JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



23 



of open sea, the Herring Gulls were 

 the only sea birds observed. 



As we neared the rock, a number of 

 Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) 

 were noticed resting on the water, 

 each holding some object in its bill. 



As we were about to land, a Falcon 

 was seen to leave the island which was 

 perhaps perigrinus although it looked 

 much larger and had a darker appear- 

 ence. 



We also noticed the strong odor 

 characteristic of the petrels breeding 

 ground. 



A landing was easily made on the 

 northwest part of the island, the boat 

 unloaded, and after much labor, was 

 dragged up the jagged shore to a suit- 

 able camping place on The top of the 

 island. 



Our luggage was then brought up, 

 and having turned the boat bottom 

 upwards for a tent, we made ready for 

 the night. 



Having completed our house work, 

 we started out to learn what Ornithol- 

 ogical material the island afforded. 



The island was of an angular shape 

 of some three * or more acres extent, 

 and composed of a coarse, granitic 

 rock, with a sea wall around it of 

 rounded and slab shaped stones of the 

 same material which had been thrown 

 up by the sea. 



The top of it was well turfed and 

 supported a rank growth of grass 

 among which were conspicuous, many 

 nettles and Umbellifferae. 



Among the tangled mass of plants 

 were many of the slab shaped stones 

 already mentioned which at some per- 

 iod had been cast there by the sea, 

 which we soon found to be the roof of 

 many petrel burrows. 



We had expected to find a large colony 

 of the Common, and perhaps, Arctic 

 Terns on the island. 



Up to that time we had only seen 

 two or three of the first named species 

 which had flown in. high over our 



heads, uttering their alarm call. 



Walking along, we flushed another 

 from her set of three eggs, and close 

 beside the nest Under the edge of one 

 of the already mentioned slabs, we 

 discovered the entrance to a petrel's 

 burrow, and lifting the slab on edge, 

 we discovered a petrel sitting on her 

 single egg. The nest was a slight hol- 

 low in the ground containing a few 

 grass stalks on which the egg was 

 laid. Of a series of nests examined 

 by us they were all constructed the 

 same. 



When first uncovered the strong 

 light seemed to blind her, as instead of 

 flying away, she groped around trying 

 to find some hole to hide in. A num- 

 ber of times we returned her to her 

 egg but each time she would hurry 

 away with breast close to the ground, 

 poking around with her head and bill 

 for a place of concealment, nor did she 

 fly away until we tossed her in the air, 

 where she struggled awkwardly for a 

 few moments with her wings and then 

 flew out to sea. 



All of the petrels examined by us in 

 their burrows, when brought to the 

 light, invariably performed the ma-- 

 noeuvres already mentioned. 



Up to that time not a sound had 

 been heard, or a petrel seen, except- 

 ing the one just mentioned, to suggest 

 that a petrel was breeding on the is- 

 land; although there proved to be 

 hundreds of them. 



Stamping on another slab beside 

 which was an entrance to a burrow, 

 the disturbance was greeted with a 

 most gutteral chuckle which, from its 

 location, sounded very weird. 



We made several exposures of the 

 birds in their burrows in different 

 positions, but owing to the lateness 

 of the day, the light was too poor to 

 get favorable results. 



The petrel when taken in hand, al- 

 most invariably ejects from its mouth 

 a small quantity of light yellow oil, 



