AS FAR AS HARRINGTON 



We rowed over to the island the next morn- 

 ing and were greeted by a chorus of protests 

 as about four hundred of these beautiful white 

 birds rose into the air. They remained above 

 our heads and protested so violently that I 

 felt extremely guilty and worked as rapidly 

 as possible, taking photographs of nests and 

 eggs and young and recording my notes. I 

 suppose the gulls took us for Newfoundland 

 fishermen, and I pictured to myself their sur- 

 prise and joy on finding that we had taken so 

 little toll and had not wreaJced the usual fish- 

 erman's destruction. 



The nests, thickly scattered among the 

 rocks and vegetation, were made up of neatly 

 arranged dried grass and weed-stalks and moss 

 and feathers. They contained one, two, or 

 three chocolate-colored or bluish eggs more or 

 less thickly spotted and scrawled with brown. 

 Some of the nests contained downy young, 

 gray and spotted. Many were empty and the 

 young were concealed in the grass or well pro- 

 tected by their coloration among the rocks. 

 That was, indeed, a red-letter day, and Audur 

 bon's spirit must have rejoiced with me. ^]' 



After the survey of this precious island, — ? 

 137 



