AMONG THE WaTER-FowL 
could not see that they were alarmed in the least by 
the explosions, and I did not see a single egg fall 
during my stay. This was the day. wen the 
schooner was to return for us, so, under the circum- 
stances, we busied ourselves preparing a few speci- 
mens and getting ready for the possible departure, 
notwithstanding that it looked as though our visit 
might be prolonged. 
Several land-birds had taken refuge on Bird 
Rock, one of which was a Long-eared Owl. Sun- 
day night it flew out from under the lighthouse, 
and next morning the Keeper shot it as it flew out 
again. He thought it would kill his chickens, and, 
though such a practice is quite foreign to the 
species, I could not guarantee that it would not have 
done it under pressure of starvation. Indeed, who 
would not? As I entered the tool-house, a bird was 
fluttering against the window, a Black-billed Cuckoo, 
as I found by catching it, of which species I had 
seen several individuals on the main islands of the 
group. I let it goin the open, and off it went with 
the wind, northward, toward Newfoundland, where I 
trust it arrived safely in due time. I also observed 
a Bittern and a pair of White-winged Crossbills. 
About the middle of the afternoon, with a 
change of wind to the west, the clouds broke and 
the sun shone out for awhile. I took a few more 
general views of the great bird-colony, and then set 
the camera on the rocks for shots at close range. 
But the birds were restless, flying almost constantly 
and would not gather where I wanted them. Be- 
fore I succeeded in getting a single group, we saw 
the schooner coming, several miles away. 
S2 
