^°'8^^^] General Notes. 205 



On the beach I found three nests containing one tgg each; two nests 

 containing two eggs each ; three nests containing three eggs each ; total 

 thirtj-five nests, two empty, one containing a chick, six containing one 

 egg each, nine containing two eggs each, fifteen containing three eggs 

 each, and one containing four eggs, and one dropped egg, — seventy-four 

 eggs all told. 



The nests on the uplands were in almost every case placed near or at 

 the base of the scattered boulders, and on the beach on the sea weed. 

 The colony consisted of perhaps two hundred Terns, the majority 

 Roseates ; but as the Terns on the three islands all gathered over one 

 W'hen walking about the island, and others are off fishing, a correct 

 estimate is impossible. As far as I could ascertain there were no Arctics 

 {Sterna paradiscea') breeding on the islands. 



The whole Weepecket colony, including the three islands, had therefore 

 forty-two nests and eighty-nine eggs on them. 



In 'The Auk,' Vol. IX, 1892, page 226, in an article entitled 'Habits of 

 the American Herring Gull (^Larits argentatus sinitlisoniatius) in New 

 England,' by Mr. George H. Mackay, there is an account of a nest of the 

 Herring Gull having been found on the middle Weepecket Island, though 

 I believe this record may be questioned. 



Through the kindness of Mr. Edward Sturtevant I was enabled to land 

 on these islands. — Reginald Heber Howe, Jr., Lotigxvood, Mass. 



The Nostrils of Young Cormorants. — Acting upon a suggestion 

 recently made by Mr. Frederic A. Lucas (Auk, XIII, p. 172), I examined 

 on July 16 a very large colony of Farallone Cormorants nesting on San 

 Martin Island, Lower California, to ascertain, if possible, at what age 

 the nostril becomes closed. 



This colony had been so often disturbed by the guano schooners that 

 even at this late date many nests contained fresh eggs ; while young 

 birds, ranging from those but just hatched to nearly full grown, were 

 found by thousands. 



In the newly hatched young, which were blind, the nostril was a mere 

 slit, scarcely noticeable, but those a few days old showed a well devel- 

 oped orifice, which exhibited no sign of closing in the largest young 

 I could find, nearly as large as their parents, but not half fledged. 



As the Cormorants were driven from their nests a horde of screaming 

 Western Gulls, which followed us all about the island, swooped down 

 upon the nests carrying off eggs or yotmg, as they might happen to 

 contain. A preference was shown for squabs but a few days old, which 

 were instantly sw^allowed whole. 



So great was the destruction caused by our presence that I withdrew 

 from the nesting ground sooner than I otherwise would have done. 



At some distance from the Cormorant -rookery I found a three-quarters 

 grown Western Gull endeavoring to swallow a young Cormorant that 

 had doubtless been brought by the old Gulls from some of the nests I 

 had but just visited. — A. W. Anthony, San Diego, Cal. 



