Identifier: birdnotesafielde00keel (find matches)
Title: Bird notes afield; essays on the birds of the Pacific coast with a field check list
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Keeler, Charles Augustus, 1871-1937
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: San Franciso and New York, P. Elder and company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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wings, which is noticeable both whenthe bird is at rest and on the wing. When standing, the birdhabitually rests the entire foot (what is popularly miscalledthe leg) upon the ground, holding the body erect in a verticalposition. At other times it may be seen squatting, with thebody upon the rocks. I noticed many with fishes in their bills,but whether for their own use or for the young I was unableto determine. When any one approaches, they sit with theirlong, slender bills wide open cind utter a high, pensive, longdrawn-out squeak—peeeeeeie. The young are reared incrannies of the rock. One of the most interesting birds which nests upon theFarallones is the tufted puffin, or sea parrot, as it is called.As one flies by we wonder how the little body can sustain thatheavy head. Its enormous bill of brilliant vermilion, com-pressed sideways, presents a profile of grotesque dimensions.The general hue of the bird is blackish, with large, conspicu- (46) no 73 o JO > 2 H > 2 D Cpo ?3 m
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A TRIP TO THE FARALLONES ous cheek-patches of pure white, and plumes of pale yellowstreaming from the sides of the head. It is a comparatively-solitary bird, but nests very commonly in narrow caves or cran-nies of the rock, where it lays one large egg of a dirty whitishcolor. The sea parrots stand upright, after the fashion of theguillemots, £Uid like them frequently rest the entire foot uponthe ground. Their note may be described as a shrill, pipingwhistle. In the same steep, rocky hillside, composed of coarse shale,where the puffins nested, I also found the nests of Cassinsauklet. This little bird is nocturnal in its habits, so I saw littleof the adults, although the young were found in their cranniesand could always be recognized by the little upturned snubbill and the gray feet. At night, especially if the moon is up,the birds are very abundant and noisy. Their notes resemblethe creeking of a rusty gate, and may be represented by thesyllables creef(-a-reek f ^reeJ^-a-reek f creek

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