JOURNAL t)K INIAIXiC OR NITIIOLCXnC AT. SOCIETY. 6l 



with the birds, returning to the nests, tlieir flight then being bat- 

 like and noiseless, but their musical twitterings are plainly to be 

 heard. On this Kgg Rock we saw frequent signs of disaster to the 

 Petrels, many dead birds, partly decayed, being picked up. What 

 has caused this slaughter is not known ; perhaps the Crows which 

 frequent the island are the murderers, since often in the daytime the 

 Petrels, being birds of sluggish motion, might easily fall a prey to 

 their enemies. Here the Spotted Sandpiper has been breeding, 

 apparently' , in small numbers, and among the luxuriant vegetation 

 we flushed many Savanna Sparrows, which here, as in most of the 

 islands of this coast, find a congenial summer home. A few Song 

 Sparrows were observed, but the Savannas far out-numljered them. 

 Before we landed on the Eastern Egg Rock we obser\^ed, on the 

 boulders of the cove where our dory must enter, a great collection 

 of Ruddy Turnstones and "Peeps" (both Semi-palmated Sandpiper 

 and Eeast Sandpiper.) We expected to see them depart as we ap- 

 proached, but they were not in the least afraid of us. They looked 

 with some interest at us as we made a landing, and one after another 

 of the birds climbed up the rock from the farther side to get a better 

 view of us. We went as near as ten feet of them and still they did 

 not fl\^ though they declined any more intimate acquaintance. Ap- 

 parently they had never heard a gun, as they were evidently all 

 young birds. A few days later, perhaps, their confidence in man 

 will be rudely shaken, when they make the tragical acquaintance of 

 a double-barrelled fowling piece or the murderous "pump" gun. 

 The Turnstones were particularly interesting, looking fully as large 

 as the Terns, which sat on the rocks all around them. In the imma- 

 ture plumage which they wore they differ considerably in appear- 

 ance from the adults. The little "Peeps" were entirely careless, 

 standing in a thoughtful pose until we could almost touch them. 

 Off in the water there was a good-sized flock of "Coots," more ex- 

 actly the Patch-head, or Surf Scoter. One or two White-winged 

 Scoters were also seen flying. These birds breed considerably 

 farther north, and are now returning on their migrating journey. 

 •It will not be long before great bands of all three species of Scoters 



