Penobscot Bay, Maine.
1896
June 22
(No 2)
  Saddleback Ledge. This is another island of solid rock rising
20 to 30 feet above the sea, 200 yards or so in length, with a sag
or hollow in the middle across which the sea breaks in rough
weather. The more elevated parts have a fair depth of soil and
support a dense & luxuriant growth of wild grasses & various
kinds of maritime plants among them wild gooseberry bushes in
rather extensive thickets and scattered specimens of a tall
broad-leafed umbelliferous plant which looks not unlike
rhubarb and which was in full bloom (Cow Parsnip, Heracleum lanatum)
  When we were within 300 or 400 yards of this island a few Herring
Gulls left it and a cloud of Terns rose and began circling over it. At
200 yards a [female] Eider appeared, flying out towards us from the
largest area of vegetation, at first flapping, then scaling on set wings
to the water. Four Knots also ran from the rocks and flew about
now high, now low over the water and a Crow, pursued by a
great number of excited & clamorous Terns, made off over the sea.
  On landing Conary went directly to the spot where the Eider
flew and found her nest with 4 fresh eggs at the base of a
boulder under one of the rhubarb-like plants. This is the fifth
year that he has found & robbed an Eider's nest on this spot.
The eggs were all uncovered when I first saw them but after
I had photographed them Conary told me that all but one were
buried in down when he found the nest.
  At the opposite end of the boulder about 8 ft. from the
Eider's nest Watrous found the nest of a Sheldrake (M. serrator)
with 2 eggs. They were spattered all over with mud (it rained heavily last night) & looked
so pale & dirty that we all thought the nest to be deserted
& even speculated as to whether the eggs might not have been
laid last year but on blowing them afterwards we found them
to be perfectly fresh. There was no down whatever the eggs
simply lying on a thin mat of coarse dry grass.