282 The Ohio Xaturalist. [Vol. II, No. 8, 



only land vegetation. A small fish-house stands under the larger 

 tree, and seems to furnish a shelter for the terns during violent 

 storms. Here we found only Common and Black Terns and Spot- 

 ted Sandpipers and a single Bronzed Gackle. No doubt the sand- 

 pipers had reared their >oung here. Of the terns we estimated 

 the Black at 20 and the Common at 2000 individuals, many of the 

 latter young of the year. A careful count of the nests and eggs 

 and squabs resulted as follows : Nests with eggs 232, without 

 eggs 94 ; eggs 370 ; squabs 26 ; very young 25. Of the eggs by 

 far the larger proportion were cracked and dry. Perhaps a quar- 

 ter of them were pipped or almost ready to hatch. A few were 

 rotten without being dry. 



The Chick island lies about a quarter of a mile a little east of 

 due north from Big Chicken. It is a narrow rock reef, which the 

 waves would easily wash over in storms were there water of more 

 than a foot in depth within several rods of it. Smart weeds 

 (Polygonum) grow in abundance along its eastern side. Here 

 w'e saw some 1500 Common and 500 Black Terns, 20 American 

 Herring Gulls, which were knee deep in the water on the north 

 west extending reef, two Black Ducks and two Spotted Sandpipers. 

 Fifty-one nests of the Common Tern were counted here, with the 

 proportion of eggs and young as on Big Chicken. 



If the first island be called Big Chicken, and the smallest one 

 Chick, why not call the middle sized one just Chicken? Anyway 

 it is another rock reef with relatively little drift rock anywhere 

 upon it. It lies well above storm waves because the water 

 about it is so shallow. There is an abundant growth of smart 

 weed, even to the water's edge, with a bunch of willows, each of 

 which is about 6 inches in diameter, besides a considerable growth 

 of smaller willows along the north side. The back-bone of this 

 reef is without any sort of vegetation. Here the Common and Black 

 Terns, the same two Black Ducks, and three Spotted Sandpipers 

 greeted our arrival. There were 71 nests of the Common Tern 

 on this rock. The Black Terns numbered about 200 individuals, 

 and the Common perhaps 1700. The Black Terns were clearly 

 not breeding on any of these islands, nor were the American Her- 

 ring Gulls. The heat upon the rocks was so excessive that it 

 seemed extremely doubtful if any of the very young terns could 

 survive. The nests were fairly well made of grass and drift ma- 

 terial, but were exposed to the weather. I noticed one nest which 

 was nothing but a dry fish. 



We were a little surprised to find Red-winged Blackbirds and 

 Bronzed Grackles evidently breeding on the high and dry Hen 

 island. Here, too, the House Wren had found a domicil. The 

 seven acres of this loam-covered rock are covered by a considera- 

 ble growth of hackberry trees, with a few rock maples interspersed, 

 and a liberal fringe of willows. A fine peach orchard is an acqui- 



