September, 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



105 



as many Gulls in the colony as I found there m 

 1920, so that it is evident that the colony is making 

 encouraging growth. 



It is earnestly hoped that, through the powers 

 conferred by the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 

 this colony of Gulls may be made a permanent 

 reservation, and that the friends of bird protection 

 in Canada may do everything possible to assist 

 in bringing this about. Although all Gulls are pro- 

 tected by the Act, yet the general protection thus 

 afforded must often, from force of circumstances, 

 be insufficient, and to make this splendid colony a 



jury to the colony becomes greater each year, and 

 special protection should be given before any such 

 harm, of which we have had too many sad ex- 

 amples elsewhere, is actually committed. No 

 chances should be taken with such a colony as this, 

 the largest and the most southern and accessible 

 colony in the world of the greatest and grandest 

 of our Gulls. The islands used by the Gulls are 

 small, with small timber of negligible value, and 

 are quite valueless for other purposes, for neither 

 man nor domesticated animals can be allowed to 

 live en them, because the waters surrounding them 



PUSHIXG OFF A GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL IX THE ACT OF TAKING FLIGHT. 



Photo by Howard H. Cleaves; reproduced by permission Cut by courtesy of 



Dominion Parl-cs Brancli. 



rservation, with a local warden during the breed- 

 ing season, would add greatly to its chances of 

 survival and growth. At present, although the 

 wardens in the Maritime Provinces are alive to 

 the situation and are doing their best, these Gulls 

 must depend for protection largely on lack of 

 widespread knowledge of their breeding at this 

 place and on poor boating facilities on Lake George. 

 As the country about the lake becomes more thick- 

 ly settled, the chance of sudden irreparable in- 



are a source of water-supply for Yarmouth town. 

 On the other hand, such an eminent authority as 

 C. \V. Townsend, M.D., has stated to me that 

 "the presence of these Gulls would have no effect 

 on the potability of the water, or perhaps a bene- 

 ficial one, as they would at once remove all dead 

 fish or other animal matter that might otherwise 

 pollute the lake." Although such a large number 

 of Gulls must obtain the greater part of their food 

 supply elsewhere than at the lake, yet they do not 



