. Bird lore . ched a Phcehetria sailing about, back andforth, at times passing directly over the ship, and when highest in the air, I shouldsay a little higher than her masts, I watched it for some time, constantly, untilit sailed astern and I lost track of it for the moment. Only once or twice was it outof my sight for an instant, and I did not see it flap its wings once. It was sailingconstantly. There was a breeze, but it was not blowing hard. One thing all the members of the Petrel order with which I am familiar havein common,—they fly low. Their method seems to be to fly about over the se
. Bird lore . ched a Phcehetria sailing about, back andforth, at times passing directly over the ship, and when highest in the air, I shouldsay a little higher than her masts, I watched it for some time, constantly, untilit sailed astern and I lost track of it for the moment. Only once or twice was it outof my sight for an instant, and I did not see it flap its wings once. It was sailingconstantly. There was a breeze, but it was not blowing hard. One thing all the members of the Petrel order with which I am familiar havein common,—they fly low. Their method seems to be to fly about over the seascrutinizing the miles of salt water which slip by below them for what they maypick up; at the same time ready to take the hint from another more fortunatebird which they see drop down to some food it has spied. Luck must play a bigpart in this game, and who can say how many miles sometimes go by withoutyielding return. But miles mean little to them, and a days gorging doubtlesscompensates for days of CAPE HORN The Heath Hen A Sketch of a Bird Now on the Verge of Extinction By DR. GEORGE W. FIELD, Chairman, Massachusetts Commission on Fisheries and Game DURING the past two years much interest has been shown to save the lastremnant of the Eastern Pinnated Grouse or Heath Hen (Tympanuchuscupido). It was formerly distributed from Cape Ann to Virginia, andwas especially abundant in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Long;Island and New Jersey; but immense numbers of adult birds were destroyed byguns and traps, while the young fell victims to the colonial cat and to forestfires. So abundant was this bird in the dark ages of ornithology, when indis-criminate slaughter prevailed without thought of the birds economic value orplace and function in Nature, that the articles of apprentices often they should not be compelled to eat the meat of this Grouse, (locallycalled Heath Hen), oftener than twice weekly. Between 1800 and 1840 the bird had been generally
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