56 JOURNAI, OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL vSOCIETY. 



after another, up to the point when four or five have been deposited, 

 there will be no conclusive testimony on this point. It is sufhcient 

 for the present purpose to remark that the nests show no signs of 

 two occupants and there seems to be no reason why five eggs may 

 not all be laid by a single Tern. It is worthy of note, too, that the 

 nests containing four or five eggs each are better built and much more 

 securely hollowed out than those which have a smaller number. 



The eggs were in all stages of incubation, apparently. Some 

 of them were pipped, showing that they were about to hatch, while 

 from others the bill of the young bird was protruding. Several eggs 

 had just hatched and the chick lay an inert mass, no larger than the 

 receptacle from which he had just emerged. On the westerly slope 

 of the rock-strewn beach, where the warmth of the sun was perhaps 

 greatest, quite a few young birds, clad in natal down were observed. 

 These were almost the color of the eggs, yellowish brown, blotched 

 with black. As we came near, the little red throats gaped open to 

 receive the expected bit of fish from the returning mother. The sun 

 beat down on the rocks wdth great fierceness and some of the young 

 birds were nearly scorched to death. Others were already dead and 

 lay on their backs, reminding us of the accidents which thin out the 

 nestlings and prevent the too rapid multiplication of such colonies 

 as this. Here and there a chick was old enough to be conscious of 

 fear at our approach, and it was interesting to watch these stick 

 their heads under the pebbles and try to hide away from us, perhaps 

 concealing nothing but their eyes and necks. 



There was some difference of opinion, in the party, as to the 

 number of birds in this colony. It was a matter of Imndreds, of 

 course, for nobody put the figure lower than five hundred, while 

 others thought that one thousand was a small estimate. Probably 

 the latter estimate is not very far out of the way, though actual 

 count might show fifteen hundred. I made a passing visit to 

 the table-land above the rocks and here found many Savanna Spar- 

 rows, evidently breeding, from the anxiety which they showed 

 at my presence. These Sparrows are plentiful on nearly all the 

 islands in this vicinity. They may very easily be mistaken for 



