92 
WILD WINGS 
The Sooties, naturally, occupied the greater part of the island, 
but the Noddies had a separate reservation along the middle 
and southern part of the west shore, from which one gazes 
out upon Loggerhead Light, two miles away. To some extent 
the species overlapped on their southern boundary, and the 
Sooties were free to liy over Noddy-land, but there was no 
interference or unfriendliness. I saw no lighting between 
these two, though the Noddies would protest a bit when their 
natural disturbers, the Man-o’-War Birds, desired to roost too 
near their nests, and there were some little “scraps” between 
some of a kind, especially when the wrong Noddy alighted 
upon the wrong nest. 
Living, as we did, right among the birds, the opportunities 
were splendid for observing all the details of their interesting 
little lives. Both terns were continually alighting upon the 
roofs of the buildings, especially appropriating the ridge¬ 
poles, upon which there were nearly always lines of them, 
iboth kinds j^eacefully intermingled. I watched the caressings 
bf the mates, their pretty home-life on and about the nests, 
and -even the dropping of the eggs. I was so busy photo¬ 
graphing during my short stay that I could not take time to 
watch protractedly any given nests and learn the full sequence 
of events, but I should have enjoyed remaining there with 
the warden throughout the season, watching the life and pro¬ 
gress of the colony. 
The climate of these sea-girt. Southern keys is not uncom¬ 
fortably hot, even in summer, just a delightful, equable con¬ 
dition that makes living and sleeping outdoors a constant 
delight. The rainy season was approaching, as occasional 
sudden showers had begun to show. But who would mind 
alternate showers and sunshine under such conditions ! How 
a congenial company of lovers of nature could enjoy them¬ 
selves upon such an island, studying the birds, watching at 
