The California Murre 



Our own mission, that of providing material for a habitat group in 

 the California Academy of Sciences, although carefully safeguarded, was 

 necessarily somewhat destructive. On the 20th of May, very early in 

 the season, I ventured to disturb only one small colony of Murres, de- 

 termined to ascertain the state of breeding. The birds, some 200 of them, 

 moved off, hastily enough, and disclosed only 18 eggs. I had scarcely 

 withdrawn Avhen the gulls poured down upon the rocks and cleaned up 

 the eggs in a trice. They seized them in their bills without difficulty, but 

 let them fall again upon the rocks by way of getting at the contents. Some 

 eggs were strong enough to resist this treatment, and such the gulls 

 seized again and again and dropped from an increasing height, until the 

 object was accomplished. Several gulls would lick up the contents of a 

 single smashed egg; and although there was some squabbling, there was 

 no attempt to escape with booty to some undisturbed spot, as would have 

 been the case with a chunk of bread or meat. 



The Murres are evidently very much attached to a given situation, 

 once chosen. In no instance did I notice a diminution in numbers on the 

 ledges most disturbed, but rather an increase. For instance, a certain 

 flat-topped spur on the extreme west had been sacked just previous to our 

 arrival. We visited it three times, uncovering, to our regret, over eighty 

 eggs on the occasion of our last visit — yet this rock was swarming the day 

 after, and the number of birds had doubled by the time we left. There 

 was no doubt, either, that the birds on the disturbed ledges were increas- 

 ingly apprehensive and wild. In going after the Brandt Cormorants under 

 the umbrella tent we created such uneasiness in a certain populous colony 

 (of say 200 pairs) which we had to pass, that we determined to sacrifice 

 it and so rushed it. Ninety-seven eggs were exposed, all fresh or nearly 

 so, and these we took. Twice thereafter we had occasion to pass the same 

 way, and found it necessary to advance on the double quick to beat the 

 gulls to the uncovered eggs. In fact the last time the gulls did get in 

 first. Yet there were twice as many birds on the ledges the last time, and 

 I am persuaded that our depredation made no more than a momentary 

 difference. Moreover, and this point will bear emphasis — confidence 

 undoubtedly increases with the advance of incubation. The Murre just 

 emerging from a winter spent in the open ocean is a very skittish fowl. 

 She is thinking of laying an egg; but Oh, Mercy, no, not now! When she 

 is gravid with approaching maternity, she hates to move, but she will at 

 whatever risk to self and posterity. Three weeks of brooding, however, 

 will make her defiant of danger. In other colonies and upon more than 

 one occasion I have stroked the sitting females with the hand. 



To my great regret actual statistics are not available, but there is no 

 doubt that the birds "haul out" on the ledges several days, perhaps ten 



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