^"Isg^^] TslACiiKy, T/ie Tei-iis of Muskeget Island. 387 



My next visit to Muskeget was on July 26 and 27, 1896. On 

 the former date the sun was overcast but with a very clear atmos- 

 phere, so much so that I could easily distinguish the less distinct 

 markings of the birds in the air with great accuracy. I visited 

 Gravelly Island first, as usual, and with Mr. Sandsbury looked it 

 well over. He informs me the first young birds he casually noticed 

 in the air about Muskeget Island proper was on July 19. 



We found scarcely any chicks here which were unable to fly, 

 and there were large numbers of young birds in the air all around 

 the island. We counted in all fifty-four dead chicks here. 



Proceeding on, we soon landed on the Soufh Beach. As I have 

 before stated, the atmosphere was peculiarly favorable for viewing 

 birds in the air, and I have never but once before had a similar 

 experience here ; as a result, I selected and shot nine Terns which 

 were flying overhead with the idea of their being S. paradiscea., 

 (two of them were shot on South Point, Muskeget Island) ; eight 

 of them proved to be such ; the other, with fully as dark under- 

 parts, had the black-tipped bill of the Wilson Tern {S. hirundo) . 

 I saved the other skins, but not this one. I saw other Arctic 

 Terns, besides those taken. 



All the Terns here are very gentle and tame, and show a marked 

 contrast to the Terns of Penikese Island, Massachusetts, which 

 are wild and shy, the result of the treatment they have been 

 subjected to. I found but few chicks here unable to fly ; all the 

 others were in the air about us; there were quite a number, 

 however, which could not sustain themselves in the air for any 

 great length of time. 



Crossing over to Souf/i Point Island we found the same condi- 

 tions prevailing, the young birds were mostly in the air and we 

 saw comparatively few chicks unable to fly. Walking over the 

 recently formed beach, which now connects this former island 

 with Muskeget Island proper, we reached South Point. I noticed 

 here twenty-four dead chicks ; in other respects the conditions 

 were identical with those on South Point Island. 



On July 27, 1896, I walked over all the breeding grounds on 

 Muskeget Island proper, where incubation was also practically 

 over. There were, of course, more or less eggs observed, but the 

 percentage they bore to the original number was very small ; 



