Evening star., 1951-10-05
Breeding Place of Bird
Believed Extinct Found
Cohow Nesting Underground
In Islands Off Bermuda
By Thomos R. Henry

BY Thomos R. Henry
The breeding place of the cahow, q
fabulous bird long believed vanished, has
been found on group Of rocky little
islands off Bermuda.
There apparently still are about 100
OF these strange birds left in the world,
according to report of the discovery
by DR.. Robert Cushman Murphy and
Louis S. Mowbray Of the American Mu-
scum of Natural History, published in
the official journal of the American
Ornithological Society.
The cahow is species of petrol, which
burrows in the ground like a woodchuck.
When Bermuda was discovered by the
Spanish explorer Diego Ramirez, he
reported that the island was literally
alive with these birds. He and his crew
lived on them for weeks. Almost the
same situation was reported by the
earliest English settlers in Bermuda in
1909. They found that both the cahow's
flesh and eggs were appetiZing. It saved
them from famine In 1914.
Slaughter of the petrels was heavy.
BY 1921 the cahow was believed to be
extinct. The creature generally was be-
lieved to be a species of sheerwater, a
Accounts Of Strange Behavior.
The accounts by Ramirez and by the
coloniSts OF the cahow'S strange behav-
ior and its abundance were considered
highly exaggerated. Now these turn out
to be quite accurate.
First evidence that the cahow was not
entirely extinct came in 1885 when a
fledgling female was captured which
did not correspond to any known species
but which seemed to fit the picture Of
certain fossil petrels found in Bermuda
limestone caves. But the first actual
proof that the strange bird not only
was still alive but still breeding in the
Bermuda area was found by Mr.. Now
bray last winter on the Castle Rock
group Of islets. They are little more
than uninhabited rocks covered with
grass, prickly pear and sea hyacinth..
A nesting bird was found at the end
of a tunnel six feet long, seven to eight
inches wide and Of about the same
height. The tunnel had been excavated
through soil and disintegrating rock IN
the face of hummock. Pulled out with
a moose, the nesting cahow first fought
violently. Then it became completely
nonresistant and allowed itself to be
handled freely. This more or less con-
f1rmed the accounts of the 18th century
colonists that these birds showed no
fear Of human beings-a trait which
brought about their supposed extinction.
Within the next few weeks several
other nests were found. All were at the
ends of long burrows. They could be
detected by faint musk-like odor. A
systematic watch was established to
learn something Of the cahow's habits.
Instinct For Direction.
Apparently during the nesting season
the female sits on the eggs deep under
the earth throughout the day. Some
time after dark, her mate comes in to
relieve her. He departs again long be-
fore daybreak. Seemingly the birds re-
turn to the nests with unerring ac-
curacy. This, Mr.. Mowbray believes,
constitutes about the most remarkable
direction-finding instinct in nature.
Other sea birds find their way back
to the nests over even greater distances
of water than are covered by the ca
hows. They hunt. however, for the most
part in daylight, and they thus have
certain landmarks to guide them. But
this strange petrol does all it's hunting
in total darkness, when it would be
impossible to recognize any familiar
objects. It must return to burrow
the entrance to which generally is hid
den.
These burrows themselves represent
an enormous amount of labor. They
probably are enlarged over several years.
Mr.. MoWbray believes.
The Castle Rock islets doubtless have
provided secure hiding place for the
cahows-named from their peculiar call
throughout the more than three CEN
turies during which they were believed
extinct. Nobody looks for bird nests
deep underground. The cahow never
was abroad where it could be sighted in
daylight.
There may be other small groups of
iSlets off Bermuda where cahow nests
may be found, the ornithologists be-
lieve. They may even have nested on
the mainland up to the time of the war
when their possible habitation sites were
destroyed by military installations.
At the best, says Mr.. Mowbray, there
hardly can be more than 100 cahows
left. This number probably will not
increase greatly. The cahow cannot
stand civilization. It depends for it's
survival on secrecy. The ornithologists
who report the discovery urge that the
utmost protection be given the islets.
which cannot be of any particular value
to man.