180 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 

 Food Habits 



We did not obtain extensive data on food habits. However, we 

 noticed that Arctic terns followed in the wake of our ship when 

 traveling through Bristol Bay. It is possible that the terns de- 

 sired to feed on the ship's refuse, as gulls commonly do, but it 

 seemed more likely that these terns intended to feed on the small 

 invertebrates, which were brought to the surface by the churning 

 action of the ship's propellers. 



Sterna aleutica: Aleutian Tern 



This tern was first discovered on Kodiak Island and was de- 

 scribed by Baird from a specimen taken there. As Friedmann 

 has pointed out, there is one specimen and an egg taken by 

 Bischoff on June 12, 1868, when these terns were breeding on 

 Kodiak Island, and, in addition, the National Museum has 12 

 other eggs taken by Bischoff in that same year, as well as 4 eggs 

 taken by W. J. Fisher in July 1882. But because original data 

 slips are not present, there can be some doubt as to identification 

 of these eggs. Bretherton noted the birds associating with Arctic 

 terns as late as 1895, but there were no later records until Howell 

 (1948) reported a colony of 50 pairs nesting on Double Island, 

 at Kodiak, June 11, 1944. These, too, were associating closely 

 with a colony of 100 pairs of Arctic terns. 



Nelson (1887) described 2 nesting places, 1 on an island about 

 a mile from St. Michael in the mouth of the "canal," the other 

 on an island "some 18 miles to the eastward, along the coast, and 

 less than a mile from the Eskimo village of Kegikhtowik." 



In 1920, I visited the first-mentioned of these two islands. The 

 Aleutian terns were still there, but the island was being used as 

 a slaughtering ground for reindeer, and all the nests were tram- 

 pled by the animals. Fragments of downy young birds were 

 noted. More recent information indicates that these terns no 

 longer nest on this island. 



Ernest P. Walker found Aleutian terns nesting on Strawberry 

 Island, Situk River flats, near Yakutat (1923) . 



Friedmann (1933) reports a colony of Aleutian terns nesting at 

 the mouth of Goodnews Bay. These were discovered by D. Bern- 

 ard Bull, who estimated between 60 and 75 pairs, together with 

 some Arctic terns. Mr. Bull obtained 1 of the birds with the 

 eggs. As Friedmann says, this is no doubt the largest colony 

 now known on our shores. 



Jaques (1930) says "Several hundred were seen at Port Moller, 

 May 22 to 30," but he says nothing about nesting. We saw none 



