398 AUDUBON 



July 15. Our fine weather of yesterday was lost some- 

 time in the night. As every one was keen to go off and 

 see the country, we breakfasted at three o'clock this 

 morning. The weather dubious, wind east. Two boats 

 with the young men moved off in different directions. I 

 sat to finishing the ground of my Grouse, and by nine had 

 to shift my quarters, as it rained hard. By ten John and 

 Lincoln had returned ; these two always go together, being 

 the strongest and most active, as well as the most experi- 

 enced shots, though Coolidge and Ingalls are not far be- 

 hind them in this. They brought a Red-necked Diver and 

 one egg of that bird ; the nest was placed on the edge of 

 a very small pond, not more than ten square yards. Our 

 harbor had many Larus sonorkynchus^ (Common Gull); 

 the captain shot one. I have never seen them so abundant 

 as here. Their flight is graceful and elevated ; when they 

 descend for food the legs and feet generally drop below 

 the body. They appear to know gunshot distance with 

 wonderful precision, and it is seldom indeed that one comes 

 near enough to be secured. They alight on the water 

 with great delicacy, and swim beautifully. Coolidge's 

 party brought a nest of the White-crowned Bunting [Frin- 

 gilla leucophyrs) and three specimens of the bird, also two 

 Charadrius semipalmatus. They found an island with 

 many nests of the Phalacrocorax dilophus^ but only one 

 egg, and thought the nests were old and abandoned. One 

 of the young Ravens from the nest flew off at the sight of 

 one of our men, and fell into the water ; it was caught and 

 brought to me ; it was nearly fledged. I trimmed one of 

 its wings, and turned it loose on the deck, but in attempt- 

 ing to rejoin its mother, who called most loudly from on 

 high on the wing, the young one walked to the end of the 

 bowsprit, jumped into the water, and was drowned ; and 

 soon after I saw the poor mother chased by a Peregrine 



1 Now L. delawarensis, also called Ring-billed Gull. — E. C. 



2 Double-crested Cormorant. 



