WILD WINGS 
184 
the little dusky, swallow-like bird, with a white rump and 
webbed feet, upon a single white egg. W'hen handled they 
always vomit up, or eject from their nostrils, a mass of strong¬ 
smelling, yellow oil. Poor lards! every carnivorous animal 
jwevs upon them. Stray cats are here fat and flourishing, and 
I have often noticed the dogs chewing up a poor joetrel. 
W'hen I undertook to pose and photograph one that I had 
dug up for that jDurpose, 1 had to resign myself to a two 
hours’ struggle with a ceaselessly active automaton that could 
do nearly everything except keep still. This is the pent-up 
energy that serves them well in their life upon the bound¬ 
less deep, when for months they never approach the stable 
land. 
Here and there, in sandy tracts above the shores, or on the 
stump land, are small colonies of terns, both the Arctic 
and Common species, I think. On the sand-bar ccmnecting 
the lol)es of the island there is a ct)lony of the Arctic. When 
I was crossing it, the flrst thing I knew, one of the hovering, 
angry terns, darting down, struck me a stinging blow on 
the top of mv head. Elsewhere they are usually shyer, and, 
delighted bv this exhibition of boldness, I returned next 
dav with my reflex camera. It must have been amusing to 
watch me, sitting on the sand, following with the camera the 
darting birds, one or another of which w(Hild land with a thud, 
almost momentarilv, on my devoted head. Now and then, 
after a swoop, I would remove my felt hat to see if they had 
punctured it. 
A pair or two of Ravens nest in the spruces, which, with 
numerous Crows, help to destroy the eggs and young of the 
other birds. The busy little Black-poll \ATrbler is everywhere 
abundant among the spruces. Not the least interesting of the 
.Seal Islanders is the demure little grayish brown fellow, with 
the white and spotted breast, the Bicknell’s Thrush. meet 
