82 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND. 



there is nothing to disturb them, and trusting 

 to the heat of the July sun to hatch the 

 young. 



Bonaparte's Gull ( Chroicocephalus Philadelphia) 

 is our smallest and most abundant species in 

 summer. Bonapartes come here the latter part 

 of May, in company with the Terns, with whom 

 they had travelled all the way from their winter- 

 ing on the shores of Florida. They appear in 

 large flocks at once, dipping, and whirling, and 

 crossing, like drifting snow flakes, over the sunny 

 wave. They love the quiet river waters, going 

 up even into narrow creeks in pursuit of their 

 fishing. With the fleet - winged Terns, they are 

 the soul of life in our harbors, their soft cher 

 mingling harmoniously with the harsh shrieking 

 of the former. Bonapartes and Terns go, in 

 July, to the outer reefs and sand banks for their 

 nesting. Great num^bers nest together, and such 

 a place is then a scene of the most romantic 

 activity and eager parental solicitude. The swift 

 white wings are sweeping to and fro through the 

 clear summer sky. The birds wander far over 

 the sea in pursuit of their prey, and hastily re- 

 turn with the captured prize for their young. If 



