124 BULLETIN OF WISCONSIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. VOL. 4, NO. 4. 
driving it again into the water, until at length it reached tem- 
porary safety in the flock of young. 
Those few stragglers near the center of the island that I saw 
attacked fared worse than those upon the water. The following 
account is from notes written in my observation tent while the 
action was taking place : ''Time about 3 130 p. m., just after a rain 
squall. When this came up two of the smaller sized young 
huddled together beside a log. One showed by the livid color of 
its head that it had been maltreated. Soon an adult came up, 
grasped it by its upper mandible and dragged it out into the open, 
where it grasped it about the sides of the head and tugged it about. 
Then it let go and struck it several sharp blows on the head with 
the point of its bill, again grasped it about the head and pulled 
it about. When another adult came near, this one promptly 
let go its victim, sounded its challenge and again returned to its 
brutal task. After a time the young was exhausted and fell on 
its back, where it lay, occasionally kicking spasmodically with its 
legs. The adult plucked at its breast, tearing out beakfuls- of 
feathers, pecked sharply at its wings, and also dragged it about by 
its wing feathers. Ultimately it left the young one lying motion- 
less upon its back and apparently dead. However, after a few 
moments it began to move its members, struggled to its feet and 
attempted to make off. Several old ones intercepted it and one of 
them gave it another and similar beating, after which still another 
took a turn at the victim, whose head now looked much like that 
of a turkey buzzard. Finally it reached a log on which were two 
gulls that for some reason did not attack it, and here it stayed 
for some time, ultimately wandering to the beach, where it 
crouched miserably. Later on it again wandered inland and was 
set upon by an adult and so severely mauled that it was left 
apparently dead, though a half hour later it revived enough to 
crawl to the shelter of a log. This young is shown crouching 
beside the log in Fig. 1 of Plate 2. 
While this last drubbing was being inflicted an adult bird flew 
to where the chastisement was being inflicted as though to inter- 
fere. It was immediately set upon by several onlookers and driven 
back eight or ten yards. Here it stood for some moments, facing 
those that had driven it, when it again attempted a sortie, but 
was restrained by the menaces of the others. Several of these 
