Hunt — With Beach Bnws and Botanists. 99 



and occasional showers. We explored the salt marsh and the 

 sand dunes. Birds were not very plentiful. Although there, 

 should have been and possibly were Seaside and Sharp-tailed 

 Sparrows in the marshes, where they breed, I failed to find any. 



Soing Sparrows were not imcommon among the sand dunes 

 and thickets of Bay bushes. The marshes were studded all 

 over with the handsome flowers of the Seaside Pink and stately 

 Mallows waved among the grasses. It did one good to watch 

 the enthusiastic botanist who would wade knee-deep into the 

 treacherous " salt holes " to procure some coveted specimen. 



Am Osprey was almost always in sight either headed out to 

 sea or returning with a fish in his talons. 



We came upon an open space — a sort of amphitheater as it 

 were — surrounded h\ sand dunes upon which waved the clumps 

 of grass. In this open space were congregated thousands of 

 Tree Swallows, some flitting about, others resting upon the 

 sand. When we reached the spot we foumd that the sand was 

 dotted all over with their excrement, which seemed to be en- 

 tirely composed of the seeds of the Bay berries. These birds 

 had undoubtedly roosted here upon the sand all night where 

 they were protected from the strong southeast wind. Later we 

 saw the swallows in the bay buslies feeding upon the berries. 

 These berries are covered with a thick coating of wax and this 

 wax coating seems to be the only digestible portion, as the ex- 

 creta showed the rest of the berry entire. 



The mosquitoes at last became unbearable and we retreated 

 to the beach. One of the greates*^ tests of patience I ever wit- 

 nessed was to try to place a specimen nicely in the plant press 

 while a miyriad of these attentive insects settled upon one's face 

 and neck. To say the least it was not calculated to economize 

 one's vocabulary. 



There were quite a number of gulls along the beach, all 

 that I could identify with certainty being Herring Gulls. 



Barn Swallows flew to and fro, barely skimming the sand 

 and apparently having to hustle for what food they secured. 

 I wondered why they did not cross the dunes to the marshes 

 where the mosquitoes were so plentiful, but perhaps a mos- 

 quito diet was not desirable. Small flocks of Sanderlings and 



