The OoLOGiST. 



VOL. XIV. NO. 6. 



ALBION, N. Y., JUNE, 1897. 



Whole No. 133, 



Gull Island, New York. 



At 4 o'clock on the morning of June 

 15, 1893, Mr. H. B. Sargent and myself 

 were aroused by Mr. W. W. Worthing- 

 ton of Shelter Island, New York, with 

 whom we were staying, calling to us to 

 hurry and get dressed, as the weather 

 was clear and we would start for Gull 

 Island in about an hour. You can well 

 imagine that this brought me to my 

 feet in short order, and Mr. Sargent 

 was not long in following my example. 

 We took a hurried breakfast and tak- 

 ing our guns, ammunition, collecting 

 basket and a few other necessary arti- 

 cles started for the boat. We arrived 

 at tha boat-landing, where our boat 

 fastened, at about half-past live, and 

 stowing away our guns and basket we 

 took off our coats and set to work to 

 hoist the sail and lower the center- 

 board and started for Gull Island. We 

 had no more than started when the 

 wind gave out, and a light fog settled 

 down over the water, then the fun com- 

 menced. We put out the sweep (which 

 is a very large oar, and generally takes 

 two men to work it) and commenced to 

 work. When we got around the point 

 which forms the Harbor, we steered in 

 near shore to avoid the tide, which runs 

 like a mill race when it is at its height. 

 We moved along slowly working the 

 sweep and praying for a breeze, when 

 all of a sudden we found ourselves 

 aground on the rocks. We worked 

 hard and finally succeeded in getting 

 off again, after that we steered lurther 

 out. I will not trouble my readers, 

 "that is if I have any, ' with a long ac- 

 count of the voyage, save to !^ay with 

 rowing, and with now and then a little 

 breeze, we arrived within half a mile 

 of Gull Island about twenty minutes to 

 four in the afternoon. Gull Island is 



separated from Plum Island by a broad 

 stretch of water called the Little Race. 

 Gull Island is a small plateau, rising 

 about twenty feet above high water. 

 It is about five acres in extent. A 

 sandy beach runs nearly around the 

 island, but in one place the sand is re- 

 placed by high rocks, tumbled about 

 in wild disorder, showing how the 

 great work of the sea has been going 

 on for ages and ages, wearing away the 

 strongest rocks, which gradually crum- 

 ble before its mighty hand. Gull Island 

 was once beyond a doubt part of Long 

 Island. 



We dropped anchor about a hundred 

 yards from the island and lowered sail. 

 Getting into the little boat, which we 

 towed behind, we were soon all stand- 

 on the beach. We had left our guns, 

 in the boat, preferring not to use them 

 until after we had collected the eggs. 

 As we walked up the beach the Terns, 

 rose up in numbers flying high in the 

 air far out of gun shot, perhaps a few 

 hundred pairs in all. Oh! what a dif- 

 ference there was between the number 

 now and the number in the following 

 extract, copied from Davies' "Nests and 

 Eggs of North American Birds." 



"Although a few Wilson's Terns 

 breed on nearly every sandy point near 

 here, Gull Island, situated a mile or 

 two east of Plum Island, is their chief 

 breeding ground in this section. 



Here they breed in thousands fairly 

 tilling the air when you land and dis- 

 turb them. They place their nests all 

 over the island above high water line, 

 on the beach and in the garden culti- 

 vated by the lighthouse keeper. Fresh 

 eggs can be obtained from the 10th of 

 June till the middle of July, as egging 

 parties keep them cleaned off about as. 

 fast as they are laid." 



