Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-09
LoorINe eKsAr RookERIEs.
Tons of Eggs on the Farallon Islands
Are Stolen by Poachers.

Are stolen Dy Foachers.
Next to the Behring sea seal slaughter
there is nothing that concerns California
50 closely on the Northern Pacific as the
wholesale pillaging of the nests of sea
birds on the Farallon islands. 1t is one OF
the ironies of fate that while Great Britain
rigidly protects even the smallest birds on
her own territory during the season, she
does not disdain to lay violent hands on
the mammals of neighboring friendly
power, and, on the other hand, that friend
ly power, 10 wit, the United States, looks
calmly on while its wild fowl are decimated
within sight of its shores by aliens and
even by its own citizens
For it so happens that the sea birds and
land birds which annually visit the Faral-
lon group for the purpose of reproducing
their species have a foe to reckon with
whose grasp is as ruthless as it is fatal.
Some idea may be formed of the annual
defamation of California and North Pacific
sea birds when 1t is stated that 5000 900 of
eggs We're brought into San Francisco
market from the Farallones in four years,
and that in an immense majority of cases
the parent birds produced but single egg
none more than three. Even at the
present time the average import OF sea
birds eggs from the FaraNones is $50, 900
annually. BY courtesy they are called the
eggs of the ''murre" As a matter of fact
the true ''murre" or razor bili'' is toler-
ably exclusive inhabitant of the seaboard
of the Atlantic ocean north of Cape Henry.
The Farallon rookeries afford, even I'M
der the existing conditions of rapid depopu-
lation and barefaced, unchecked spoilation,
a wonderful example of the prolific power
of nature on the shores of a sub-tropical
land. The principal island-the South Far
ahon-on which the lighthouse is situated,
may run short of potable water in every dry
season, but the lighthouse people would
never starve for want of animal food
Nevertheless, the birds are gradually de-
sorting the islands. The bones of numer-
Gus species of Pacific coast birds, rarely or
never seen now, are common in the shelf
cred caves of the group. The various spe-
cies of auks, the puffins, the guillemots.
the cormorants, are common, and the plov-
ers and petrels stiil breed on the islands,
but other California birds, once quite IA
milar visitors TO the group, have sought
abodes less disturbed by the egg poacher,
the orthinoicgist and the pot hunter.
OF all the birds on the group the puff
fms are the most picturesque and en-
tertaining to the visitor and the orno-
biologist. The aux family is, how
ever, the principal contributor to the egg
poacher's wallet Just as soon as the
merry month of May" approaches there
is stir among the small schooners and
sailing craft in San Francisco bay, and sill
emily, like a thief in the night" each skip
per works his way out between the heads
10 the far Farallonsn His crew, mostly
composed of Greeks and Italians, with a
liberal sprinbling of water front castaways,
effect quiet, unperceived landing on the
South Farallon, usually on the Sugar Loaf
rock, to the northwest, because that is the
spot where the birds breed earliest.
The cliffs are quite rugged, and with a
perpendicular of nearly 100 feet, the sport is
no childs play, and accidents are not infre-
quent. Each egg hunter is furnished with
shirt of special construction, provided
with an open front for slowing away the
eggs, and bed of soft seaweed about the
waistband for the eggs to rest on. A good
hand will pick out and get away with 200
eggs day in this manner.-San Francisco
Chronicle