156 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



On Cobb's Island, Virginia, and on the surrounding islands we 

 found the laughing gulls still abundant in 1907, though considerably- 

 reduced in numbers by many years of persecution. Their eggs were 

 persistently collected daily by the oystermen all through the breed- 

 ing season up to July 4, after which date they were protected by 

 law and the birds Avere allowed to raise their broods. Such treat- 

 ment must prove discouraging to the less vigorous birds and prob- 

 ably will eventually drive many of them away, but the oystermen 

 claim the right to collect the eggs as a legitimate food supply, and 

 it would be difficult to enforce any more stringent laws for their 

 protection. The establishment of reservations under the constant 

 guardianship of resident wardens is the only practical solution of 

 the difficulty. Their favorite breeding grounds in this region are 

 on the salt meadows, which are partially covered with shallow 

 water at the highest tides. There are numerous small islands in 

 this vicinity known as " marshes," which form their principal breed- 

 ing grounds. These are flat and muddy, only a foot or two above 

 the ordinary high tides and covered with short salt meadow grass. 

 The nests are well made, bulky structures of dead grasses and sedges, 

 firmly interwoven and neatly lined with finer grasses. They are 

 built up high enough to be above the reach of the spring tides. 



The largest and most prosperous colonies of laughing gulls that I 

 have ever seen were in the reservations off the coast of Louisiana, 

 where, under rigid protection, the seabird colonies are still flourish- 

 ing. Between June 16 and 24, 1910, 1 made the circuit of the islands 

 with Warden W. M. Sprinkle, on his weekly patrol, visiting all of 

 the more important colonies. The largest colony was on Battle- 

 dore Island, where a resident warden was protecting the birds most 

 successfully. I spent the whole of a long day on this little island 

 and estimated that there were fully 5,000 pairs of laughing gulls 

 breeding here, as well as 1,000 pair of black skimmers, 50 pairs of 

 Lousiana herons, 30 pairs of Forster's terns, 25 pairs of common 

 terns, one pair each of Caspian and royal terns, and a few pairs of 

 Florida redwings, all of which seemed to be living together in perfect 

 harmony. The island was formerly much larger, but had been re- 

 duced in size by the washing away of its shelly and sandy beaches, 

 leaving broad stretches of sand and mud flats around it, bare at 

 low tide. We had to walk at least half a mile over these flats to reach 

 the dry portion of the island, which was not over 4 acres in extent. 

 In the center was a flat and almost dry marsh, largely overgrown 

 with small black mangrove bushes, in which the Louisiana herons 

 were nesting. Surrounding this, and partly inclosing a shallow 

 muddy bay, were high ridges of finely broken oyster shells sloping 

 down to the sandy beaches. The laughing gulls' nests were thickly 



