THE BAY STATE OOLOGIST. 



*3 



h Day with the Fish Hawks on Seven-Mile Beach, 



BY C. S. SHICK, SEA ISLAND CITY, N. J. 



One fine, beautiful morning in the month of May, '87, I started out of a 

 pleasant dream to find the sun shining brightly into my room from a clear* 

 blue sky. 



Rising on my elbow, I could see far out over the deep, blue ocean, dot- 

 ted here and there with the snowy-white sails of vessels $ some bound to 

 foreign ports, others to the beautiful regions of the tropics. Ail were sail- 

 ing swiftly o'er the bosom of the dark, blue ocean. 



Oh I what a beautiful morning it was — just such a morning as I had 

 wished for. I started out of bed, dressed and went down stairs. The on- 

 ly person stirring was the cook. 



After taking a good wash, I went up to my room, got out my packing-box, 

 my basket and a long piece of strong twine. By this time my breakfast was 

 ready ; while I was eating it, cook got my lunch ready, and off I started for 

 a day's trip to Seven-Mile Beach, the home of the Fish Hawk* 



After walking for a mile, I reached my boat, and there met my friend and 

 companion, Dave McCormack. We raised sail, and the wind being in our 

 tavor we were soon within sight of Seven-Mile Beach. 



Seven Mile Beach, so named because of its length, is one of the finest 

 fields open to the Oologist or Ornithologist in the State of New Jersey c no 1 

 I will say Middle States. 



The island, from one end to the other, is composed of hills and valleys* 

 most of which are covered with a dense growth of oak, maple, birch, holly 

 and last but not least, cedar, A good many of the trees are covered with 

 iong pendants of Spanish Moss, which hang gracefully from limb to limb* 



About a half-mile back from the beach a beautiful, though treacherous 

 strip of meadow, three miles or more in width and seven miles in length, 

 meets the view. This meadow is the home of countless numbers of Clap- 

 per Rail, Sea-side and Sharp-tailed Finch and Henslow's Sparrow. 



The forest affords a home for the Black- crowned and Green Herons, 

 Least Bittern, Tree Swallow, Fish Hawk, Fish Crow, Golden-crowned Thrush 

 several varieties ot Warblers, Purple Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue, 

 Jay, Bluebird and numerous others of the common varieties. I have 



