Report of the Secretary 459 



J. Bowie Ferneybough, of Richland, Va., was again at the University of 

 Virginia, located near Charlottesville. 



Many hundreds of teachers gathered at these various centers of learning 

 received this instruction and had their interest in bird-study and bird-protec- 

 tion greatly quickened. 



AUDUBON WARDEN WORK 



Wardens to the usual number have been employed during the year to 

 guard important breeding colonies of water-birds. There are three groups of 

 these agents. First, there are those engaged by the Association in cooperation 

 with the United States Biological Survey. These men protect certain Federal 

 Bird Reservations. Second, there are the wardens who guard Egret colonies, 

 and third, the general bird-colony wardens who are mainly located on islands 

 along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Maine, inclusive. 



The past season appears to have been only an average one for the nesting 

 birds. At some stations they have done well; at others, owing to various natural 

 causes, the hatch and development of the young were seriously interfered with. 

 The following quotations from wardens' reports will indicate something of 

 the conditions that prevailed in various protected colonies. 



Great Duck Island, Maine: "The young would have done better if food 

 had not been so scarce. I helped feed them as far as I was able." 



Metinic Green Island, Maine: "Herring Gulls this year drove all the Terns 

 (Arctic and Common) off the island. However, they settled near by." 



Cone Island, Maine: "On the night of June 22-23 from 900 to 1,200 eggs 

 and young Herring Gulls were destroyed by a heavy sea that broke o\'er the 

 island." 



Gott's Island, Maine: "Owing to the scarcity of food this summer the 

 Gulls killed many of their young." 



Dry Tortugas, Fla.: "There has been a great increase of Sooty Terns this 

 year. I estimate the number at 100,000. There were about 15,000 Noddy 

 Terns." 



Virginia Coast Islands: "High tides destroyed most of the eggs and young 

 of the Laughing Gulls, Terns and Black Skimmers." 



Wepecket Island, Mass.: "The Terns are gradually decreasing. There 

 were about 2,500 of them this season." 



Islands of Mississippi Sound: "All the birds seem to be increasing. I esti- 

 mate, for the season, breeding birds as follows: Laughing Gull, q4,ooo; Royal 

 Tern, 52,000; Black Skimmer, 61,000; Cabot's Tern, 16,000; Caspian Tern, 600; 

 Forstcr's Tern, 16,000; Least Tern, 96,000; Black-crowned Night Heron, (),6oo; 

 Louisiana Heron, 63,000; and Brown Pelican, 50,000. '^Total, something 

 more than 450,000." 



The Egret colonies, as a whole, fared better this year than did the sea- 



