Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-07-09


mien of the storm-petrel. presented wild
and strange picture.
1t puzzled us greatly to understand how
each bird knew his own nest from that of
his neIghbor'S, for they all appeared alike
to us. But instinct seemed to be to them
more unerring guide than reason, for by
it those birds could pick out their own
nests among thousands, where reason
could not have decided the case. Some
times these birds would be belated in reach.
ing home from their fishing. and not get
back until after dark or late into the nj ght.
We wondered how they could then pick
out their own nests from among So many
looking so exactly like each other Once
IN while, one would. either by accident
or design, get into a nest where his room
was considered better than his company.
Then terrible row would follow, the in
truder would receive severe beating,
after which he would be hustled out of the
nest 10 damaged condition, a sadder but
wiser bird
Those birds We're not sluggards, but at
dawn of day and even before, they were
out of their nests and away toiling for
their daily food The quantity of fish re-
quired to satisfy the hunger of so many
myriads of birds for even one day was enor-
nous, but when we considered the amount
required to feed them through the year,
we were led to wonder at the goodness of
Providence, Who feeds all His creatures,
and suffers not u sparrow to fall to the
ground without His notice.
The man-o-war hawks are fond Of fish.
(another name for this bird is frigate Bird
but not being web-footed can not catch
them for themselves. so they resort to
piracy and highway robbery, and plumber
other birds as they return home laden
with the catch of the day. The gannets
were their best game which they attacked
an! seized by wing in their flight, com
pelling them 10 di-gorge fish. which in
its fall the hawk swoops down and catches
In the air. while the gannet deems himself
fortunate in being let off at that price
The gannets are usually on the lookout Tor
ont loss, and when once landed safely at
their nests they do not fear the foe We
often watched the gsuncts with much
interest u they returned home from fish
ing, arranged in order of advance in a
triangle the leader forming the apex. whose
duty is seemed to be to keep sharp look
out for the enemy. Suddenly he is dis
covered across the line of advance, the
leader then swerves from direct course
followed by the whole flock, and awaits a
favorable opportunity to run the blockade
They circle round unit! the quick eye of
the leader detects weak spot in the line
Of the enemy, when he darts forward with
wings half closed and motlonless, with the
rapidity and noise of a rocket shot through
the air followed BY the whole flock in like
manner. pel-mel tiight and chase
ensue, exciting to witness, but in that
line and manner of advance the .annets
seldom fail to make a landing IN safety
And when they had eluded their enemy in
that manner, we entered into the spirit
of the occasion and listened eagerly to the
story that they told to their mates on the
nest, and rejoiced with them in the general
JOY manifested throughout the camp.
The old pirates and robbers, the man o. war
hawks, never enlisted our sympathies in
h..ir halt Al ,ttk
gannets. The gannet is bird as large AS
goose, which ne resembles and after a
days fishing comes to his mate and Young
with six or eight tying-iishes in his
stomach. They We're 50 tame that per
son could walk up to them on the ground.
and knock them on the head with stick
When struck and stunned they empty
their stomachs, and we have seen them
throw up eight flying fishes that could not
weigh less than four or i've pounds The
old bird, always swallow those n,h, tail
first, so that the fins and scales do not OBJ
struct when they wish to raise them for
the purpose of feeding their young.
The muttonbird is so called from the
noise he makes which is like the '.baa
baa" of the sheep. as it reaches the ear
from their nests in the ground. We could
hear the noise of these birds at all hours
of the day or night from our ROOM or
from the piazza of the house and a. many
house, we had excellent opportunity to
watch their habits. The golden plover
rock-bird and curlew, of which We shot a
few, made pleasing change in cur diet
and were always welcome upon our table
We tried stew of young mutton-birds,
but their flavor was too tishv to suit our
tastes, but the kanakas relished them.
We made many excursions over the is
land and around its shores, saw many won
ders of creation which not only pleased but
instructed us. Starting from our beds at
early dawn when the atmosphere was COOL
clear and delightful, we strolled along the
beach to gather shells which had been
thrown up by the surf The shores and
reefs abound in shell-fish, many of them
tiful colors and enamel. The cyprians of
various colors and sizes, the rare and culi l.
ous'y marked argus-eyes, harps, mitrt 5
and others, from the most minute to the
huge bivalye of several hundred pounds in
weight, form strange but interesting col
lection. While wading through the shall
low waters on the reefs in search of shells,
we were sometimes startled by the sight
of a shark in too close proximity to us to
be agreeable, or discover by the side Of a
rock eying US with snake-like gaze, hor-
rid looking eels, whose presence sent q
cold chill through our veins and caused us
to beat hasty retreat. The finest and
most beautiful shells are those found alive
clinging to the rocks in their native ele-
ment; and as those were the kind We
sought, our rambles were often attended
with little adventures into the surf, where,
Notwithstanding the sharks, eels and
wetting. we felt well paid for it all, if
lucky enough to bag rare shell or two
The tide ebbs and flows about eighteen
inches, once in twenty-four hours at the
island, so we managed to take low water
for our rambles over the reefs for shells.
The temperature Of the water was Sc deg.
so that wading and bathing were pleasant
and agreeable to US. Strolling leisurely