Penobscot Bay, Maine.
1896
July 16
(No 5)
  After taking tea at the Emersons' we went aboard the boat
again and started down the Bay. It was a beautiful
evening, cloudless, the air very clear, a light breeze from the
south west just ruffling the water. A few Gulls were
flying about and we saw a magnificent Bald Eagle, a 
fully adult bird standing on a rock on a small ledge
about 200 yards off with its broad wings half spread.
This is the first Eagle I have seen in Penobscot Bay.
  As the sun sank the breeze became lighter & lighter and
we finally had to take the sweeps but we reached our
destination, Spoon Island, by 8 P.M. and anchoring at
once round ashore.
  My sole object in working this trip was to see the Leach's
Petrels lave their burrows and to hear the clamor which,
according to some of the fishermen, they make at night.
We were in good season for twilight had scarce begun to
fall when we climbed the rocky hillside and posted
ourselves on the crest of the ridge in the middle
of their breeding ground. The slope of the land was such
that in three directions either the sky or sea formed
a light background against which so dark colored
a bird as a Petrel must have been easily seen.
Nevertheless day passed slowly into night until the
afterglow had quite faded in the west and only the
light of a half moon & that of the stars remained without 
our seeing anything of the numerous birds which we
know to be nesting literally beneath our feet. Several
times we were momentarily deceived by a dim form
darting close past us but in every instance this 
turned out to be a Bat. In short we did not
see a single Petrel although we remained on the