1902] Saunders Birds of Sable Island, N.S. 29 



migrate unharmed. In addition to this, as I have said before, the 

 foxes are mercilessly persecuted, and no doubt should the present 

 efforts to exterminate them result successfully, the number of 

 ducks breeding on the island would be largely increased, and 

 might even be added to by other species. 



As may be supposed, there are no tree birds resident on the 

 island, and it is a curious and noteworthy fact that not only is 

 Sable Island the only breeding ground in the world of the Ipswich 

 sparrow, but also that this is the only land bird that breeds on the 

 island. Nearly all the commoner Nova Scotia birds are found 

 there during the spring and fall migrations as stragglers. All that 

 I saw were the barn swallow, king bird, black-poll warbler, white- 

 throated sparrow, water thrush, and one specimen of the orchard 

 oriole, the latter being exceedingly rare. All these birds are, of 

 course, under unfamiliar circumstances, having to rest largely 

 upon the ground or on fence posts and buildings. But they 

 seemed happy enough, and apparently a few of them remained for 

 several days, possibly waiting for a favourable wind to carry them 

 north. 



Of sea birds, three gulls were seen, the herring gull, the 

 great black-backed gull and the kittiwake, the latter being the 

 only one seen in large numbers; of it one flock of several hundred 

 was noted at the west end on May 22nd, while numerous small 

 flocks and individuals were seen all over the island, but they have 

 not yet been found to breed. The greater yellow legs and the red 

 phalarope complete the total list of 21 species of birds which I 

 noted upon the island. The phalaropes live mostly out at sea, 

 and I was told by one of the men on the Government steamer 

 Arcadia that he usually sees them far from land.swimining among 

 the beds of floating seaweed, where, no doubt, they feed upon the 

 minute life which finds its home in such places. The sailors call 

 them sea geese. A flock of these birds were flying around the 

 island a few days before my arrival, when they encountered one of 

 the telephone wires, with the result that three of them were 

 injured, one fatally ; another lost a wing, and a third recovered 

 itself fully in a few days. I made a specimen of the one whose 

 wing was cut off". A few days later on I was surprised to have 

 the other injured bird fly past me and alight on the edge of the 



