28 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The petrels were breeding as on the 

 other rock, but in much less numbers. 



There the work of man was again 

 manifested, by the number of petrels' 

 burrows which had, wantonly, been de- 

 stroyed. 



Two petrels were found in an unfin- 

 ished burrow, while the others ex- 

 amined, contained but one egg, the in- 

 variable number laid by such birds. 



It was then 3 P. M., the time when 

 we must start for home, and Mr. Nor- 

 ton once more in the boat, we turned 

 our faces toward Seguin. 



Rowing against a stiff southwest 

 wind and chop, we passed Pemaquid 

 upon our right, and a few miles farth- 

 er on, Thrumbcap reared its barren 

 cliff above our heads. 



Ram Island Light came next in turn 

 upon our left, while Squirrel Island 

 seme distance to the right was left be- 

 hind, its white shore gleaming in the 

 fast descending sunlight. 



The wind, which had blown all day. 

 had then died out, and wearily row- 

 ing along we, at sunset, passed the 

 Cuckolds, two small islands at the 

 southwest entrance to Boothbay Har- 

 bor, on one of which is a fog signal. 

 Seven miles distant we could see the 

 beacon of our home where we arrived 

 at 0.30 P. M., tired, but well satisfied 

 with our experiences of the trip. 



The conclusions which may be 

 drawn from our trip are these: 



First, that the gulls seen at Pump- 

 kin Knob, were barren birds. 



Second, that the large colony of 

 common and, no doubt, arctic terns 

 which a few years ago were known to 

 breed there, have deserted that breed- 

 ing ground, and that the summer of 

 1901 perhaps dates the disappearance 

 of leach's petrel from there also. 



Third, that the number of birds 

 breeding on the rocks we visited are 

 as follows: 



On the first, five pairs of black 



guillemot, as ten .birds were the largest 

 number seen at any one time. Ten 

 pairs of the laughing gull. Perhaps 

 twenty pairs of common tern; and 

 from three to five hundred of leach's 

 petrel. 



On the other rock, three pairs of 

 guillemot, possibly ten to fifteen pair 

 of common tern, and perhaps one hun- 

 dred petrels. 



Fourth, that no arctic terns were 

 breeding at either rock, as, during our 

 stay, none of that species were obser- 

 ved, although Mr. Norton found them 

 breeding there when on a trip four 

 years before. 



Fifth. that the small colony of 

 laughing gulls, then breeding on the 

 island need all the protection their 

 friends can give. 



Sixth, and last, that the warden pay- 

 ed to protect those grounds did not do 

 his duty, as the trampled grass and 

 empty nests of terns did testify. 



The next morning, July 6th, one of 

 the young guillemots was found to be 

 quite dead, no doubt from being chill- 

 ed; which would indicate that the par- 

 ent bird must hover them during the 

 night. 



The other was quite smart, and at 

 once commenced to open its mouth for 

 food, at the same time uttering a 

 tremulous whistle. 



Some rock eels were soon found 

 under the loose rocks near low tide 

 limit, with which, we at once commen- 

 ced to feed it. 



Taking an eel by the tail, we expos- 

 ed it to the young bird's view, which 

 at once opened its mouth, all the while 

 uttering its whistling notes, and at 

 the same time flutttering its small 

 wings against its sides. 



When offered the fish.it would eager- 

 ly grasp it by the head with its bill, 

 and. if the fish was not too long and 

 large, would, with a number of bob- 

 bing motions of the head and neck, at 



