AMONG THE WatTER FowL 
running the tender up on a shelf of rock when 
the wave serves, all the thousand and more great 
Gulls hover screaming, or gather in groups on the 
dark trees, making a wonderful picture. Up above 
the rocks there is an area of pasture where graze 
a flock of sheep, which have been ferried over 
here for the season to live and multiply,—if they 
ean. Some fail, as their dead bodies show, and the 
Ravens have plenty of wool with which to line 
their nests:: All over the (pasture, im “all <sortsmas 
places, are the nests of the Gulls, deeply hollowed 
beds of seaweed, some quite slight, others substan- 
tial. Now we come upon one under a low spruce 
bush, then be- 
side ‘a rock. .or 
boldly out in the 
open. Then we 
extend our ram- 
ble intontehe 
spruce-woods, 
and”. here they 
are just the same, 
““ARE THE NESTS OF THE GULLS.’? NEST OF HER- all about on the 
RING GULL, MAINE. BY A. C. BENT ground among 
the trees. But, strangely enough, on this island I 
have never yet found a nest on a tree, though 
know that the birds have been considerably dis- 
turbed by the fishermen. Most of the nests, un- 
less marauders have been there, contain three eggs; 
often theré are but two, and now ‘and then four: 
They vary so greatly in ground-color and markings 
that it is fascinating to go all over the island and 
look at every nest that we can find. I recall one 
138 
