20 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



A TRIP TO MUSCONGUS BAY, 

 MAINE, JULY 4 AND 5. 1901. 



I Read before the Maine Ornitholog- 

 ical Society, at Augusta, Nov. 29, 1901. | 



It was a cloudy morning, with the 

 sun now and then breaking through 

 the clouds, that Mr. Arthur H. Norton 

 and the writer left Seguin Light Stat- 

 ion on a trip to Muscongus Bay. 



At 5 A. M. we left the boat-house 

 in a fourteen foot dory, with all the 

 paraphernalia necessary for a stop of 

 two nights or more. 



The object of our trip was to secure 

 young birds in the down, of the Arctic 

 Tern (Sterna paradisaea) Brunn, the 

 Black Guillemot, (Cepphus grylle) Pet- 

 rel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) Vieill. 

 and Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) 

 Linn, which were known to breed on 

 certain rocks there. 



Of the last named, this locality is 

 the only known breeding ground north 

 of Massachusetts. 



As we pulled out over the spur, (a 

 submerged reef of rocks) not a ripple 

 on the water except those made by 

 our oars could be seen, while the 

 restlessness of old ocean was mani- 

 fested only by a gentle swash against 

 the rocks. 



Pumpkin Knob, a small island seven 

 miles distant, at the most Southern 

 and Eastern point of Sheepscot Bay 

 was to be our first stopping place, as 

 we wished to learn what old breeding 

 places between Seguin and our desti- 

 nation were still used by the sea birds 

 peculiar to such places. As we rowed 

 along nothing broke the stillness but 

 our conversation, fertile with hope and 

 imagination of the secrets of bird life 

 we expected to meet with, or the 

 steady splash of our oars as they deft 

 the water. 



As we were awake to all of nature's 



treasures, we soon espied from the 

 clear depths of the ocean, "numbers of 

 Aurelia flavidula swimming along, now 

 and then changing their direction with 

 a lazy contraction of the disk, all float- 

 ing around in a seemingly aimless 

 way, their four eye like spots giving 

 a very daft expression, to their jelly 

 like bodies. 



Again we would notice Idyia roseola, 

 bag like body glintering in the light, 

 each movement flashing to view, the 

 beautiful color suggestive of its name. 



Now and then Cyanea arctica could 

 be seen, its large red body drifting 

 lazily about, while streaming behind 

 could be seen its tentacles so fatal to 

 the forms upon which it subsists when 

 they come in contact with them. 



Once our attention was attracted by 

 a large shark splashing the water as 

 it no doubt caught some small fish, 

 reminding us that "might was right" 

 in that case at least. 



Pumpkin Knob, which at first ap- 

 peared like some small object adrift 

 on the ocean, commenced to assume a 

 definite shape, gradually rising to its 

 full height as we neared it. 



At 7.30 we reached the Motions, a 

 reef of rocks extending some distance 

 south of Damiscove Island. There we 

 stopped rowing for a short time while 

 we made exposures at the U. S. Life 

 Saving Station which is on the island 

 just named. 



After exposing a few plates with the 

 cameras, and taking a drink of Adams 

 ale. we again rowed for Pumpkin 

 Knob, then about a mile distant. Wo 

 had been told that the Herring Gull 

 ( Larus argentatus smithsonianus) 

 Coues still bred on that island al- 

 though Penobscot Bay was said to be 

 its most western breeding ground, and 

 with the anticipation of giving Larus 

 argentatus smithsonianus a more west- 

 erly breeding range, we eagerly press- 

 ed on to the goal. 



