324 Bird - Lore 



the colony at the eastern Rock was as large as in the early days of my experience 

 there. Here were several piles of a dozen or more eggs lying in exposed places, 

 showing that the hand of man had been molesting. A colony of one hundred 

 or less was also at the Shark Rock, none being there on my last visit. 



I was told by Mr. Willis Snow that he had heard a report that a party of 

 boys went to Marblehead Rock on the Fourth of July and gathered all of the 

 Terns' eggs and threw them at marks, showing that the need of protection has 

 not passed away. This is an isolated rock five miles below Rockland, where the 

 services of a warden would be impracticable. 



No Terns have bred in Casco Bay, so far as I can determine. The Bluff 

 Island colony continues in its usual security and good condition. 



Leach's Petrel. — This bird is known to breed in Maine only on the 

 outer tier of islands from the Brothers, a little west of the entrance to Machias 

 Bay, to the west side of Muscongus Bay; yet it does not breed on all of the islands 

 of that tier. 



As its habitat must always be limited and it is an easy prey for its enemies, 

 having suffered considerably of late years, especial attention was given to its 

 present condition. 



Who has not heard of the Petrel, from childhood? Who does not know of 

 its walking upon the waves? How could we spare Mother Carey's Chickens 

 from our broad expanse of ocean, and the lore peculiar thereto? Within the 

 past fourteen years its range has been reduced, and one of the largest colonies 

 of the state has been seriously affected by permanent camping and the keeping 

 of dogs and cats. 



At the Brothers, the colony is small, and the freshly torn wings of several, 

 with the particles of flesh still red, were seen, undoubtedly the work of the Pere- 

 grine Falcon. In one instance, a ghastly pair of these wings had been taken by 

 a late-breeding Gull to repair its nest. The next colony west of this is at the Duck 

 Islands, fifty-eight miles distant. Here the colonies are large and in excellent 

 condition. 



A colony of considerable size is on the Green Islands, at the southwestern 

 extremity of the entrance to Blue Hill Bay. This is also in good condition. These 

 islands are very small, containing but three or four acres. 



At the Big Spoon Island a colony of considerable size existed with a much 

 smaller one at Little Spoon Island. The Big Spoon colony has suffered by camp- 

 ing and its associated evils. At the Matinicus Islands very large colonies have 

 always existed, the largest being located at Seal Island and Wooden Ball, with 

 much smaller ones at Matinicus Rock and No-Man's-Land. At the Seal Island 

 the colony is still very large, but at the eastern end many have been dug out 

 of their burrows by dogs, and several mangled birds were seen. W^ith the possible 

 exception of a few Guillemots, no other sea-birds breed here now, though a large 

 colony of Terns was annihilated for the plume trade. It is said that the birds 

 have been more conspicuous this season" at Matinicus Rock than usual. At this 



