Notes on the Habits of the Breeding Water Birds 19 



sea. These waters teem Avitli small tish, besides numerous 

 other forms of aquatic auimal life, and upon these Least 

 Terns feed to a large extent. When fishing in these shal- 

 lows the birds usually fly close to the surface, and their 

 movements Avhen plunging into the water are quick, and, 

 although their sj)eed is slightly checked before they reach 

 the surface, tliere is always much splashing. 



About the time that Least Terns were nesting so 

 abundantly on Warsaw island Mr. Perry also secured a few 

 sets of eggs on Folly island, one of the numerous small 

 hammocks having a beach, lying between Tybee and War- 

 saw islands. Until 11)14, this island, wliich is not easily 

 accessible, had not been visited by any local ornithologist 

 in a number of years. With hopes of finding a few ])airs 

 of birds nesting there Mr. l*erry and I visited it on JNLay 17 

 of that year. However, its sharply sloping, semicircular 

 beach was deserted, indeed the only wild life tliat we saw 

 upon the entire island was a number of young Marsh Rab- 

 bits {Hi/lvilaf/Ui^ i)(iln.stris). 



Rijuchops )ii(/ra — Black Skimmpir, 



I have been unable to find the breeding grounds of 

 this species on the coast of Chatham county. I doubt if it 

 now breeds here, although it certainly did in consi<lerable 

 numbers fifteen or twenty years ago. T. D. Perry informs 

 me that he has taken its eggs on I'elican I'oint, a key lying- 

 some distance off the south end of Tybee island. LTnfortu- 

 nately, Mr. Perry's note books containing data on this species 

 have been misplaced, and he is unable to furnish me with 

 dates. The tides now daily cover Pelican Point, resulting in 

 its almost total disappearance. Of interest to me since the 

 commencement of my study of ornithology on the coast of 

 Georgia is tlie rapidly changing aspect of the sand banks 

 tliat stretch in almost unbroken succession from the south 

 end of Tybee island to Beach hammock in Warsaw sound, 

 a distance of five miles. The periodical l)uil(ling uj) and 

 disappearance of these banks undoubtedly accounts for the 

 scarcity and non-breeding on this coast of this species, as 

 it is unable to establish itself. Every summer I see a few 



