344 
lap of feeding areas may sometimes occur near 
Point Hope. No particular portion of the ocean 
off the cliffs seems to be favored for feeding. 
Comparison of distribution with bottom types 
(Sparks and Pereyra, 1960:7^) does not reveal 
clear correlations. 
Movements of murres in the open sea within 
about 40 miles of the nearest colony are 
strongly oriented by the location of the nesting 
colony and are little influenced by winds. Re- 
gardless of wind direction, murre flight is over- 
whelmingly oriented either toward or away 
from nesting areas (Figs. 17 and 18). Beyond 
the limit of daily feeding flights (about 40 
miles), no significant flight trends are evident, 
in response either to weather or to colony loca- 
tion. 
Local or short-term orientations to winds 
may be striking. Takeoffs from both water and 
cliffs are made into the wind whenever pos- 
sible. In the immediate area of the nesting 
cliffs, flight patterns of murres approaching the 
cliffs are perceptibly influenced by winds. Sev- 
eral authors whose observations were made 
mostly from shore have noted flights of murres 
influenced by wind. Alexander (1935:299) 
observed feeding flights of Thick-billed Murres 
near Dungeness Point in England which usu- 
ally proceeded against the wind. The same 
author reiterates that movements are related to 
winds but are more related to tides and 
currents. Fay and Cade (1959:123) suggest 
that movements of murres at St. Lawrence 
Island are correlated with tidal currents. Alex- 
ander (1935:299) stated that birds are carried 
by water currents away from the feeding wa- 
ters and fly back to -regain their initial position. 
In the Cape Thompson area, however, neither 
tides nor currents are strong and probably have 
little influence on murre movements. It is pos- 
sible in the Cape Thompson area that winds 
may play the same displacing role that water 
movements may play elsewhere. Strong winds 
are common in the area, and Harrison (1955: 
110) and several others have noted unusual 
flights of alcids following strong winds. 
At Cape Thompson, flocks of murres com- 
ing in often approach the coastline 1 or 2 miles 
downwind from their nesting location and fly 
against the wind relatively close to shore. 
Under foggy conditions, which are especially 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XXI, July 1967 
common when the sea ice is still present, the 
murres appear to use the shoreline as a guide 
and fly only a few feet above the beach. While 
flying against the wind, murres, like many other 
species fly lower where friction with the sub- 
strate slows the air movements. Willoughby 
at sea and members of the shore party all 
repeatedly observed this tendency. 
Often, birds approaching the cliffs begin to 
gain altitude when about 5 miles from shore. 
Birds leaving the cliffs at this distance from 
shore generally fly lower than those approach- 
ing the cliffs, often within a few feet of the 
water. 
Flocks of murres, both approaching and leav- 
ing the cliffs, are largest close to the cliffs, 
although flocking of the departing birds seems 
to take place farther out to sea than does the 
breaking up of arriving flocks. Flocks flying 
away from the cliffs break up as the distance 
from the colony increases, as though the birds 
spread out to fill in the areas away from the 
breeding center. Viewed from the shore, ap- 
proaching flocks are seen to retain their integ- 
rity until single birds or groups of birds break 
off to occupy their own nesting cliffs. This is 
most conspicuous at the ends of the colonies, 
where V-shaped flocks flying along the coast- 
line can be seen to gradually lose their identity 
while flying along the nesting cliffs. 
Four Thick-billed Murres were shot at sea. 
A male and a female were shot on August 22 
at 67°53 / N, 166°09 / W; both showed evidence 
of having bred. A male and a female were shot 
on August 20 at 67°38 / N, 165°45^W. The 
male was molting into the winter plumage but, 
from the presence of a regressing brood patch 
and testes still somewhat enlarged, presumably 
had bred. The female was molting extensively. 
It possessed no brood patch, and the ovary and 
follicles were minute; this was probably a non- 
breeding bird. Tuck (1961:82-119) presented 
data which seem to indicate that most murres 
seen far at sea are young which have not yet 
reached breeding age. 
Both Shuntov (1961 : 1059-1061) and 
Jacques (1930:357) observed Thick-billed and 
Common Murres. Beyond the implication that 
murres were abundant, only Shuntov (1961: 
1059-1061) offered observations of real value 
in working out the broad outlines of murre 
