98 THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



the mainland, a large bay intervening. At this 

 time the buildings in connection with the light- 

 house and the lodge some three miles away, for 

 the accommodation of gunners and sportsmen, 

 were the only houses for ten or twelve miles. 

 The region was then a famous one for wild 

 ducks and geese in the fall and spring, and for 

 bay-bird shooting in the spring and late sum- 

 mer months. Very considerable colonies of 

 terns still bred here and on the adjacent islands, 

 and a little to the south was a vast colony of 

 laughing gulls. 



The museum work was continued until about 

 March 20, 1877. I then arranged to be away 

 from the college for the rest of the year, except 

 for a few days at Commencement. In June of 

 this year my marriage took place at Ithaca, and 

 Mrs. Scott returned with me to Barnegat. For 

 the next five months, that is, from April i to 

 September i, I collected the birds of the coast, 

 as well as many marine animals which were 

 preserved in alcohol for laboratory use. As far 

 as the bird-work of this time is concerned, ref- 

 erence is made to a paper published on the 

 subject cited in the appendix. 



It may be well, however, in this connection, to 

 get a panoramic view of the bird life of the sea- 

 coast of New Jersey in 1877. This was still the 

 breeding ground of great numbers of terns and 



