AMID SPRUCES AND SEA-GIRT ROCKS 183 



from her own breast. On so large an island the nests are 

 very hard to find. We spent a long time beating the bushes 

 with clubs, hoping that some sitting bird would dash out in 

 sudden fright. The main chance was that the dog would 

 scent one, but the animal was old, and tired from an early 

 hunt on his own hook, and he took but a listless interest in 

 the search, which was not successful. 



After lunching by a spring-hole, stared at meanwhile by 

 a band of the numerous sheep that graze at large upon the 

 island, we went on and came to another gull colony just back 

 from the shore. Rambling ofif from the rest of the party, 

 I found the birds less wary. So I let them leave me and go 

 on, and presently, sitting in a clump of low bushes, I had the 

 gulls flying over me comparatively near, and secured all the 

 snap-shots I needed. They were settling down upon the trees 

 near by, and some of the beautiful creatures, conspicuous 

 upon the dark foliage, allowed me to approach and take pic- 

 tures of them. A good way was to sit down behind a bush 

 near a clump of spruces where they alighted by their nests, 

 and snap them in the act of alighting or flying ofT. One bird 

 constantlv returned to a dead tree, and would allow me to 

 walk up boldly within ten yards and photograph it. Thus I 

 finally secured a series of pictures, though not nearly as satis- 

 factory as could be obtained in some of our Maine colonies so 

 zealously protected through the noble efforts of our apostle 

 of bird-liberty, Mr. William Dutcher, and others like him. 



This island is a great breeding resort of the Leach's Petrel, 

 or Mother Carey's Chicken. Not one is visible by day, yet 

 the woods and pastures by the shores are fairly honeycombed 

 with their burrows. All we have to do, whenever the notion 

 strikes us to examine one, is to pull up the light mouldy soil, 

 starting at the entrance. A couple of feet along, just below 

 the surface, the tunnel ends in a little chamber, and there sits 



