28o Bird - Lore 



the tribe made celebrated in the history of our country by the story of Poca- 

 hontas and Powhatan, are friends of the Purple Martins, and put up homes 

 on their reservation to attract them. 



During the coming year, the outhne of work in Virginia will be the for- 

 mation of Junior Clubs in the schools, and in getting scholars and teachers 

 to unite in a protest against the killing of Robins and Doves in Virginia, and 

 an effort to get the fourth of May observed as Bird and Arbor Day; the 

 strengthening of the Virginia State Society by local branches, and securing 

 a secretary in each county to stir up greater interest in our work. Talks and 

 illustrated lectures will be given where practicable before clubs, chapters 

 of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and other bodies, and no oppor- 

 tunity will be lost to impress upon our people the importance of better laws 

 and a proper game-warden system, and, above all things, the necessity of a 

 game commissioner to be established by our next legislature. 



REPORT OF ARTHUR C. BENT ON THE BRETON 

 ISLAND RESERVATION 



In the schooner Julia L., with Warden W. M. Sprinkle, I spent eight 

 days, from June 16-24, 1910, inclusive, exploring the Breton Island Reser- 

 vation, and, with the help of Captain Sprinkle's thorough knowledge of the 

 region under his charge, I gained a very fair idea of the condition of the various 

 bird colonies. Sailing south-southeast from Cat island, we landed first on 

 Freemason's Key, where we found shore-birds quite plentiful on the long 

 strip of high oyster-shell beach, which forms the southwestern extremity 

 of the island, enclosing a salt marsh and mud flat; a flock of fifteen Dowit- 

 chers and two Turnstones were undoubtedly loiterers; but numerous Wilson's 

 Plovers, three pairs of Willets, and a pair of Oyster-catchers, apparently 

 had young in the vicinity, as they were on suitable breeding-grounds and 

 appeared solicitous. A few Least Terns, perhaps a dozen pairs, had evidently 

 been breeding at the extremity of the beach. Laughing Gulls were common 

 and a few Royal Terns and Black Skimmers were seen but the latter were not 

 breeding. 



At the south end of Errol island, on the broad sandy beaches and sand- 

 flats, we saw large numbers of Brown PeHcans, Royal Terns, Black Terns, 

 Laughing Gulls and Wilson's Plovers; also a few Cabot's Terns, Common 

 Terns, Least Terns, Man-o'-war-birds, and two small flocks of Black-beUied 

 Plovers. We could find no breeding colonies on this island, and concluded 

 that the birds were merely feeding here. We noticed several places where 

 raccoons had dug out turtles' eggs, which was enough to account for the 

 absence of bird colonies. 



The only breeding colony of Royal and Cabot's Terns was on Grand 

 Cochere, a low, flat sand-bar about half a mile long by a quarter of a mile 



