. The Canadian field-naturalist. ' i-D / 0 i^^y The Canadian Field-Naturalist VOL. XLI OTTAWA, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 1927 No. 9 DISCOVERY OF THE NEST OF THE MARBLED MURRELET {Brachyramphus marmoratus) IN THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA. By SOLOMON JOHN DARCUS. T" HE complete account of my search for the breeding quarters of the Marbled Murrelet is a long story, so I shall go over my preliminary observations on the species briefly. Previous to 1923 my knowledge of the sea birds of the North Pacific was very slight. In the summer of that year I went to reside at Bamfield, on the w
. The Canadian field-naturalist. ' i-D / 0 i^^y The Canadian Field-Naturalist VOL. XLI OTTAWA, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 1927 No. 9 DISCOVERY OF THE NEST OF THE MARBLED MURRELET {Brachyramphus marmoratus) IN THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA. By SOLOMON JOHN DARCUS. T" HE complete account of my search for the breeding quarters of the Marbled Murrelet is a long story, so I shall go over my preliminary observations on the species briefly. Previous to 1923 my knowledge of the sea birds of the North Pacific was very slight. In the summer of that year I went to reside at Bamfield, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and there had ample opportunity of observing the sea birds in the neighboring waters. Barkley Sound, with its numerous islands, is a paradise for the ornithologist, and it was there that I first made the acquaintance of the Marbled Murrelet. During the summer months it is the commonest sea bird in the Sound. Throughout the summer I used to observe it fishing in the waters of the Sound and the neigh- boring inlets, and I believed at the time that I should find the species nesting on some of the islands in the Sound, but, although I visited many of these islands, I could find no evidence of the nesting of this bird. Often, when camped on an island during the summer months, I would hear the call notes of the species at night, as it flew towards the moun- tains on the north shore of Barkley Sound. During the summer of 1925 I spent six weeks in an attempt to solve the mystery. Going to Tofino, which is about forty miles north of Bamfield, and from which point the ap- proach to the mountains, towards which I had heard the Murrelets flying, is more accessible, I spent some days in the salt water inlets in that vicinity, observing this species. While camping on Bare Island, an island some miles off shore, I observed the Marbled Murrelets about one hour after sunset, flying towards the. Cox Island taken from Puffin Cliff, Langara Island, June 8th, 1927. Pl
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