148 BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA 
mer, and the Grosse Isle “ season ” was in full swing. 
There was a school picnic one day ; on another, serv- 
ice was held in the little white church on the hill- 
side; but, as I considered the deathlike quiet which, 
as a rule, reigned in the village, ] wondered what 
life must be there in winter. Then the entire Mag- 
dalen group is frozen in a sea of ice, which renders 
communication with the mainland (except by cable, 
generally out of 
repair) impossi- 
ble. When the 
ice breaks in the 
spring, seals ap- 
pear and furnish 
a hazardous occu- 
pation to those 
who are venture- 
some enough to 
go in pursuit of 
them—a form of 
sport which I im- 
agine is eagerly 
welcomed after 
the lethargy of 
winter. Withus 
the Magdalens 
were only a step- 
ping - stone to 
Bird Rock, but 
while preparing for the continuation of our jour- 
ney to that point we took some note of our sur- 
roundings. 
The Magdalens have an interesting avifauna, but 
78. Nest and eggs of Fox Sparrow. 
