AMONG THE WATER FOWL 



that represented a fine colony of Double-crested 

 Cormorants. The latter were squatting or standing 

 upon their nests that were placed as close together 

 as possible, resembling in the distance troops of 

 soldiers in martial array. v 



When we approached within quarter of a mile 

 they began to fly off in detachments of a dozen or 

 so at a time, to alight out in the lake and watch us. 

 Then the Gulls began to get uneasy and at length, 

 with a great fluttering, the whole colony rose. The 

 air was filled with beating white wings and with an 

 almost deafening clamor. There is no bird more 



capable of noise 

 than a large Gull, 

 and every one on 

 this island per- 

 formed faithfully 

 its part. 



Then we 

 landed, and no 

 sooner had ad- 

 vanced a few 

 steps from the 

 water's edge than 

 we were in the 

 midst of eggs of the Gulls. The island's sur- 

 face was more or less covered with loose stones, 

 with some grass growing on the summit. The 

 Gulls' nests were anywhere and everywhere, among 

 the stones, besides clumps of weeds, in the grass, 

 rather slight affairs consisting of a rim of dry grass 

 or weed that seemed to deepen the slight hollow in 

 the ground, which was lined with a few feathers. 



148 



" NO SOONER HAD WE ADVANCED A FEW STEPS FROM 

 THE WATER'S EDGE THAN WE WERE IN THE 

 MIDST OF EGGS OF THE GULLS." NEST OF RING- 

 BILLED GULL 



