The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-27

of his bent. He had ample time and
thus was enabled to get the full JOY OF
the pastime. Whole days were spent
boating along the shore or wandering
inland in pursuit of the feathered tribe.
He gathered eggs by the thousand and
many OF these were utilized as food.
Sea gulls' eggs were gathered by the
barrel and sailed down.
There were small islands Just of
shore that werc virtually laden with
birds and their eggs. To those islands
IittIejohn used TO repair for harvest
of eggs. He would seek nests contaiR-
ing just three eggs each, because he
would know that these eggs were
fresh. OF the three he would appro-
pirate two and mark the remaining
one, which was left as nest egg
In few days he would make an
other visit and take home the fresh
eggs. and could keep the process up
almost indefinitely, as the birds seemed
never to tire OF laying eggs for him.
In that northern cline Littlejohn
found a great variety of birds. both OF
land and sea. and OF their lives and
habits he made thorough study.
1 Among the more interesting of the
species was the ancient murrelst, a
bird about the size of an ordinary
QUILL lHlS QlTQ pIGGQS III Etcdl
bers and its nests are found all over
the islands lying of the Alaskan coast
But it takes an expert TO find the
nests. as it is one of the peculiarities
of the bird to hide its nest. More often
II will burrow in the thick mating OF
wild grasses that is found covering
much OF the land and under this mat
ting conceal It's eggs. 1t will even
burrow down into the ground in order
to find a hiding place.
The female OF this species lays Just
two eggs TO a setting and upon these
eggs the male and female take turns
in setting. each taking a turn 90 "a
houre. As soon as one bird is relieved
by it's mate it flies out to sea in quest
of food and this food consists princi-
pally of crustacean growths. At dark
the ancient murreiet flies homeward
and then the air round about the nest
ing places fairly swarms with them.
In 1894 Idttlejohn went to Alaska
in the interest OF the Smithsonian In
stitution at Washington 10 secure
specimens of birds and their eggs He
WAS vers successful and secured some
400 birds and 1880 eggs, many OF
which have hfen installed in the cele-
brated institution at the national cap
ital
1t was during this trip that Little
john secured a specimen of the bird
known as Peale's falcon. a veEy rare
bird. indeed, as the finder claims that
this is the oply captured specimen in
the world He secured a female and
three eggs, but it was only after great
effort
The bird is very wild and fierce
building it's nest in secret and almost
inaccessible places in the steep cliff:
of the seashore. sometimes hundred:
of feet above the waters edge.
On one of his previous visits Mr.
I.ittlejohn had discovered the where
abouts of one of these nests but couls
not exactly locate IL. This time he re
solved to locate it il such a thinf
were possible.
He knew that the nest was some
where in the face of steep cliff nea'
the camping place; so. arising on'
morning before daybreak he rowed q
the place and hid behind a rock, guI
in hand Then he waited for the da,
to dawn and when it was fairly ligh
he stood up in his boat and gave
series of loud halloas.
In the meantime he scanned the fac
of the cliff carefully and soon saw
one of the birds emerge from a nool
quite high above the water an,
make a savage swoop down towar,
him. But he quickly raised his shot
gun and killed the fowl before 1t coul'
attack him.
The dead bird fell into the sea an