54 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Donald H. Stevenson, who accompanied me' in 1925, described 

 cormorants nesting on a small island in Swanson Lagoon, on 

 the north part of Unimak Island. His description, and the 

 location of the nesting site, leaves little doubt that a colony of 

 double-crested cormorants were nesting in Swanson Lagoon at 

 that time. 



Among the eastern Aleutians we found several nesting groups, 

 though they were small in number. On July 16, 1936, we observed 

 five of these cormorants perched on low rocks at one of the 

 little islands (which we designated "Puffin Island") in Trident 

 Bay, Akun Island. On June 7, we had seen about a dozen at the 

 west end of Umnak Island ; a specimen was taken here. Nesting 

 was not actually observed in these instances. But on June 8, 

 we found several of these cormorants nesting on Kagamil Island. 

 Some also were found on Uliaga Island near by, and two small 

 colonies were found on Carlisle Island. Seven nests, and a 

 number of birds, were located on Herbert Island. The nests 

 among the Islands of the Four Mountains were on ledges of 

 sheer cliffs and in the walls of high caverns (sometimes very 

 high) , which was in great contrast to the nesting on the low 

 Isanotski Islands, observed in 1925. In some cases, these cor- 

 morants were nesting in close proximity to red-faced and pelagic 

 cormorants. 



We observed no double-crested cormorants west of these islands. 

 The natives of Atka assured us that this cormorant does not 

 occur in that part of the Aleutians. We are fairly confident that 

 today this species does not nest west of the Islands of the Four 

 Mountains. Yet, the Chief of Attu appeared to be familiar 

 with this bird; he gave us the native name and declared that 

 formerly it was abundant, though it has become scarce in recent 

 years. Austin H. Clark (1910), writing of his expedition of 

 1906, said "I have a note of a few [double-crested cormorants] 

 being seen in Unalga Pass near Unalaska, and I found them 

 at Atka, Attu, and Agattu." Turner (1885) also, writing of the 

 Near Islands, reported double-crested cormorants to be abundant, 

 resident, and breeding. 



Clearly there has been a drastic change in distribution of 

 this species since about 1906, (the time of Clark's notes). The 

 cause of this restriction of range has not been determined. 



The species P. auritus as a whole is quite versatile in nesting 

 habits. Many of the prominent nesting sites in the northern 

 part of the continental range are on low islands. Elsewhere, 

 cormorants nest in trees and on cliffs as well as on low islands. 



