192 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Nesting. — The same author gives the following interesting account 

 of his experience with a nesting colony : 



On June 13, 1880, about 20 miles from St. Michael, while egging in company 

 with some Eskimo, we found a pond, some 200 yards across, in the middle of 

 which were two small islands. A gunshot caused at least 100 of these gulls to 

 rise like a white cloud over the islet, and showed us that we had found a breed- 

 ing place. As we stood on the shore a few birds came off, and circling close 

 about us for a few moments, but rarely making any outcry, returned to the 

 island, where the others had already settled again and appeared to be sitting 

 upon the ground. The water of the lake we found to be about waist-deep, 

 under which lay a solid bed of ice of unknown depth. 



The smallest island lay nearest, and sending one of my men out to it he 

 found a set of two eggs of the black-throated loon, one set of the arctic tern's 

 eggs, and two of Sabine's gull. Proceeding to the next island he found a set of 

 AytUya marila nearctica eggs as he stepped ashore, and a moment later cried 

 out that the ground was covered with gulls' eggs. At the same time he an- 

 swered with chattering teeth that the water in the lake was very cold. Having 

 never seen the nest of this gull I called my man back and he transported me 

 upon his back to the island after narrowly escaping several falls on the way. 

 The island was very low, and the di'iest spots were but little above the water. 

 Built on the driest places were 27 nests, containing from one to three eggs each, 

 and as many others just ready for occupancy. Four or five nests were fre- 

 quently placed within two or three feet of each other. In about one-half the 

 cases the eggs were laid upon a few grass blades the spot afforded with no alter- 

 ation save a slight depression made by the bird's body. In the majority of 

 the other nests a few grass blades and stems had been arranged circularly al>out 

 the eggs, and in the remainder only enough material had been added to afford 

 the merest apology for a nest. 



While I was securing my prizes the birds hovered overhead in great anxiety, 

 although they rarely uttered their grating cry, and in the very few instances 

 when a bird darted down at us it was in perfect silence. While we were on 

 the island several glaucous gulls and jaegers passed by, and in every case 

 they were attacked by several of the Xemas and driven hastily away. Two 

 nests had been despoiled either by these birds or a muskrat, as the broken 

 shells showed. When the eggs were secured a large and fine lot of gulls were 

 obtained, and we then made our way back to camp heavily laden with spoils. 

 Solitary nests were afterwards found either on islands like the last or on the 

 border of a pond. In one instance the female left her eggs when I was over 

 100 yards away and flew directly away until she was lost to sight. 



Thirty-five years later Mr. Hersey visited the same locality to 

 gather information for this work. On June 19, 1915, he found a 

 colony of about six nests that had been completely washed out by a 

 recent heavy storm accompanied by unusually high tides. The nests 

 were all mere hollows in the wet ground with hardly any lining. 

 Broken eggshells were lying all about and a few dead young were 

 seen. In other places he found other similar nests containing broken 

 eggs — about 15 in all. This disaster evidently discouraged the gulls, 

 for, although he visited the locality later, they apparently did not 

 attempt to lay again. A typical nest of this species containing three 

 eggs was found on June 5, 1915 ; his notes describe it as located on a 



