36 TiiF. Wii.sox llui.i.i/riN — Xo. 5."). 



on Xo-nians-land islands were visited several times where 

 comparative studies were made. Three visits to the colonies on 

 the three Chicken islands and on North Harbor island in Lake 

 \irk\ enabled me to compare marine and inland colonies. 



INIuskeget island is iy])ical of the low sandy islands to which 

 the \\'oepeckets and a i)art of I'nckernnck belong. Such 

 islands are covered with a growth of l)unch grass and poison 

 ivy, and with other vegetation of less consequence and rela- 

 tively slight in quantity. The bunch grass forms dense masses 

 in some places, but in others is in scattered bunches, and there 

 are areas of some extent devoid of any vegetation. The broad 

 beach is either sandy with few or no stones, or composed of 

 boulders ranging from the size of pebbles to several tons in 

 weight. Driftwood and sea weed are found everywhere. 

 Penikcse island is typical of the high islands which are cov- 

 ered with a strong turf with little or no other vegetation ex- 

 cept on the islands of large area where forests maintain 

 themselves with all the attendant vegetation. Of course the 

 terns and gulls frequent only the borders of forest covered 

 islands, and in the vicinity of Woods Hole are largely confined 

 to Penikese, No-mans-land, and the outlying parts of Martha's 

 \'ineyard at the ocean end of Katama Bay. 



Mr. Mackay states that but one brood is reared in a season. 

 There is gcod evidence for believing that two broods are raised 

 by a considerable proportion of the Common Terns. About 

 June 10th nests with eggs are the most numerous, according 

 to Captain Gibbs of the Life Saving Station on Muskeget isl- 

 and, and also Special Policeman Small of the same island. 

 .A.lso according to these gentlemen, there is a second maximum 

 time for eggs, which occurs about July 10th. My observations 

 corroborate this view. Upon n-jy arrival on June 28, 1904, 

 very few nests coutaining eggs were to be found, while two 

 weeks later nests with eggs were found everywhere. 



Mr. Mackay records very few nests containing 5 eggs, and 

 inclines to believe that in exceptional cases one bird may have 

 deposited all fi^'e eggs. I found three nests wdiich contained 

 6 eggs, and a considerable number which contained ."). In 

 every case where the nest contained more than 4 eggs it was 



