LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN DIVING BIRDS. 191 
Courtship—Mr. W. Elmer Ekblaw contributes the following 
interesting notes on the courtship of this species: 
The birds begin mating about the last week in May, the birds in their best 
years being probably the first to begin. The mating season is at its height, 
however, about the fifteenth or twentieth of June. Mating takes place both on 
the ice and on the ledges of the cliff. Their-courting.and nuptial struggles are 
grotesque. The male is very aggressive and persistent, the female apparently 
most indifferent to all the male’s blandishments or reluctant to assume the task 
of incubation and brooding. Sometimes she so effectively resists the attentions 
of the male by pecking and striking him that he gives up in despair and 
neglects her. Then she usually squats seductively before him. The sexual act 
seems to be.of great interest to the birds upon the same and neighboring ledges, 
for they crane their necks to watch it, and chatter volubly, as if commenting 
eaustically upon such open and flagrant misconduct, even at home. Often a 
pair, in their nuptial struggles on the cliff, tumble precipitately off like balls of 
black-and-white yarn. The male does not for a moment release his hold upon 
the female’s crest, apparently determined to do or die, even though both he 
and she be dashed to death upon the ice or rocks below. But always, just as an 
awful bump seems inevitable, they separate, flying congenially out across the ice 
or over the open sea. 
Nesting.—Mr. J. D. Figgins has sent me the following notes on the 
breeding habits of this species in Greenland: 
Briinnich’s murre nests on bare ledges of vertical cliffs (Parker Snow Bay 
and Saunders Island, Greenland) from near the water to about 200 feet above. 
The first eggs are laid about June 25. Because of excessive crowding of the 
narrow ledges and a lack of nest material, many eggs are lost. Fresh eggs 
were found about August 1, but there is no evidence of there being a second lay- 
ing other than because of breakage. In other words, I saw no evidence of rear- 
ing a second young. Both males and females were on the cliffs but in what 
proportion I am unable to say, but because of the absence of the birds, except 
in the immediate vicinity of the rookery, it may be presumed that they remain 
with the females during the season. The exception to this is in the instances 
where the young are on the water. Small young are often seen on the water at 
some distance from the rookery, always accompanied by the female only. As 
young of considerable size were numerous on the cliffs during August, it was 
believed those seen on the water had been dislodged rather than through intent 
of leaving the ledges. ; 
As there is no attempt at nest building, eggs being deposited on the bare rock, 
many are lost through the continual cumbersome movements of the birds. 
Quarrels or unusual sounds often create local panics among the adults and 
when they leave the ledges a shower of eggs and often small young are precipi- 
tated to the water below. Gregarious in the extreme during the breeding sea- 
son, Briinnich’s murres mass upon certain ledges, although equally suitable 
localities adjoin. There was no evidence of mating performances. Scolding 
was continuous. = 
Mr. Ekblaw has sent me the following account of the Saunders 
Island. colony: 
To attempt to paint an adequate picture of the rookery on Saunders Island 
would almost be futile; to succeed in doing so, would be to convict one’s self 
of wild exaggeration. Literally millions of the birds make the west end of 
