8 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



haps setting out across the cape for Chesapeake Bay in quest of 

 favorite feeding grounds. When we had proceeded some dis- 

 tance through the winding channels we noted several common 

 terns, Sterna hirundo L., and a few great blue herons, Ardea h. 

 herodias L., but these were old acquaintances of ours. Captain 

 Broadwater, our pilot, told us that terns were called " strikers " 

 in Virginia and great blue herons " crankies." Some questioning 

 on the subject of local names elicited the further information that 

 green herons are known as '' scouts," black skimmers as " flood 

 . gulls," " sea dogs " or " scissor bills," oyster catchers as " sea 

 crows," and kingbirds as " bee martins." Black terns were called 

 "black strikers" and royal terns "big strikers." The name 

 " striker " is significant and is suggested by the habit these birds 

 have of securing their food of small fish by " striking " the water 

 bill first after a drop of several feet from a position in the air. 



Our first black skimmer or flood gull, Rhynchops nigra L., 

 was not seen until we were just off the shore of the famous Cobb's 

 Island. The bird was passing a point of land that jutted out into 

 the channel and was flying in our direction. He pursued a course 

 just above the surface of the rather smooth water, moving his 

 immense wings with unbelievable ease, and from time to time 

 opened his bill and thrust its lower half into the water. While 

 this " skimming " process was going on the skimmer's wings were 

 moved more rapidly than in ordinary flight, but did not travel so 

 far up and down, thus enabling the bird to fly very close to the 

 water and yet not touch its surface with his wing tips. The bill 

 was not simply dipped into the water and quickly withdrawn but 

 was skimmed along for a rod or more, throwing the water out at 

 both sides in thin sheets, and producing much the same effect that 

 one might obtain by drawing the closed points of a pair of scissors 

 with considerable speed across the surface of a body of smooth 

 water. 



Cobb's Island is little more than a strip of sandy beach and 

 salt marsh some seven miles in length and less than a mile in 

 width. The only buildings to be found there are the Cobb's 



