152 Hersey, Birds at St. Michael, Alaska. Packer 
ture plumages, are to be found during the entire summer about the 
outer bays. Adults in full nuptial plumage are less common and 
the species appears to breed in fewer numbers than at other points 
on the coast. 
The Glaucous-winged Gull is rare at St. Michael and probably 
does not occur much north of there. In the fall, both the Slaty- 
backed and Vega Gulls are to be seen off shore but they do not 
often come into the bays. After I had boarded the steamer for the 
homeward trip, and before we got under way, both these species 
were seen with other gulls about the stern of the ship. 
Probably the most abundant gull is the beautiful little Sabine’s. 
This species suffered considerably from the gales and high tides 
during June and many nests were found that had been destroyed. 
No second attempt was made at nesting and less than a dozen 
young birds were seen during the summer. Eggs were found June 5, 
young but recently hatched on June 19, and the first young on the 
wing July 18. 
Two species of terns are found. The Arctic Tern is very abun- 
dant and is found everywhere,— about the bay, on the islands and 
upon the tundra, often some distance from the sea. The Aleutian 
Tern is restricted to two small islands (perhaps to one) and occurs 
in very small numbers. One of these islands is situated at the 
mouth of the canal as already noted. Mr. Nelson describes the 
island and states that “twenty pairs or so” were nesting there when 
he visited it. This colony was still in existence when I landed on 
the island in 1914 and I estimated it “did not exceed (apparently) 
100 birds” (Smithsonian Mise. Coll. Vol. 66, No. 2). From the 
observations made in 1915, and the greater familiarity with the 
species thus secured, I am confident the actual number of birds 
in the colony was between 65 and 75. 
Upon my arrival in 1915 several days were spent in watching the 
birds and actual counts and various estimates were made of their 
numbers, all of which showed that the increase in the colony during 
the last thirty-five years had been very small. 
After nesting commenced, a series of photographs was secured 
and a few eggs collected. Then the island was not visited for a 
month to allow the birds to hatch their young undisturbed, but on 
again landing late in July very few adult birds could be found and 
