WAPITAGUN 



and its very short tail. In the water the auk is 

 apt to cock its tail up. In flight the legs of the 

 murre extend out behind like a tail and like 

 the same appendage are spread apart when 

 the bird makes quick turns. In the auk the 

 legs in flight are concealed under the tail. As 

 far as I could discover there were no Briin- 

 nich's murres on the island. This bird, which 

 prefers the narrow ledges of cliffs, occurs on 

 the eastern coast and to a less extent on the 

 southern. It is distinguished by a broader, 

 thicker bill. 



As we sailed away we had the pleasure of 

 seeing the birds return at once to the island 

 and of knowing that, although we had obtained 

 much information in the form of notes and 

 photographs, we had caused the birds but lit- 

 tle anxiety or damage. I shudder to think of 

 the devastation that would be inflicted by the 

 arrival on the island of the crew of a fishing- 

 schooner, yet this arrival is more than a prob- 

 ability. The consideration of the prevention 

 of this sort of thing and the conservation of 

 the birds will be reserved for a later chapter. 



Not far from Coacoacho Bay we passed Wolf 

 Bay and could see the house of the only family 

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