In a Black Skimmer Colony 85 



The four birds that did not return to their nests used 

 every means in their power to lure the strange object from 

 their eggs. They would alight some distance from the 

 blind and then toddle away on wobbly legs, with wings 

 outspread; push themselves along by sliding upon their 

 breasts; stagger away with outspread wings beating upon 

 the sand; sit at a safe distance opening and closing their 

 bills, but not making any sound as though they were swear- 

 ing at us under their breath or they would fly j)ast the 

 blind in small companies screaming, ''Ow, ow, ow," as 

 though some one was beating them and they were crying 

 out with each stroke of the whip. When larger companies 

 charged past, the sound was almost deafening and the com- 

 bined ''ows" sounded like a pack of hounds baying. 



There was always a large number of bir.ls not on their 

 nests and they would line up upon the sand at a safe dis- 

 tance, always facing the wind ; as their fright became less, 

 they would move up closer to the blind until some sudden 

 panic would send them all sailing away. This perform- 

 ance was repeated again and again. They presented a 

 strange sight all facing the same way and looked for fill 

 the world like a company of undertakers in their somber 

 black and white suits. 



When approaching the nest, the Skimmer does not 

 alight directly upon it, but alights a short distance away 

 and toddles up on its absurdly small " Chinese lady " feet. 

 The bird then enters the nest, cuddles down upon the eggs, 

 presses the bill into the rim and after it is settled, utters 

 the cuddling note. 



While we were in the blind, another bird some dis- 

 tance away, but outside our line of vision, would fequently 

 enter and leave its nest and we could hear it utter its cud- 

 dling note. Its voice was higher in pitch than the one we 

 were observing and photographing, and we could always 

 tell without looking which bird was entering its nest. 



The skimmers were coming and going almost all of 

 the night and the cuddling note could be heard from all 



