88 



Squabbles are frequent, especially when a bird gets too near a 

 nest not its own, whereat there is a great flapping of wings and 

 striking of bills, until the intruder leaves. The birds perform 

 their wing maneuvers with exceptional grace and ease. They 

 always face the wind when arising or alighting. 



The young birds, when just hatched, are covered with a sort of 

 drab-colored down, marked with brownish or blackish spots, 

 which blends excellently with the sand. When a person ap- 

 proaches, the newly hatched birds lie perfectly flat and motion- 

 less, and are almost indistinguishable from their surroundings; 

 the older ones scamper off with as much speed as they can. 



One should not linger too long in such a colony, if he would 

 enjoy in the highest degree the really marvelous sight. The 

 wonderful first impression becomes indistinct after a time, and 

 is difficult to describe. To appreciate such a place, one must 

 see it with his own eyes. 



After completing our photographic studies on the lump, we 

 left for Ocracoke, our trip being practically over. On the way 

 we stopped at a Jittle isle known as the Legged Lump, the 

 property of the North Carolina Audubon Society, where some 

 200 Black Skimmers, a few Common Terns, and about a dozen 

 Least Terns were breeding. On the neighboring Davis Lump 

 were about a hundred Black Skimmers, twenty-five pairs of 

 Common Terns, and sixty pairs of Royal Terns. 



In spite of our misfortune in finding the tremendous colony 

 on Royal Shoal broken up, we were well satisfied with our trip, 

 and cannot have too much praise for the admirable work which 

 Warden Jennett has done. Shooting has almost entirely ceased 

 in the Pamlico Sound colonies, and egging has, to a large extent, 

 been suppressed. The islands in the sound should continue to 

 afford a safe refuge for the sea birds that resort there to breed, 

 and the colonies should increase in the years to come. 



The following is a list of the birds noted on the islands which 

 we visited in Pamlico Sound : 



1. Lams atricilla. Laughing Gull. — A colony of one hun- 



dred birds nesting on Royal Shoal. 



2. Gelochelidon nilotica. Gull-billed Tern. — Rare. One 



pair seen on Miller Lump, and one bird on Royal Shoal. 

 Breeds. 



