216 Bird -Lore 



to last me until dinner-time, and most cheerfully told him to return for me in 

 an hour or two. The day was hot, although I did not realize it until I was 

 comfortably settled under my umbrella, where for the first hour I enjoyed 

 very much the odor of rockweed and the saltness of the sea, which were gently 

 blown to me through the openings cut in the cloth sides for peep-holes. The 



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HERRING GULL 



purring of the surf breaking on the ledges fifty feet below; the screams of the 

 Gulls, greatly decreasing in number and volume as their fright became more 

 or less allayed; the distant view of the islands and lighthouses, and the sharp 

 contour of the rock-ribbed coast stretching far to the eastward till almost 

 lost in the vague distance — the projecting southern head of Grand Manan 

 looking almost like a low-lying gray cloud; the slow passing of dark-sailed 

 schooners against the far horizon — all were pleasant sights and sounds, until 

 the presence of the summer sun directly overhead caused a most stifling heat, 

 and a host of most athletic and well-developed mosquitos found me out and 

 took away part of the pleasure. 



The second hour did not pass so quickly, but the munching of the two bis- 

 cuits which made a rather slim dinner helped somewhat to while it away. I 

 did not dare to slap at the mosquitos, as the Gulls by this time were beginning 

 to circle quite near, even to alighting for short intervals on some of the big 

 rocks within some thirty or forty feet of my umbrella, and any quick motion 

 inside, or any noise, would have meant the spoiling of my efforts for that day 

 at least. During my third hour the Gulls had become calmed down sufficiently 

 so that at a distance of some twenty or thirty feet I shot (with the camera) 

 several good specimens from rocks and trees. 



One Gull whose nest was not more than twelve or fourteen feet from my 

 blind was particularly shy, and it took at least another hour before she could 



