[15] SEA BIRDS AS BAIT FOR CATCHING CODFISH. 325 



the names of "Mailingspikes," " Wbiptails," etc.* The former term 

 being generally applied to the larger species, and the latter name to those 

 that are smaller, both appellations having a speciid reference to the two 

 long central tail feathers which is a distinguishing feature of birds of these 

 species. They usually are most abundant on the outer banks in spring 

 and fall, are rarely seen in midwinter, and are comparatively scarce in 

 midsummer. It is probable that in June and July the adult birds go in 

 to the land to incubate. I do not recollect of ha\i.ng seen a single in- 

 dividnal of the smaller species in winter, and these are always mnch less 

 abundant than the larger varieties. The following extracts from notes 

 in my journal on the appearance and abundance of these birds on the 

 fishing-banks may perhaps be of interest. Before quoting these extracts, 

 however, I will say that on the 29th of August, 1878, 1 sailed from Glou- 

 cester on a fresh halibut trip to Banquereau. On this occasion Mr. Ray- 

 mond L. Newcombt went with me, having been sent by Professor Baird 

 to collect birds for the Smithsonian Institution. 



When a few miles to the eastward of Thatcher's Island (Cape Ann) 

 on the day of sailing, we saw several jaegers of the more common varie- 

 ties, most of them not having the long tail-feathers which are, generally 

 speaking, the characteristic feature of these birds. 



On September 3, some 20 miles eastward of Sable Island, Mr. New- 

 comb shot four jaegers, besides birds of other species. September 5, 

 we saw a number of birds belonging to the jaeger family flying near the 

 vessel, too far off, however, to shoot; but the following day a marling- 

 spike was killed and added to the collection. On the 8th jgegers were 

 quite i)lenty, and three of the common varieties and a black one were 

 killed. Two more marliugspikes and a whiptail were shot on the 9th, 

 and an Arctic jaeger was seen on the 10th, but kept too far oft" to be 

 shot. A black jaeger was killed on the 12th, which was the last of these 

 birds obtained on the trip, as on that date we sailed for home. When 

 a few miles west of Cape Ann, September 17, we saw a jaeger engaged 

 in a fight with two herring gulls. 



The foregoing notes, together with the extracts that follow, cover about 

 eleven months' time, nearly all of which I spent at sea on the fishing- 

 banks, or in making passages to and from them. The presence of the 



*The name of " Marlingspike " is generally api)lied to the larger species, sxich as 

 the Pomarine Jaeger (S. 2}omaiorhinus) that was seeu hy Auduhou at Labrador, and 

 which is, perhaps, the most common species on the banks, and to Richardson's jaeger 

 {S. parasiticus), which, so far as my observations extends, is not very abundant on the 

 northeastern banks, but is more commonly found in the Gulf of Maine. The Arctic 

 Jaeger {S. biiffoni), which is much smaller than the other two species mentioned above, 

 is called a "whiptail," because of the great length and flexibility of its two central 

 tail feathers. This is said to occur in greater abundance farther north tban it does on 

 the Grand Banks and adjacent fishing-grounds, where it is comparatively scarce and 

 always timid. 



tThe gentleman who afterwards went as naturalist on tlio ill-fated Jeannette, and 

 who fortunately survived the hardships of the journey across the ice and up the Lena. 



