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Show 276 193. Graouluapenicillatus, ( Gray).- Brandt's Cormorant. This is one of the Cormorants fonnd upon the Farallone Islands in summer, and DO doubt breeds also on the Santa Barbara Islands, though I was not able to satisfy myself perfectly of its presence on Santa Cruz in June. A specimen, however, taken on San Miguel was very kindly presented me by Captain Forney, who shot numbers of the same kind. 194. Graculus violacens, ( Gray), var. bairdii, Cooper. The Violet- green Cormorant of Oregon, Washington Territory, and to the northward, is represented on the Californian coast by a smaller bird, which appears to be its southern race. The difference is one chiefly of size, the discrepancy being in this particalar considerable and out of the range of purely individual differentiation. The proportions, colors, & c, of the two appear to be identical. This bird is very numerous all along the coast of Southern California, and probably reaches northward into Oregon. I saw many in San Francisco Bay in May, and on reaching the islands of the Santa Barbara Channel it was found congregated in great numbers. Most of the places they had selected as nesting- sites were inaccessible to me. At low tide I succeeded in entering one of the gloomy caverns, where a dozen pairs had established themselves. The nests were merely collections of weeds and sticks matted together and placed upon the shelves of rook sufficiently high to be out of danger from the tide. This was June 4, and they all contained young in the downy state. The old birds forsook the place in a mass, and flew wildly about the entrance, but without attempting to re- enter, though the yonng birds kept up a vociferous calling all the while. In flying about the island, the old birds passed within easy gunshot of the rocky points, and I could have procured all the specimens I desired had it not been for the strong surf which swept the shores and made their recovery very hazardous. They never ventured over the land. It is a constant habit with these birds, having spent the morning in fishing, and having appeased their hunger, to sit in groups on the cliffs which immediately overhang the water, and often in such numbers as to blacken the rocks. When disturbed, those nearest to the edge drop overboard, while those in the rear scramble forward in the most awkward way, and, having made the plunge, swim underneath the water till they have gained a safe distance. The present species was immediately recognizable among its congeners by its small size. The white flank- tufts are, I think, a distinguishable feature of the breeding-period, and are soon lost. They were seen only in the males, and the size is extremely variable; being in some individuals scarcely discernible, while in others they were conspicuous at a long distance. No. 784 785 783 Sex. rfad. d ad. 9 ad. Locality. Santa Cruz Island, Cal do do Date. Jnne - • Tune - June - Collector. H. W. Henshaw... .... do .... do Wing. 9 75 9.75 Tail. 7.00 7 no 10.16 ? so BilL 1.85 1.78 1.97 Tarsus. 1.90 1.85 8.10 LARIDJE.- GULLS ; TERNS. 195. Larus argentatus, ( Briton.,) var. oceidentalis, Aud.- Pacific Herring Gull. This Gnll is very numerous in San Francisco Harbor, as it is indeed in all the bays and inlets of the coast, and its numbers are perhaps greater the year round than any other species. Free from molestation, they have become almost semi- domesticated, and fly about the wharves and over the vessels with an impunity only born of long immunity from danger. The rocky islets along the coast furnish them with safe and plentiful breeding- grounds. At Santa Cruz, thousands had congregated and were nesting in early June. In a few instances, they had attempted to nidificate on the mainland, but a few feathers and bits of egg- shells about the nests told in each case the fate of parent and eggs : their enemy was the foxes, whose numbers are scarcely without limit. Only one of the small adjoining islets was accessible to me. A few pairs had nested here. The nests were made of a good generous supply of sea- weed and like material, well matted together, the cavity being quite deep. The eggs are of a greenish olive, spattered profusely and irregularly with blackish markings. No. 11 28 781 Sex. Ad. ? ad. Ad. Locality. Santa Cruz Island, Cal.. do do Date. Jane 9 June 11 Jane 11 Collector. H. W. Henshaw... .... do do Wing. 18.75 15.50 16.10 Tail. 7.00 6.60 6.00 Bill. 2L29 8.08 8.34 Tarsus. 2.27 2.34 2.4B _- • si |