1907] Notes on Some Seal Island Birds 95 



Among: the small land birds of which there were many, 

 most interesting were the Bicknell's thrvishes and black-poll 

 warblers, both fairly common and breeding. These birds, 

 especially the thrushes, are very local in their distribution, and 

 here good opportunities were afforded to note their habits. 

 Like their cousins the hermit thrushes, the Bicknell's thrush 

 sings most frequently in the early morning and late evening. 

 Their song resembles that of the hermit in a general way, but 

 is not nearly so clear and liquid. The nests are built at varying 

 elevations am.ong the dense spruces and are exceedingly difficult 

 to find. The nests of former years, however, are much more in 

 evidence. The moisture-laden atmosphere seems to catise them 

 to swell and starts a growth of moss, which persisting from year 

 to year preserves and renders them quite conspicuous. 



Other small birds fovmd breeding there were golden crown 

 kinglets, winter wrens, Hudsonian chickadees, brown creepers, 

 red-breast nuthatches, crossbills and several others. 



During the migrations many birds make this a resting 

 place, as also do storm-driven birds of a more southern range. 

 Thus Mr. Crowell has taken examples of the Florida galinule, 

 turkey vulture, scarlet tanager and Baltimore oriole. Many 

 birds perish during the migrations by coming in contact with 

 the great light one hundred feet up. Over eight hundred yellow 

 warblers were thus dCvStroyed upon one occasion in a single 

 night. 



Seal Island derives its name from the large numbers of seals 

 that formerly resorted there to breed. The first industry of 

 the place was the seal-fishery, the animals being of value for 

 the oil which could be extracted from their carcases. This 

 of course was long since overdone now only a few scattered 

 seals are to be seen, but great sand-covered mounds back of 

 the beach mark the spots where the useless bones were piled. 

 At present the islanri is of importance as a lobster-fishing station. 





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