EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT. 167 



and enemies; and finally, when we leave them unmolested, it is 

 with the hope that they look upon us as their friends, and we wish 

 that they could appreciate the sympathy and affection which close 

 companionship with such beautiful living creatures has aroused 

 in us. 



We remained five days upon Cobb Island — July 12-18 inclu- 

 sive — and observed twenty-three species of birds, twelve of which 

 were breeding, or had bred this year on the island. This list 

 would doubtless have been longer if we had not confined our at- 

 tention almost entirely to the gulls, terns and skimmers. The 

 following is a list of these birds with a resume of the notes which 

 we made during our brief stay. One could spend a year upon 

 this limited area without beginning to exhaust the interesting 

 facts of its bird life. 



The usual order of classification has been reversed, so that the 

 most interesting and characteristic birds of the island are the last 

 in the list. 



1. Barn Swallow (Hirundo erythrogastra, Bodd). Fifteen 

 or twenty pairs of these birds build their nests beneath the sta- 

 tion buildings, on the ledges near the piles, the only available 

 places for them, so their presence on Cobb Island is dependent on 

 man. They feed chiefly on mosquitoes which they glean from the 

 brackish marshes at the south end. 



2. Song Sparrow {Melospiza cinera melodia, Wils.). 



3. Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus, Wils.). 



Four or five pairs of each of these finches breed here. I found 

 several nests and saw young birds of both species. Several song 

 sparrows and at least one seaside sparrow were in full song. 

 These birds keep to the zone of "kings" bushes near the center 

 of the island and feed on both seeds and insects. 



4. Meadowlark (Sturnella magna, Linn.). One individual 

 heard and seen. 



5. Nighthawk (Chordeiles znrginianus, Gmel.). Several of 

 these birds hawked about the island every evening, apparently 

 finding a plentiful supply of insect food in the air high above the 

 marshes. They are said to lay their eggs on the sand. 



6. Osprey or Fish-Hawk (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, 

 Gmel.). Three or four Ospreys were seen fishing near Cobb 

 Island or flying over. They had half-grown young in their nests 

 near by on Marchon Island. 



7. Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo borealis, Gmel.). A single in- 

 dividual of this species was seen passing over the island headed 

 straight for the ocean. He flew steadily and took no notice of the 

 terns which were mobbing him. 



