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The Tufted Puffin 
center of abundance is generally conceded to be the Aleutian Islands, i 
Deposition of eggs occurs as early as May i in southern California, and 
as late as August i in northern latitudes ; but fresh j 
Egg-laying eggs may also he found from June i to June 20 at any | 
given point in its breeding range. Thus, on certain ! 
islets off the coast of Washington, I have found the Puffins punctual j 
to a day, and deposition occurring with practical uniformity; whereas 
on the Farallones, 1911, there was a steady increase in numbers from j 
the ist to the 28th of May, with a few still to be heard from on June 3. j 
The winter range of this species comprises the open ocean, and the birds 
are occasionally driven shoreward along the Aleutian chain and the coasts | 
of approximate latitudes. 
From time immemorial, the natives of the North Pacific islands have | 
placed large dependence upon the Puffins, both the Tufted and the Horned, 
to supply both food and clothing, and large numbers are caught annually | 
by means of small nets mounted on poles, — a sort of glorified butterfly 
hunt. Puffin meat is not distasteful, as sea-birds go, although white men ' 
do not care for it. More important to the native 
Usefulness Aleutian is the uniformly tough skin, which goes into | 
the making of parkas, the famed feather-coats of the 
North. These garments, each requiring the use of from forty-five to | 
fifty Puffin-skins, are made up feather-side in, and are nearly impervious ! 
to cold. 
We need no economic excuse to cloak our interest in these quaint old- 
men-of-the-sea, the Tufted Puffins. Remote, unobtrusive though they be, 
they belong to us to study, to protect (as need arises), and to enjoy. A 
visit paid to one of their breeding-haunts is like a trip to fairyland, a real 
and tangible bit of romance. Such a privilege, properly exercised, is the 
inherent right of every American citizen, and should be safeguarded to 
our children for all time. The maintenance in full measure of these and 
other sea-fowl is so obvious an esthetic advantage to the race that no taint 
of commercialism ought to enter, at any point, into our consideration of 
them. 
Classification and Distribution 
The Tufted Puffin belongs to the Order Pygopodcs, the Suborder Cefplii, the 
Family Alcidcc, and the Genus Ltiiida. Its scientific name is Lunda cirrhata. It 
inhabits the coasts and islands of the Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea and North Pacific, 
as far south as Japan and southern California. 
This and other Educational Leaflets are for sale, at 5 cents each, hy the National Association of 
Auffiibon Societies, 1974 Broadway, New York City. Lists given on request. 
