ee | Mackay, The Terns of Pentkese Island, Mass. 281 
which time the Messrs. Homer purchased the interest of the 
former and now own the entire island. There was a serious fire 
in 1891 which destroyed all the school buildings, so that at 
present there remains only a barn, and the original dwelling 
house. 
In 1850 a Menhaden Fishery was established on the east side 
of the island, which was abandoned about two years afterwards. 
Ever since the earliest recollection, the Terns of Penikese and 
Gull Islands have been returning year after year to breed, not- 
withstanding that during this entire period (with the possible 
exception of those years during which the island was occupied by 
the School of Natural History, and of which I have no informa- 
tion) they have annually been unmercifully robbed of their eggs. 
As a sample story of what has taken place ¢4zs year, 1896, I quote 
the following, told to Mr. Howe by a resident of Cuttyhunk Island: 
“T took in one day in June, 1896, one hundred and eighty-two eggs ; 
a friend of mine gathered two hundred and ninety/ive in one day, 
and for the season zine hundred. The Portugese fishermen who 
frequent Penikese harbor carry them off by the bucket full, as do 
other persons, during the season.” There are lawson the statute 
books of this State for the protection of these Terns and their 
eggs, but who is there to execute them? 
As far back as Flanders’s time (and undoubtedly earlier) he 
established a local custom, which seems to have been observed 
ever since, that anyone might take eggs up to June ro, after 
which date the Terns were permitted to lay and hatch their eggs. 
The birds undoubtedly availed themselves of this favor and have 
thereby preserved their present status. These conditions have 
existed for certainly fifty years, and it seems difficult to under- 
stand why under such circumstances these Terns should still 
continue to frequent these islands in such numbers as to preclude 
correct estimates of them. I should guess, however, that there 
may be six or seven thousand birds domiciled there, a number 
much less than are at present living in Muskeget Island waters. 
My old friend, Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, who passed a week on 
Penikese in August, 1873, estimated that, inclusive of the young 
birds, there were about one thousand Terns on the southern 
portions of the island. 
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