wuist] THE WEEPECKETS 149 



favorite nesting place one turns his steps to the inner part of the 

 island which is covered with scattered bunches of low, coarse beach 

 grass. One soon finds that the beach is not the only inhabitated 

 portion of the island, in fact it seems doubtful if it is the preferred 

 location, but rather selected as the result of congested conditions or 

 inexperience on the part of younger birds. Here one finds the 

 small birds, apparently all of about the same age "still wearing a 

 ruff of down." They closely resemble little chickens and their 

 color blends from gray and olive-brown above to white below with 

 black spots scattered irregularly over the head, back and wings. 

 When the nests are approached they scurry away in different 

 directions and hide in the first place which seems to them to offer 

 protection. Often they thrust their little heads under a single 

 spear of grass and, confident that they are hidden, remain quiet 

 until actually touched. While the little birds are being hunted, 

 the frantic, screaming parent birds hover, dart and whirl almost 

 striking one with their wings. 



Continuing across the island the ground rises gradually to an 

 elevation of twelve to fifteen feet, then slopes abruptly, on the 

 south, to a rocky coast. Altho this is the highest part of the island, 

 relatively fewer nests are observed as shrubs and bushes are lacking 

 and the coarse grass with an occasional thistle offers little protection 

 from the sweep of the wind. On the slope the eggs are in little 

 depressions or footholds in the ground. In some of these depres- 

 sions dried eelgrass is arranged in the form of a nest, in others the 

 eggs are on the bare ground. 



Following along the elevation, as it gradually slopes toward the 

 west, the end of the island is soon reached. This is the narrowest 

 part of the island and consists of little more than two boulder 

 covered shores with a ridge of turf, eight to ten feet in width in 

 some places, and three to five feet in height between them. The 

 entire southwestern end of the island is sparcely covered with 

 dwarf Sumac, Bayberry and wild Roses. These shrubs vary in 

 height from two to three feet near the shore to five or six feet 

 farther inland. They doubtless afford shelter to young Terns that 

 have not yet learned to fly. 



Here as on other parts of the island one is impressed by the large 

 . number of full feathered dead birds which they see. As no possible 

 enemy may be observed, the only animal one ever sees on the 

 island is a short-tailed mouse, and as the bird's plumage has prac- 



