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Show WATER- FOWL ON EGG ISLAND. 20T of his own accord, when he was swept out by the current to the distance of two or three hundred yards, and seemed quite bewildered by the novelty of his situation. As soon as he was discovered by the old birds, who hovered over our heads by thousands, watching our proceedings with great anxiety and noise, one- the parent, we judged, by its greater solicitude- lighted down by his aide, and was soon joined by half a dozen others, who began guiding the little navigator to the shore, flying a little way before him, and again alighting, the mother swimming beside him, and evidently encouraging him in this his first adventure upon the water. The little fellow seemed perfectly to understand what was meant, and, when we sailed away, was advancing rapidly under the convoy of his friends, and was within a few yards of the shore, which he doubtless reached in safety. The young herons had grown, since our last visit, to nearly their full size, although they were not sufficiently feathered to fly. They, too, fled as fast as they could, and " cached" themselves in the recesses of the rocks. When closely pursued, however, they would turn and fight most fiercely- striking furiously with their long sharp bills as well as with their claws- screaming all the while with a shrill, discordant, and angry note. Those that were too small to leave the nest were equally pugnacious- standing on the defensive, with a watchful and determined eye, which evinced any thing but a disposition to succumb, if attacked. A large number of young cormorants ( Phalacrocoraz) were also seen, who exhibited the same combative spirit when hard pressed; but the greater portion of them ran from the nest to the water, where they gave instant evidence of the peculiar instinct belonging to the species, by desperate attempts to dive, and thus conceal themselves beneath the water. This they were unable to do, owing, I suppose, partly to the great density of the water, and partly to their want of strength. The stench was very offensive, from the quantity of fish brought by the parent birds for the support of their very numerous progeny. We reached camp about ten o'clock at night, after dragging over the shoals and wading about a mile through soft mud, half- leg deep, and filled with little, sharp rocks, which cut our feet until they bled. A rain- storm came on just before our arrival, with violent wind, which lasted all the night. Mondayj June 17.- As it was manifestly impossible to prosecute the survey any farther south by means of the boats, it was determined to complete the examination of the islands, and then to finish |