momentary 
appearance, another dive and still another carried it beyond the swirl of 
the surf, and, swimming rapidly and paddling across patches of kelp, always 
in a bee line, it soon disappeared from view. 
Plumages—In the downy young the upper parts are of jet black, 
including the back, wings, crown, and sides of the head to a point 
below the eye; there is a whitish auricular patch in the black area 
back of the ear; the occiput and the whole dorsal region seems to 
be clouded with bluish gray, due to a subterminal portion of each 
filament being so colored; the under parts are pure white, slightly 
tinged with yellowish. 
I have not been able to find any specimens showing the changes 
from the downy young to the first winter plumage, but the young 
bird in the fall has the throat mostly or wholly white, though in 
some cases there is more or less dusky on the chin; there are no 
white plumes on the head, neck, or shoulders, which are character- 
istic of the adult; the bill of the young bird is dusky and smaller 
than that of the adult. During the late winter or early spring a 
partial molt takes place, producing the black throat of the first 
nuptial plumage and making old and young birds practically 
indistinguishable. 
The adult has a partial prenuptial molt in the late winter or early 
spring, involving mainly the head and neck and a complete post- 
nuptial molt late in the summer producing the adult winter plumage. 
The adult in the fall has a more or less whitish bill and usually 
