Sept., 1918 



OCEANIC BIRDS FROM OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON 



179 



ing unable again to reach the bottom. On this date 1 collected a specimen of the 

 Skua (Megalestris skua), taken while eating a dead rock cod which was floating 

 on the surface. About six of these birds were seen during the day. The captain, 

 who is a keen observer, said that this was the third time in eleven years of fish- 

 ing in this locality that he had seen them. He described the species to me at the 





g a jjl 



Fig. 34. Black-footed Albatrosses photographed off the coast of Wash- 

 ington. 



start of the trip, calling it the "strange bird", and the rarest bird in that lo- 

 cality. 



While not of a strictly ornithological nature it may be of interest to note that 

 on this date a school of the Alaska Fur Seal were observed playing quite close to 

 the boat . One Black-footed Albatross (Diomedea nigripes) was seen on this 

 date. 



