58 JOURNAIv OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



like swallows, beat back and forth, constantly on the wing, sailing 

 in easy, graceful curves, except when the}' would dash down in 

 anger to defend their nests and young from what the}^ supposed was 

 a hostile attack. 



In June we had estimated that there were over a thousand birds 

 in the colony ; now the number was considerably increased and 

 there was not the slightest doul)t that the first estimate was not far 

 out of the way. B\^ close observation we were able to distinguish 

 some of the .young birds from the old ones, principally by noting 

 that the immature individuals had much shorter tails. On the 

 shelving gravel of the shore there were eggs in abundance, even at 

 this date, some apparently fresh and others ready to hatch. There 

 were also many eggs which were doubtless spoiled. Young birds in 

 all stages of early growth were numerous. Some were not over a 

 couple of days old, but were able to run away and hide at our 

 approach. Others were still wearing their 5^ellowish natal down, 

 but were quite lively and able to take care of themselves. A few 

 were sitting in the nests gasping for breath as the fierce rays of the 

 August sun beat down upon them. More than once we tried to 

 make life pleasanter for them by propping up a flat stone near their 

 nests and providing for them some shaded protection from the heat. 

 Here and there we observed several little birds piled closely together, 

 one on top of the other, under the shadow of a big boulder, where 

 they were keeping comparatively cool. 



It was amusing to see the half-grown birds hide from us in the 

 crevices of the rocks and keep perfectly still, no matter how near to 

 them we walked. They relied for protection, perhaps, on the con- 

 cealment which their coloration gave them, for in the plumage 

 which follows the natal down they are gray and closely match the 

 pebbles of the beach. However, their protective coloration was^ 

 not sufficient to conceal them, for we had no difficulty in seeing 

 them under all circumstances, when we kept our eyes open. Some 

 of the young birds were old enough to fly a little and these readily 

 took wing when disturbed, but they could only make a gradual 

 descent into the water. Here they swam without inconvenience 



