214 



Bird - Lore 



eggs and rear their young. With the exception of a family or two of Spotted 

 Sandpipers, and perhaps a few Song Sparrows, this comprises the entire bird 

 life of the island. The Audubon Societies employ a warden to look after the 

 interests of the birds during the entire breeding season, and his estimate is 

 that some two thousand or more breed there each year. 



In early June, in company with the warden and in his power-launch, I 

 started from the Cross Island Life-saving Station at the entrance of Machias 

 Bay, bound for the "Old Man." A light southwest wind barely rippled the 

 water. Outside of the long waves caused by the heavy tide the ocean was 

 calm, and highly favorable to landing on the island. 



As we bowled along swiftly over the water sparkling in the sun, several of 

 the big Gulls passed by us with their strong and heavy flight, the beak, head 

 and tail entirely on a line with the body. This flight is a noticeable character- 

 istic of the Gull family. We anchored the launch off shore and, taking the 

 tender, made a landing among the rocks at the foot of the cliffs. As soon as we 

 landed, crowds of Gulls went into the air with shrill cries and were continu- 

 ously circling about us during the entire period that we were on the island. It 

 was a most beautiful sight to watch them in the air, now showing the pure white 

 breast, glistening as the sun shone full upon them, and at the other end of 

 their wide circHng becoming a jet-black object against the azure sky. Some 

 would alight on the very top of the cliffs and trees for a few moments, and 

 then spring into the air again to join the circling and excited throng. With 

 almost no flapping or fluttering, but with the broad wings extended, they 



THE "OLD MAN' 



sailed gracefully and majestically in great curves, apparently effortless, but 

 continually uttering their shrill cries of kree kree. 



There was no beach on which to pull up the tender, simply a mass of rocks 

 and sharp boulders on all sides, making it necessary to bodily lift the little 

 boat up among them, and make it fast to a big boulder well out of reach of the 

 tide. By a little right-angled channel on one side of the higher of the two 



