The California Murre 



The downy young that are about three days old add to the confusion, 

 for they choose the night to start their hegiras. Without guidance or path 

 they tumble off rocks, fall from cliffs, downward, ever downward, until 

 caught by a smashing wave at the shore. And here all trace of them is 

 lost, until we find them again as adults. 



Griffing Bancroft. 



No. 297 



California Murre 



A. O. U. No. 30a. Uria troille californica (Bryant). 



Synonyms. — California Guillemot. California Egg-bird. Farallon 

 Bird. 



Description. — Adult in summer: Head and neck all around warm sooty brown, 

 changing on upperparts to dark brownish slate, feathers of back and rump with a little 

 pale grayish brown edging; underparts from throat abruptly pure white, the sides 

 shaded or striped with sooty; wing-linings white, varied with dusky; secondaries nar- 

 rowly tipped with white; a sulcus, or groove, in plumage behind eye. Bill and feet 

 black; irides brown. Adult in winter: Similar, but white of underparts extending to 

 bill, and invading occiput till only a narrow central stripe of black remains, shading on 

 head enough to outline a dusky stripe behind eye. Immature, first winter: Like winter 

 adults, but white not invading occiput, and less extensive on side of head, with some 

 dusky clouding on jugulum. Chicks are white centrally below and brownish dusky 

 above, with lance-linear projecting white feathers on head and neck. Length of adult 

 381-457.2 (15.00-18.00); av. of 10 Monterey specimens: length (skins) 439 (17.3); wing 

 206.3 (8.12); bill 44.8 (1.76), depth through angle 13.3 (.52); tarsus 38.8 (1.53). 



Recognition Marks. — Crow size; black and white coloration; aquatic habits; 

 sharply pointed wings; rapid, graceful flight; tapering head, slant of forehead nearly 

 conformable to that of bill. 



Nesting. — Single egg, laid on ledge of rock, in cranny or in cave; sharply tapering 

 at one end, very variable as to ground-color, ranging through white, grayish- bluish-, 

 or greenish-white, to deep sea-green, and variously marked, spotted, scrawled, or 

 stained with brownish or purplish black and such self-tones as ecru-olive, clay-color, 

 Prout's brown, sayal brown, walnut-brown, and snuff-brown, or even, rarely, chocolate. 

 Av. size 82.2x52.2 (3.24x2.055); index 63.5. Season: June (March 6-July 25, 

 Bent). 



General Range. — Coasts and islands of the northern Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, 

 and the adjacent portions of the Arctic Ocean. Breeds from southern California north 

 to Norton Sound, the Pribilof Islands, St. Matthews Island, the Aleutian Islands, and 

 the Commander Islands. At other seasons recorded north to Wrangel Island and south 

 to northern Japan. 



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