388 AUDUBON 



their young; they take here the place of Eagles and 

 Hawks ; not an Eagle have we seen yet, and only two or 

 three small Hawks, and one small Owl; yet what a har- 

 vest they would have here, were there trees for them to 

 rest upon. 



July 3. We had a regular stiff gale from the eastward 

 the whole day, accompanied with rain and cold weather, 

 and the water so rough that I could not go ashore to get 

 plants to draw. This afternoon, however, the wind and 

 waves abated, and we landed for a short time. The view 

 from the topmost rock overlooking the agitated sea was 

 grand ; the small islets were covered with the angry foam. 

 Thank God ! we were not at sea. I had the pleasure of 

 coming immediately upon a Cormorant's nest, that lay in 

 a declivity not more than four or five yards below me; 

 the mother bird was on her nest with three young; I was 

 unobserved by her for some minutes, and was delighted 

 to see how kindly attentive she was to her dear brood; 

 suddenly her keen eye saw me, and she flew off as if to 

 dive in the sea. 



July 4- At four this morning I sent Tom Lincoln on 

 shore after four plants and a Cormorant's nest for me to 

 draw. The nest was literally pasted to the rock's edge, 

 so thick was the decomposed, putrid matter below it, and 

 to which the upper part of the nest was attached. It was 

 formed of such sticks as the country affords, sea-moss and 

 other garbage, and weighed over fifteen pounds. I have 

 drawn all day, and have finished the plate of the Fringilla 

 lincolnii, to which I have put three plants of the country, 

 all new to me and probably never before figured ; to us 

 they are very fitting for the purpose, as Lincoln gathered 

 them. Our party divided as usual into three bands : John 

 and Lincoln off after Divers; Coolidge, Shattuck, and 

 Ingalls to the main land, and our captain and four men 

 to a pond after fish, which they will catch with a seine. 

 Captain Bayfield sent us a quarter of mutton, a rarity, I 



