Vol. XVIII 

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J DuTCHER, Protection of Gulls and Terns. 8^ 



" Starting at Goose Island, between Guilford and Faulkners 

 Island, the point farthest west from which I have received infor- 

 mation, I regret to say that the Goose Island Colony, about which 

 you made special inquiry, and which was the largest colony of 

 Roseate Terns {Sterna dougalli), about five hundred pairs, on the 

 Connecticut coast, is now a thing of the past. Some years ago a 

 house was built on Goose Island, and having been inhabited, the 

 terns were dispersed, and probably distributed themselves over 

 the other islands in the Sound, nesting with colonies of Wilson's 

 Terns {Sterna hirundo) . 



" Following the coast line eastward, the next island on which 

 the terns nested is Waterford Island, a small, low, sandy islet 

 near the east shore of Niantic Bay. Here I observed, on June 20, 

 eight pairs of Wilson's {Sterna hirimdd) nesting (3 nests with 3 

 sggs, 5 with 2), and they successfully hatched and brought up their 

 broods, as on my subsequent visit on July 25 I saw fourteen 

 young. Still traveling eastward one comes to Two Tree Island, 

 about one mile from Millstone Point. It is a small, rocky, sandy 

 island, where I found on June 20 eleven pairs of Wilson's Terns 

 nesting (3 nests with 3 eggs, 5 with 2, 4 with i) this year, Mr. 

 Philip J. McCook, an Associate Member of the Union, whose 

 summer home is on Niantic Bay, has also observed the nesting 

 birds on both islands. 



" Following the shore until you arrive at Noank, there is a low 

 sandy island called Lidd3''s Island, where on June 18 I found 

 seven pairs of birds nesting (2 nests with 3 eggs, 4 with 2, i with 

 i). On my visit July 4 I could see only five young, and think 

 the birds must have been disturbed. 



" These small colonies of Wilson's Terns are the only ones 

 that I know of nesting in Connecticut waters ; I have looked, and 

 have inquired about the beaches, and find no terns nesting on 

 the mainland, save a colony of Wilson's, about eighty birds, noted 

 by J. B. Canfield of Bridgeport, Associate Member of the Union, 

 and Clarence H. Watrous of Chester, Conn., to whom I am in- 

 debted for this important information. There may be an island 

 or two to the eastward or westward of Guilford where possibly 

 some terns may nest, but I have no way of obtaining present 

 information about them ; possibly some other members of the 



