ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 17-No. 1 



Habits of the Terns. 



For many years the Wilson Tern has not 

 been here in any such numbers as the present 

 fall. We concede the reason to be that the 

 " sand eel," the natural feed for them, were in 

 schools of millions. "Mackerel Gull" is the 

 common name for the bird here, while further 

 south I have heard them called " strikers" 

 and " plungers " because of their wonderful 

 and beautiful diving. It is certainly very 

 amusing and fascinating to watch a flock of 

 several thousands feeding. I can almost hear 

 their screams and guttural sounds (which 

 only can be imitated by a special wiiistle or by 

 wearing one's throat oi;t), as they circle and 

 rush in every direction, now and then plung- 

 ing under the water and appearing with a fish 

 jjai'tly swallowed. 



Let us watch the manceuvers of one, if we can 

 follow it through the crowd, which a westerner 

 would liken to a "ghost dance," as it rushes 

 hither and thither, now darting up, down, 

 this way and that. Suddenly it stops in mid- 

 air, poises gracefully, then like a white streak 

 disai)pears beneath the water. Or, perchance. 

 It will be lazily flying along and seeing a fish 

 directly under it drop suddenly, head first, as 

 if shot, and come up with a fish. Though 

 each bird always seems to be for itself and 

 alone, very rarely being in flocks except when 

 chasing a school of fish, yet they all disap- 

 pear at once. This fall, the last day I saw 

 them, there were thousands and thousands. 

 The next morning not a bird was to be seen. 



1 did not see a Least Tern the whole fall, 

 but a good many Black and Roseate and more 

 large ones than ever before, either Royal or 

 Caspian, probably. Speaking of them makes 

 me think of a good story at the expense of our 

 lamented John C. Gaboon, when Tern shoot- 

 ing was booming and a big paying business. 



He was on this end of the cape and wanted 

 to go out shooting with a Capt. Lavender, the 

 best shot on this end of Cape Cod, if not the 

 whole cape. He told Mr. Gaboon he was per- 

 fectly willing for him to go, "and," he con- 

 tinued, "I always shoot with every one and 

 divide the birds even, no matter who shoots 

 the most." Gaboon objected as he thought 

 with his little lO-bore gun he would greatly 

 out-shoot the captain. "All right," the cap- 

 tain said, "we will each have what we shoot." 

 They started, the wind blowing quite a fresh 

 breeze on shore, making it extremely difficult 

 to shoot accurately. 



AYell, as I remember the record, it was fortv- 



five birds for the captain and twenty-eight for 

 Gaboon. The next time they shot they went 

 even. Poor Gaboon made many friends here, 

 was greatly liked, and will long be kindly 

 remembered. Fred L. Small. 



Provincetown, Mass. 



Late Nesting of the Bob-white. 



In the October O. * O. Mr. James B. Purdy 

 of Plymouth, Mich., records a nest of the 

 Bob-white found at that place on August 30, 

 1891. The nest contained thirteen eggs and 

 the next day, August 31st, they were about 

 half hatched. 



Mr. Pvirdy wishes to know who can beat it 

 ! for a late Quail's nest. I have an egg of the 

 Bob-white in my cabinet which was collected 

 on September 12, 1889, at Blue Rapids, 

 Kansas, by mj' cousin, AV. F. Hoag. Tlie nest 

 contained ten eggs perfectly fresh, but he 

 drove over the nest before it was discovered 

 and broke them all but one, which he kindly 

 sent to me. I presume there are many who 

 have later records of this bird breeding than 

 either Mr. Purdy' s or the one mentioned 

 above. Let me hear from those who live 

 where the Bob-white is an abundant breeder. 



Benjaiiiin Iloay. 

 Stephentown, X. Y. 



The FniOATE-Binr). — I see a small blue 

 ptiint in the heaven. Happy and serene region, 

 which has rested in peace far above the buni- 

 cane ! In that blue point, and at an elevation 

 of ten thousand feet, royally floats a little bird 

 with enormous pens. A gull ? N<>; its wings 

 are black. An eagle? No; the bird is too 

 small. It is the little Ocean Eagle, first and 

 chief of the winged race, and daring navigator 

 who never furls his sails, the lord of the teni- 

 I)est, the scorner of all peril — the Man-of-War 

 or Frigate-bird. We have reached the cul- 

 minating point of the series commenced by 

 the wingless bird. Here we have a bird which 

 is virtually nothing more than Mings: scarcely 

 any body, — barely as large as that of the 

 domestic cock, — while his prodigious pinions 

 are fifteen feet in span. The storm bursts; he 

 mounts to lofty heights, where lie finds tian- 

 quillity. The poetic metajihoi', untrue when 

 api)lied to any other bird, is no exaggeration 

 when applied to him : literally, he sleeps upon 

 the storm. When he chooses to oar his way 

 seriously, all distance vanishes: he breakfasts 

 at the Senegal; he dines in America. — 

 Michelet. 



