The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-09-13

their eggs in slight depression in the
sand, just sufficiently dug out to prevent
the eggs from rolling, relying upon the
heat OF the sun to do the work Of hatch
ing during the day, and most of the
night, so far as could be learned, the
bird only covering the eggs when 1t was
200 cool for them, though some sat upon
them all night
The noddies, on the other hand, had
built nests in the low bay cedar six or
seven feet from the ground, formed of a
few twigs dropped together, the nest
being almost as weak and poorly con-
structed as that of the wild dove. AS
managed to keep it's position, and when
the young appeared it evidently knew
enough foreman in one plac O.
AS the writer was watching such a
bird, evidently day or two old, the
mother suddenly appeared with a small
nest and began to eat, then feeding the
little bird. Immediately connection
was noticed in the bushes few feet be-
yond, and looking around the observer
saw purple sand crab, half as large as
the small bird, making its way in that
direction, crossing from branch to branch,
finally reaching the nest. The nOddy
now flew away, when the crab seized the
remains OF the flying fish, which the
young bird held, and then began at once
a tug OF war. The crab was presently
REINFORCED, as up from the ground several
big hermit crabs began TO crawl having
scented the feast from afar. and 1t was
not long before six or seven crabs were
fighting for the fish, attacking the bird
itself whenever opportunity offered, and
that they would ultimately have crowded
1t off AMI over the edge there was no
doubt; but when the young bird was
being hard pressed a hermit at each
univ hux Inc V~r 4ch oil hon
the writer took a hand in the battle, and
the crabs dropped to the ground and
scuttled Off.
These crabs obtained their food at
night along the shore, and their nun bers
were amazing. The shore line above
high water was tunneled in every direc
ton with the burrows of the spirit crabs,
in which they lived the most of the time,
but beyond this, on the edge of the bush,
were the hermits which hid about the
roots OF the low bushes or in the dead
leaves In the cactus patches which
abounded here and there, the big red
crabs made their home, sallying out at
times to prey upon the fish brought by
the old birds. All these crabs-and there
were several others which lived near the
water-constituted an army of scaven-
gers at once vigilant and aggressive
with which the birds had to contend.
There has always been a demand for the
/
like hens eggs to make them an accepta-
bic substitute Smacks run into the lit
tie chanel and send a gang of men
ashore, who load twenty or thirty barrels
with eggs in a few hours and then sail
for havana, seventym1les distant. or Key
West, sixty miles away, where there is a
good market for them, One of the boat
men, who rOwed the writer to this key
on many occasions, had lived for years
on one of the islands-as desOlate and
Out-Of-the-way place as could be found
anywhere, and it was said that the mag
net was the wreck of an old Ralleon
which had gone ashore on East Key in
1850 with vast treasure aboard He
thought that he could get 1t and it was
said that he never missed visiting the
island after a heavy storm hoping that
the waves would uncover the place, or
wash ashore some dOublOOns, some of
which an old lighthouse keeper had
found IN the early sixties. Though he
had never discovered a dollar, he had
undOubted evidence that pirates or free
hooters lived here at one time. An old
cannon was found near Bird Key in shall
low water and an old wreck was also to
be seen on the edge of the channel.