The Potnarine Jaeger 



Nesting. — Does not breed in California. Nest: On the ground, of grass and 

 moss. Eggs: 2 or 3; pale olive-green or deep olive-drab, sparingly spotted with 

 slate color and two shades of umber, chiefly at the larger end, where they become 

 confluent (Brewer). Av. size 66 x 47 (2.60 x 1.85). 



General Range. — Chiefly northern part of Northern Hemisphere. Breeds in 

 high Arctic latitudes (north at least to Latitude 83); migrates chiefly coastwise, and 

 winters south to Galapagos. Peru, Africa, and Australia. 



Occurrence in California. — "Common fall migrant coastwise * * * * Occurs 

 off 'Point Pinos in every month of the year' (Beck) though only common during August 

 to October" (Grinnell). 



Authorities. — W. E. Bryant (Stercorarius pomarinns), Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 

 ser. 2, ii., 1889, p. 87 (San Francisco); J. Mailliard, Condor, vol. vi., 1904, p. 15 (San 

 Francisco Bay); Beck, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci!, 4th ser., iii., 1910, p. 61 (off Point Pinos); 

 Cooke, U. S. Dept. Agric, Bull. no. 292, 1915, p. 7, map (distr., migr.) ; Bent, U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. Bull. no. 113, 1921, p. 7 (life hist.; desc. nest and eggs, etc.). 



FISHER-FOLK, because of their exposed situation, have ever been 

 at the mercy of pirates and free-booters; and the same rule obtains in 

 the bird-world as among men. The Bald Eagle stands ready to relieve 

 the Fish Hawk of his hardly-won prey, and the Man-o'-war-bird sweeps 

 the southern main on a perpetual quest for fish-laden Gannets and Peli- 

 cans. In the northern waters the gentlemen of the sea are the Jaegers — 

 hunters. Here upon wings marvelously swift and cruelly graceful, the 

 little corsairs hurry to an fro to observe which of their fisher-friends has 

 made a catch, and to make instant requisition of it. It may even be a 

 Glaucous Gull that has just swallowed a herring, and if detected in the 

 act the Gull moves off screaming, while the little bully darts at him 

 repeatedly, and prods and browbeats him until he is glad to disgorge 

 for the sake of being rid of his persecutor. 



The Kittiwake Gull is the acknowledged thrall of this rapacious 

 viking, and if his eggs or callow young escape the devouring beak, it is 

 only that they may henceforth share the spoils of the sea with their 

 merciless master. Bullies are also cowards, and it pleases us to learn 

 that this larger species stands in awe of its lesser kinsmen, the Parasitic, 

 and the Long-tailed Jaeger, and that it has to submit to a drubbing now 

 and then at the hands of one or another of these peppery assailants. 



Jaegers follow their victims southward in the fall, and in their 

 movements and abundance bear pretty constant relation to those of the 

 Terns. Beck says that they may be found off Point Pinos every month in 

 the year, but that they are really common only during the fall migrations. 

 It is pretty certain also that they winter to some extent all along our 

 southern coast, but we are not able to pronounce upon their abundance 

 relative to that of the following species. 



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