The California Murre 









in the "fittest" specimens — 

 fittest, that is, to survive — 

 the little end marks the center 

 of a circle whose radius is 

 the longer axis of the egg. 

 This provides for mainte- 

 nance on narrow ledges under 

 ordinary circumstances; but 

 a sudden flight of the Murres 

 is bound to precipitate some 

 of the eggs, whatever their 

 shape. 



Not only are bare rocks 

 and ledges utilized, but eggs 

 are deposited under project- 

 ing stones, in crannies, caves, 

 or even old puffin burrows. 

 When the birds nest in shel- 

 tered situations, one pays a 

 fearful price for close ac- 

 quaintance. A Murre rook- 

 ery is not so bad where the 

 purifying rains have access 

 to it, but the stench of a pro- 

 tected cave is overpowering. Eggs are sometimes so encrusted with filth 

 as to be immovable, and fledglings are born into conditions which would 

 shame harpies. 



Apropos of this indifference to sanitation may be mentioned the 

 birds' preference for White-crested Cormorants, a favorably situated 

 nest of the latter being almost sure to attract a small group of nesting 

 Murres to its immediate vicinity. What compensating advantage this 

 arrangement may afford them we do not know, for they are certainly 

 doomed therein to a dismal martyrdom as targets for the Shag's impartial 

 distribution of whitewash. Moreover, a hobbledehoy cormorant is likely 

 to become very much excited over the advent of a birdman; whereupon, 

 clamorous of escape, he goes stravaging over these mild-mannered satel- 

 lites with exquisite ruthlessness. I have seen a group of Murres bowled 

 over in this fashion like ten-pins, not once but three times, after which 

 the birds chiefly aggrieved managed to extricate themselves from the 

 tangle, and made off grumbling. 



Murre chicks are not provided with abundant down, like baby puffins, 

 or even guillemots. They are scantily supplied, instead, with a stubby 



1 



Taken in Washington 



From a photograph, Copyright 1907, by W. L. Dawson 

 THE AWKWARD SQUAD 



H99 



