172 ALASKA. 



Watcli a boat as it approaches one of these swimming pha- 

 lanxes and alarms it ; out the birds sprawl, half swimming and 

 half flying, making a noise like a shower of hail-stones falling 

 upon a roof, as the scare spreads from bird to bird, until the 

 whole vast flock is beating the water with a hundred thousand 

 wings in almost vain endeavor to rise from the calm surface, 

 for these birds in still weather have great difficulty in taking 

 flight. They, however, succeed well and quickly when heavy 

 sweHs or little wavelets lift them. A gull, on the contrary, rises 

 gracefully and easily from the water, and, indeed, is the most 

 attractive bird on the wing of all water-fowl." 



" I have time after time been struck by the wonderful temer- 

 ity of the foxes, (on Saint George's Island especially,) while 

 secretly watching them as they were climbing up and down 

 the faces of almost inaccessible cliffs, seeking eggs. They go 

 on a full run or a stealthy tread over the brows of clifls that 

 fairly overhang the sea six and nine hundred feet below. They 

 always bring the eggs up in their mouths, and carry them back 

 from the brink of the precipice, where they leisurely suck them, 

 usually biting the shell out at the large end. The ' arrie ' suffers 

 the most from these enemies, which are the only natural foes 

 that the bird-kind has to contend with on these solitary isl- 

 ands.*' 



1. Turcltas masTaforiMS, Li^s.—nohh). ^'Rap-o-loof." 



Casual, and rarely seen; never resident. (Spec, October, 

 1872.) 



'< I was most agreeably surprised, one cool morning early in 

 October, while walking up on the Village Hill, Saint Paul's 

 Island, to see a robin, a red-breasted robin, silent and gloomy, 

 hopping and fluttering before me. It had evidently been 

 brought to the island by the gale which blew two days pre- 

 viously, and was even now casting about for a good chance to 

 leave. In order that I might observe the length of time this old 

 friend of mine would stay with us, I did not shoot him, but 

 strolled out to the locality every morning and evening until the 

 end of the third day, when I missed him. The natives recognized 

 it as a chance visitor, though seen almost every year in this 

 manner. Two weeks later I observed a small flock of JEfjioidi^ 

 (red polls.) which were passing over the island, alighting here 

 and there to feed. They are regularly seen migrating to the 

 southward everv fall." 



