Jones — On Washington Birds. 



59 



number of burrows to the square rod gives 5,000 burrows or 

 10,000 birds for the entire island. At the time of our visit this 

 number should be increased by about 2,000 downy young. 

 Only one egg is laid in a burrow, and apparently only a single 

 brood is reared in a season. 



We did not discover any natural enemies of this Auklet on 

 Destruction Island. Indeed, it is difficult to understand how 

 there could be any enemy dangerous to the egg or young in 



Fls. 1. 



Destruction Island Light. 



the burrow. Snakes and predaceous aninlals which could en- 

 ter the burrow would find nothing to eat at other times than 

 the nesting season of the birds. It is therefore reasonable to 

 suppose that this burrowing sea bird may live for ages on this 

 isolated bit of land and multiply its generations. 



Next in interest were the Black Oystercatchers, which were 

 more numerous upon this island than any other place which 

 we visited — twelve pairs in all. They were the first inhabitants 

 to protest our landing, and the last to hurl vile epithets after 



