16 THE WILSON BULLETIN— March, 1921 



NOTES ON THE HABITS OF THE BKEEDINO 



WATER BIRDS OF CHATHAM COUNTY, 



GEORGIA 



P.Y W. J. ERICHSEN^ SAVANNAH^ GA. 



With few exceptions, which are properly noted here- 

 inafter, these notes are 'based wholly on my observations in 

 Chatham County, Georgia, dnriug the years 1909-12 and 

 1914-19, all inclusive. While it is believed that every Avater 

 bird that breeds or has ever bred in the county is here re- 

 corded, only those species of which the eggs or young have 

 been taken are included. 



I deem it unnecessary to give in this introduction an 

 extended account of the physical aspect of the county — 

 although such would not be out of place here — since tlie 

 reader will find in the accounts of many species numerous 

 references to and descriptions of their habitat, which at 

 least give some idea of the topography of portions of the 

 county. As the reader will, of course, infer from some of 

 these accounts, Chatham County is situated on the coast, 

 being the northernmost coastal county in Georgia. Its 

 breeding water-bird life is neither greatly varied as to 

 species nor abundant as to individuals, and on account of 

 the somewhat inaccessibility of the nesting haunts of most 

 .species, my knowledge of the life-histories of several spe- 

 cies is not extensive. In most cases wliei-e my own notes 

 are lacking, the deficiency has been supplied b}^ Troup D. 

 Perry of Savannah, a veteran oologist, to whom grateful 

 acknowledgements are due. Mr. Perry and I have been in- 

 separable companions in the field for seven years. To G. 

 R. Rossignol, also of Savannah, I am under obligations for 

 assistance rendered in securing breeding data, even though 

 such assistance was given me indirectly. I have accom- 

 panied Mr. Rossignol on many expeditions to the breeding 

 haunts of water birds, and many times have enjoyed his 

 hospitality at his summer home on Wilmington island. 



With this brief introduction the author presents to 

 the reader the following more or less fragmentary notes 



