Feb., 1916] Sunfish Nests of Beimille/ s Cove 131 



The following table gives the number of nests at each point : 



LARGE NESTS SMALL XESTS 

 a 7 



b 18 2 



c 10 



d 17 1 



e 14 



f 14 5 



g 4 



h 12 



i 3 



j 3 



k 1 



Total 103 8 



The nests at g were among reeds. At v the bottom was 

 clear and sandy and appeared to be ideal for nests but none was 

 found. The total number of large nests, including those on 

 both shores, was 290. 



The other type of nests, the small nests, were approximately 

 circular and had an averaged diameter of seven inches. Prac- 

 tically all of them were on the eastern side. With two excep- 

 tions they were found at a distance not greater than six feet 

 from the shore, most of them within three or four feet of it. 

 The exceptions were two widely separated nests which were 

 fifteen feet from the shore line. In the zone of more usual 

 occurrence there was a pebbly bottom and a fringe of reeds, 

 largely Scirpus americanus. The nests were made on the 

 pebbles among the reeds. A photograph of this type is shown 

 in Figure 5 between the arrows. 



The depressions in many cases were so shallow that their 

 outlines could frequently only be determined by the fact that 

 the pebbles had been fanned clean. The roots of reeds were 

 often at one side of a nest but since the reeds grew close together 

 this could not well be avoided. They were never found in 

 more than seven inches of water, barring the exceptions noted, 

 and some were in barely enough water to cover them. 



During the period July 12 to 16, 105 of these small nests 

 were found on the eastern shore between the points L and H. 

 By July 27 they were found as far down as the point T. On 

 this date sixteen of them were counted between H and T. 

 Although I made careful search, I could discover them no 

 where else on the eastern side. In the survey of the western 

 shore made from July 12 to 19, only eight small nests were 

 found. Two of them were located at the point /;, one at d and 



