The Cassin Anklet 



Sanitation in the Auklet burrows is a thing unknown, and the young- 

 sters are stuffed with a semi-liquid food which smells like an abandoned 

 fish-market. An abundance of slaty down insures the chick against 

 rheumatism ; and his quarters must seem comfortable enough to him, for 

 he sits tight until he is full grown; and the only mark of adolescence left 

 when he quits the burrow is a little tipping of gray down. When haled 

 forth and released by the hand, the Auklet invariably dives downward, 

 skimming low, first over the ground or the rocks and then over the water, 

 and seeming to dread exposure. The reason for this is explained by 

 Howell, who says that the Cassin Auklets suffer a great deal from the 

 depredations of Duck Hawks. Indeed, it is the fashion of this master 

 pirate to quarter himself near some thriving colony of Auklets, and to 

 kill for sport even after his hunger has been appeased. 



Save for the reve- 

 lations of the nesting 

 season, the Cassin 

 Auklet is one of the 

 least observed of birds. 

 It takes care not to 

 be seen by daylight 

 in the vicinity of a 

 nesting colony, and 

 it feeds habitually, 

 whether in pairs or 

 small companies, well 

 out to sea. The win- 

 ter storms play sad 

 havoc with these birds, 

 and it is only from 

 examining the wreck- 

 age cast up on shore 

 that one may guess 

 how large the propor- 

 tion of Auklets really 

 is in our winter bird 

 population. 



Taken on the Farallon Islands Photo by the Author 



CASSIN AUKLET, PULLUS. IN SITU 



A BOARD I'NDER WHICH THE MOTHER BIRD HAD HIDDEN HER NEST HAS BEEN 

 REMOVED 



H73 



