Vol. XIX 

 1902 



n DuTCHER, Protection of Gnlh and Terns. A^i 



et paradiscea) that bred upon the islands in his charge were molested 

 somewhat by summer boarders and young men who shoot on 

 Sundays; however, there was considerable increase in the number 

 of birds in his district. 



Mr. Geo. E. Cushman was in charge of Stratton and Bluff 

 Islands, which maintained a colony of about 600 terns; he esti- 

 mates that some five or six hundred young were matured ; he 

 did not see nor hear anyone shooting terns in his vicinity during 

 the season nor experience any trouble with people seeking eggs ; 

 he adds that the prosecution that he instituted in the summer of 

 1900 taught the people a lesson which has not yet been forgotten. 



The writer of this report visited nearly all of the colonies on the 

 Maine coast during the height of the breeding season, occupying 

 nearly thirty days in the work, and it is with great pleasure that he 

 is able to report that he found all of the wardens thoroughly con- 

 scientious and very active in their duties. It is believed that the 

 estimates of increase made by the wardens are very conservative 

 and well within the actual facts; many more young birds in the 

 dark plumage were seen than during the season of 1900 ; further, 

 on most of the islands the breeding birds were very gentle, thus 

 showing that they had not been disturbed to any great extent. 



Massachusetts. — As usual the terns on the Muskegets were 

 protected by our fellow-member, Mr. G. H. Mackay, and those on 

 Penekese Island by the owners, the Messrs. Homer. These two 

 colonies are probably as thoroughly guarded as any in the United 

 States. A few extracts from the report of our member, Mr. R. H. 

 Howe, Jr., who made two special trips to the Massachusetts coast, 

 will be of interest. 



" September 19. Arrived at Yarmouth and have been investigat- 

 ing the birds here and gaining information in regard to their being 

 shot. Was told on every hand that but little shooting was done 

 here now outside of that done by the boys about town and by vis- 

 iting gunners; these did but little and in season only. I was told 

 that H. Lovell and Jamieson, the lighthouse keepers at Sandy 

 Neck, Barnstable, two years ago used to do a great deal of gull 

 shooting for New York parties, but since laws have been passed 

 against it they have stopped entirely, having been instructed by the 

 New York dealers not to ship any more birds, as they could not 



