NATURE NOTES FROM ACADIA

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

>Herring Gulls. - So abundant is the herring gull that as far as birds are concerned, he is one which can well be used to symbolize Acadia National Park. At low tide this large gull haunts the ocean front, feeding on dead as well as living marine forms. Often he will pick up a mussel, rise to a point about 15 or 20 feet above the rocks, drop his prey, and swoop down to feed upon the broken remains. He and his kind will follow the fishing boats for miles, and during June they often make for the two Duck Islands which for years have been a favorite breeding grounds. Again they fly over Mt. Desert Island in picturesque formations heading for Jordan Pond, Eagle Lake, and other bodies of freshwater where they seem to delight in bathing.

- Louis Fowler
Temporary Ranger

A Baby White-tail. - On June 8 one of the men working on the Cadillac Mt. Road came upon the body of a very young fawn. It lay in a grassy spot in the woods and was brought immediately to the office of the Ranger-Naturalist. Examination of the animal pointed strongly to the probability that it either had been born dead or had died soon after birth. Its beautifully-spotted coat was in such prime condition that the specimen was rushed to a capable taxidermist who prepared a splendid mount. The baby white-tailed deer is now one of the choice objects in Acadia National Park's growing collection of natural history specimens.

Long-tailed Shrew. - Two live specimens of the Long-tailed Shrew (Sorex cinereus) were brought to the office of the Ranger-Naturalist during June. This animal is one of the very smallest of the fur-bearers native to Mt. Desert Island, the above illustration showing a full-grown specimen. In captivity it lives but a very short time, even when supplied with enough of the food on which it normally feeds. White grubs, large flies, earthworms, a spider, a wounded bald-faced hornet, and a few other items of food were consumed voraciously. Few animals are more savage than this midget in the dispatch of their prey.

- Ranger-Naturalist