128 
WILD WINGS 
long grass. A few days later I returned to show the nest to 
a friend. As we stood by it, I caught sight of a gleam of 
white, and there was a nest with eleven eggs of the Marsh 
Hen, skilfully concealed under the canopied grass. I had 
placed my tripod directly over it, and then gone away with¬ 
out detecting its presence. 
Stepping back from this nest a few feet, I suddenly flushed 
the mother bird, which I had almost trodden upon. So con¬ 
fident are they in their protective coloration and surround¬ 
ings that they are almost fearless of dull-eyed man. The day 
before this I had waded out in a marsh at high tide to a little 
hummock and, standing upon it, clapped my hands to start 
up a Willet which had alighted out beyond. Upon this up 
jumped a Marsh Hen almost from between my legs. It, too, 
had taken refuge from the tide and did not intend to yield its 
ground for any ordinary alarm. Sometimes I saw them, when 
suddenly flushed, fly straight out into the bay and alight upon 
the water, where they would swim like ducks. 
Despite all accounts, I did not find the Laughing Gulls’ 
nesting-grounds till I extended my wanderings to the vicinity 
of Cobb’s Island. Meanwhile I had found and photographed 
a rookery of Great Blue Herons on the mainland. As we 
approached a little marsh island in our sail-boat, bands of 
hovering, cackling gulls gave assurance of certain success. 
The very first thing one of the men saw, on jumping from the 
boat, was a Marsh Hen’s nest with eight eggs. The over¬ 
arching of the grass revealed it. Very close by was another 
with eight eggs, and still another with eleven. It was now 
July 2, and these were second layings, for the Marsh Hens 
here begin their family cares in April or early May. Then we 
discovered, here and there on the marsh, the nests of the 
Laughing Gulls, hollows in piles of drift-weed, in each of 
which were three drab-colored mottled eggs. 
