ORNITHOLOGIST 



_AXD — 



OOLOGIST. 



$i.oo per 

 Annum. 



PUBLISHED BY THE FRANK BLAKE WEBSTER COISIPANY. 



ESTABLISHED MARCH, 187S. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XVII. HYDE PARK, MASS., AUGUST, 1892. 



No. 8. 



Bird Notes at Sea. water the Wilson's Petrel is seldom out of 



; sight. I have only seen them once or 



All summer I have been cruising off twice in shore, when the water gets a dull 

 shore on a pilot boat. I expected to get i tinge from the wash of the land. Their 

 material for a long article for the Orni- seemingly confiding ways are not so inno- 

 THOLOGiST AND OoLOGiST, but find my- cent as would seem to be the case. They 

 self much disappointed. Species are few never come within reach of a cast net, 

 and well known and incidents almost and utterly refuse to take a baited line, 

 entirely lacking. Our cruising ground is All my efforts to capture one alive have 

 off the coast of South Carolina, never failed. 



extending much beyond Cape Romain on Early in June there were a good many 

 the north, or Tybee on the south. The Shearwaters pretty well out beyond Cape 

 greater part of the time we are out of Romain. There was a heavy sea on and 

 sight of land, but occasionally have to great quantities of gulf weed floating 

 come ashore for provisions and water, about. Among this they seemed to be 

 Weather for about three-fourths of the j feeding, dipping down into the hollows of 

 time squally, with a high sea. One heavy the waves and rising with a graceful, 

 storm we dragged both anchors and went gliding motion over the white crests. I 

 ashore in the night, but were helped off could not determine the species, but think 

 again early next morning by a passing 

 steamer. 



there is no doubt but it was the Dusky. 



The weather came on very squally and 



Our boat is a comfortable forty-ton we were close-reefed for two or three 



schooner, and one of the fastest on the I days, during which time the Shearwaters 



kept round us. But as soon as it cleared 

 up they all disappeared. I have seen a 

 few since off Martin's Industry in Julv, 

 weather much the same. At such times 

 I often see flying fish. Their motion 

 closely resembles the flight of some of 

 the smaller Sandpipers, and indeed the 



coast. We have had some lively races 

 with our competitors, and leave them 

 no victories to record so far. There are 

 three boats working against us, so we are 

 seldom hove to, but spend our time either 

 beating to windward in a heavy head sea 

 or rushing down with slack sheets and 



topsails all up as soon as a speck of sail first I saw I would have taken for birds if 



breaks the horizon line. With this view I had not seen them drop into the sea. 



of my surroundings it will be readily seen | Early in July we had some calm nights, 



that it has not been easy to make full and I began to hear the notes of small 



notes upon the habits and manners of the birds migrating overhead. The night of 



few birds that I have seen. the 8th, with a gentle southerly wind, I 



When once we strike out into the blue could hear their faint voices almost con- 



Copyright,|i892, by Frank Blake Webster Company. 



