JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



first of 'hi\y. The vicinity of tlie iiests 

 was redolent witli ptouiainic odors, 

 which emanated from the bodies of num- 

 erous sculpius, flounders, herring, pol- 

 lock, and other fish which the birds had 

 captured at various dates. 



Shags are very good fishers, expert 

 divers and live exclusively on the fruits 

 of their labors. A lone bird may often 

 be observed perched on some ledge or 

 buoy vigilantly watching the water 

 until it spies a fish and plunges head- 

 long to capture it, in which effort it is 

 usually successful. 



Owing to the attentions of collectors 

 it is somewhat doubtful if this species 

 continues to breed many more years 

 along the Maine coast, as the only breed- 

 ing colony I have knowledge of is on the 

 point of extermination. A party who 

 visited there in June, 1.S99, observed a 

 few birds but did not find any nests. 



The birds are rather shy and can 

 rarely be seduced within gunshot, rising 

 as soon as nearly within range and, 

 after flying into the wind until well 

 under way, turning and hastily taking 

 their departure, neck outstretched and 

 wings quickly flapping. 



The eggs are of a bluish -white ground 

 color, but this is ahnost completely cov- 

 ered with a white, flaky, uneven, chalky 

 coating which entii'ely conceals the 

 ground color. The normal set in this 

 colony seems to consist of three eggs. 



Red-breasted Merganser. Merganser 

 serrator (Linn.). The time is not far 

 distant when we can no longer call the 

 Shelldrake a resident species, for the 

 number of birds breeding here grows 

 fewer and fewer as the years go by. In 

 fall, winter and spring they still are 

 common. 



Among their former breeding grounds 



are Green, Ship, Barge and Trumpet 

 Ishmds, and Mason's, Saddleback and 

 Halibut Ledges. In 1896 some seven 

 or eight pairs of these birds nested on 

 Ship, Barge and Trumpet Islands, and 

 for years preceeding and succeeding 

 single pairs have nested on the other 

 islands named. In 1899, a party who 

 were studying the birds of this vicinity, 

 failed to find this species nesting any- 

 where in the vicinity of Sunshine, so its 

 extinction as a breeding bird cannot be 

 far distant. 



The eggs are depositetl about the 20th 

 of June, and as nearly as I can ascer- 

 tain, the period of incubation is about 

 four weeks. The average set is nine or 

 ten eggs, which are of a buffy-drab 

 color, but sets of six to tw^elve are often 

 found. The nest is composed of dry 

 grass, very loosely interwoven, and will 

 not hold together when lifted. Very 

 little or no down is used to line it. As 

 a rule it is placed at the foot of a clump 

 of grass or cow-parsnip a short distance 

 from the shore of some island, and its 

 location is usually betrayed by a narrow, 

 well-beaten path leading to it from the 

 shore. The bii-ds seemingly always 

 light on the shore and approach the nest 

 by the same path, so a person well 

 acquainted with this habit can easily 

 discover their nests. 



Five average sized eggs measure, 

 2.54 X 1.75, 2.(57 x 1.7(1, 2.54 x 1.77, 

 2.54 X 1.80, 2.58 x 1.83 These were 

 found in a nest on Trumpet Island, 

 June 23rd, 1897, and were fresh. 



The food of this species consists 

 largely of herring, pollock, smelt, and 

 other small fish which are swallowed 

 entire, while mussels and other small 

 mollusks are sometimes eaten. I have 

 found four herring, averaging six inches 



