The Bird-Life of Cobb’s Island 113
itself nearly invisible on a bit of sand where there is no object with which it might be confused. is especially striking. In the newly hatched young the mandibles are of equal length and the characteristic prolonged lower man- dible does not appear to be fully grown until after the bird takes wing. This may be considered as evidence that this specialized character has been developed late in the history of the species, or it may be a correlation in growth which defers the perfection of an organ until it can be successfully employed. Certainly without ability to fly a Skimmer could not ‘skim,’ as with the longer lower bill cuttng the Water it takes food from the surface.
LAFGHHG mu. ox VEST
Until, therefore, the bird can fly its hill enables it to pick up such objects along the shore as might he desirath for food.
From my hlintl among the Skimmers I could look out over the marsh where the Laughing Gulls nested. in the morning light the breasts of these birds turned toward the east looked like great white flowers with which the marsh was dotted. They were photographed without difficulty by erecting bundles of grass on tripods near their nests one evening and replacing them with grass»covered cameras the following morning. lix- posures were made with a threati run to the blind (which now was made to do duty as a muskrrat's nest) a hundred and fifty feet away. The first Gull returned to its nest within live minutes after the photographic apparatus was arranged.
An A. O. U. warden on Cobb's Island protects the birds from man,
