BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY. 57 



Duck shot through the glass, and was taken alive and unharmed inside ; and a 

 Blue-winged Teal was living some hours after going through the glass. The 

 fact that the bird is sometimes unharmed can be explained by the great 

 velocity at the instant of the impact, just as the candle, in the old experiment, 

 is shot from a gun through an inch board. The Brant is recorded as having 

 made a hole 19 by 20 inches in size. This was on April nth, 1901 . The Blue- 

 winged Teals went through on October 26th, 1890, and October 15th, 1903, 

 while the three other Ducks performed the feat on December i8th, 1884, 

 December sth, 1885, and October 14th, 1888, respectively. 



On the same night that the Brant made the large hole in the glass, three 

 others struck and were killed. In the autumn flight of the same year, namely, 

 November 26th, 1901, thirteen Brant met their doom in the night by dashing 

 against the light. An Eider Duck struck one of the lights on April loth, 1901, 

 and a Petrel, on June 8th, 1891. On August 2d, 1903, between 30 and 40 

 Plover or Sandpipers were seen hovering about the south towers between 1.30 

 and 3 A. M., but none were killed. On August i8th, 1901, a Rail and 13 Plover 

 were killed, and on June 1 3th, a Brown Thrasher flew to its death. There are 

 two records of Woodcock killing themselves against the lanterns, one on April 

 14th, 1893, and the other on March 25th, 190 1. 



The most remarkable record, however, is that of September 2d, 1899. On 

 this night an immense flock of "Sea Geese" or Phalaropes, probably the North- 

 ern Phalarope, dashed against the lights, so that the dead and dying covered 

 the balconies and the ground around the towers. One man picked up 800 of 

 these birds and Mr. Tarr estimated that 1000 were destroyed. Again, on 

 September 9th, 1904, eight out of a large f^ock of Northern Phalaropes seen 

 about the lights, killed themselves. This was between 12.30 and 4 a. m. I 

 identified the remains of one of these. 



Canada Geese are said to fly about the lights on ioggy nights, and loudly 

 honk, but they have not been known to strike. Mr. Tarr and other keepers 

 report that on foggy nights, during the migrations, many birds are to be seen 

 about the lights, repeatedly fluttering against the glass, or simply flying about 

 outside in a confused manner, but only a very small proportion do themselves 

 a fatal injury. Sometimes they flutter down onto the platform, but disappear 

 with the first rays of the morning. 



On September 23d, 1904, I spent the night at Thatcher's Island. It was 

 a clear moonlight night with a strong northwester blowing — a very poor night 

 for bird observation at a lighthouse. An hour spent on the platform outside the 

 lantern of the south tower was fruitless. Not a bird was to be seen, while the 

 roar of the surf and the howling of the wind made it impossible to hear any 

 bird-notes. The next morning I found a Brown Creeper creeping about on the 

 inhospitable rocks where it had paused to rest on this great highway by the sea. 



