Page:The birds of America, volume 7.djvu/227



On the 22nd of May, 1833, I was kindly received with my party on board the United States revenue cutter Svviftsure, commanded by Captain Cool- edge, and on the morning of the next day was landed on White Head Island, at the entrance of the Bay of Fundy. This island is the property of a worthy Englishman of the name of Frankland, who received us with great hospitality, gave us leave to ransack his domains, and invited us to remain as long as we pleased. The Herring Gulls, he said, were breeding in great numbers, and we might expect good sport. We immediately set out in search of them, directing our course toward the pine woods, in which we were informed we should find them, and in approaching which we passed over an elevated marsh of great extent. As we came up to the place I observed that many of the Gulls had alighted on the fir-trees, while a vast number were sailing around, and when we advanced nearer, the former took to wing, abandoning their nests, and all flew about uttering incessant cries. I was greatly surprised to see the nests placed on the branches, some near the top, others about the middle or on the lower parts of the trees, while at the same time there were many on the ground. It is true I had been in- formed of this by our captain, but I had almost believed that, on arriving at the spot, I should find the birds not to be Gulls. My doubts, however, were now dispelled, and I was delighted to see how strangely Nature had pro- vided them with the means of securing their eggs and young from their arch-enemy man. My delight was greatly increased on being afterwards informed by Mr. Frankland that the strange habit in question had been acquired by these Gulls within his recollection, for, said he, "when I first came here, many years ago, they all built their nests on the moss and in open ground; but as my sons and the fishermen collected most of their eggs for winter use, and sadly annoyed the poor things, the old ones graduall} r began to put their nests on the trees in the thickest parts of the woods. The youngest birds, however, still have some on the ground, and the whole are becoming less wild since I have forbidden strangers to rob their nests; for, gentlemen, you are the only persons out of my family that have fired a