RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



Divers, Mergansers, and Surf Ducks were 

 seen, also a pair of Harlequin Ducks, evi- 

 dentl}- having a nest on the island. 



Having explored Br3'on, our attention is 

 directed to Bird Rocks. Many times did we 

 turn our spy-glass there and plainh- dis- 

 cern the white mantle of birds which cov- 

 ered them. It is very difficult to persuade a 

 native to go to the rocks. Nothing will do it 

 but an extravagant " insult " in the shape of 

 hard cash. At last, angr}' and nettled by the 

 dela3', we determined " to go it alone." Se- 

 curing an eighteen-3-ear-old fisher bo}", we 

 start during a dead calm to row across. 

 Arriving at the rock in the afternoon, we 

 are cordially greeted by the light-keeper. 

 The height of the rock has been much ex- 

 aggerated by man}' writers. At its lowest 

 point its height is 120 feet; the circum- 

 ference is 700 yards ; without a ladder the 

 ascent of the larger rock would be well-nigh 

 impossible, but the smaller rock, one-half 

 mile distant, can be scaled by an expert 

 climber. 



The Gannets are probably the most inter- 

 esting inhabitants. Wherever there was a 

 shelf of sufficient width they were to be 

 seen guarding their bunch of sea-weed, 

 their single egg, or the naked 3'oung. The 

 keeper said that he had collected the eggs 

 from a particular shelf everj- da}' and that 

 the Gannets there had ceased laying, but 

 still guarded jealously their despoiled nests, 

 if nests the}- might be called. 



The Murres and Razor Bills are crowded 

 upon the smaller ledges, and when they fly 

 the eggs and young are pushed off. The 

 3'oung appear not to be injured bj- the fall, 

 and some were noticed which fell fuU}^ 100 

 feet to the rocks beneath, to scamper to 

 the water and swim out, only, however, to 

 fall a pre}' to the voracious cod-fish which 

 lie in wait for their prey with the persis- 

 tency of sharks. In this instance the birds 

 were about a week old. 



The Kittiwakes build a neat nest under 

 the overhanging crags, which is very difficult. 

 The Puffins, now reduced to a small colony, 

 occupy one corner of the top surface, mak- 

 ing their burrows under the flat rocks, and 

 sitting near the enti'ance gazing with curi- 

 osity at the intruder who comes to despoil 

 their homes. 



The birds are very tame and will allow 

 a near approach. 



The Murres' eggs are gathered by the 

 light-keeper and placed in pickle for winter 

 use. At that time he had thirteen barrels 

 prepared and stowed away. 



But darkness is overtaking us, and hav- 

 ing gathered up the slain birds, we em- 

 bark for the return, feeling well repaid for 

 the aching muscles which the long row, to- 

 gether with five hours of climbing had 

 caused, and with reckless indifference we 

 stretched ourselves on the thwarts and 

 surrendered to the embrace of Morpheus, 

 and in our dreams the mournful cries of the 

 Kittiwakes seemed to mingle. Suddenly, a 

 loud "• boat ahoy " breaks in rudely upon 

 our slumbers, and we answer the hail of a 

 fishing schooner drifting for salmon. Find- 

 ing that a light breeze has risen we set the 

 sail and arrive at Bryon about 3.30 a. m., the 

 following morning. 



As the mercenary result of our venture 

 we had about seventy specimens of Murres, 

 Gannets, Razor Bills, Puffins, Kittiwakes, 

 and three half barrels of eggs (many of 

 which however, contained embryos), while 

 in our hearts we felt the satisfaction of an 

 enterprise successfully accomplished. 



G. W. F. 



The Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Rhode 

 Island. 



BY HORACE F. CARPENTER. 



Chapter XXIV. 



Sub-Class Pdlmonta. 



The animals of this third and last sub- 

 class of Gasteropoda, difter from all the 

 previously described mollusca, principally 

 in the fact that they are air-breathers. They 

 have only the simplest form of a breathing 

 apparatus lined with a net work of respira- 

 tory vessels. The sexes are united in each 

 individual. Most of the species have a 

 shell large enough to contain the animal, 

 some have a shell only to cover a portion 

 of the body, and a few have none. The 

 Pulmonata are divided into two orders, viz. : 

 Stylommatophora and Basommatophora. 

 These are further sub-divided into sub-or- 

 ders, groups, families, sub-families, genera, 

 sub-genera, sections, sub-sections, species, 

 and varieties. These finer sub-divisions are 



