172 ^Iackay. Terms or A/nsie^-ei IsIaMd. Afass. V 



Ar^3 



Laughing Gulls, indicate that they must have departed elsewhere. 



For the $rsr time to my knowledge, or so far as I can leam 

 from orhers. 2. small colony of Terns nested this season on the 

 Dry Shoal ^ without v^etation) located about half a mile from 

 the nrrrh-^e^Trm end of Nantucket Island: about one hundred 

 er^i _:r r. :rl there, but unfortunately a high course of tides 

 swept over i^is shril md carried away the eggs. 



This season ::ir Ter-.s sxrived at Muskeget in large zicks. 

 Ibousands dropriri,- :r:~ :ne sky when they were first observe i. 

 similar arrivals as I am informed, not having been before noted. 

 Up to the night of May 2. 1897. no Terns or Laughing Gulls 

 -li zee- seen in the locality. Early on the morning of May 

 ;. T!ie T^rrs ~ere in evidence in large numbers, estimated at one 

 tlruiir. i : .- wind had been easterly during the night. This 

 iitJit eir/.rs: date of their arrival in Massachusetts of which I 

 have ^z.J l-::-:~'_eire. At Penikese Island, the greater portion 

 of the Ter-r e:: T^ie ir.zndon September i, 1897, the wind being 

 southwesL ^::i :^r -_:aerSne. On the 4th and 5th a total of 

 one hundred and twenty-five Terns, nearly all of them young 

 hirds z~:z not strong on the wing, were counted at three different 

 t; : :..:- : ;. tae island- These continued to decrease until the 24th. 

 3.z.'L in tlie 25th not a Tern was visible in the neighborhood. The 

 ": zi" ; : : :rd5 — h:ch departed on migration September i resem- 

 z.-L 'j- ^:ri: ... s-L 3.s they mounted into the air. The number of 

 y;u- _ : :rfj5 was unusually large t hi s season, larger tlian has been 

 zti.'t - :: ;ei by !Mr. Fred A. Homer, one of the owners of the 

 isliz.- T ..; result is probably due to the protection which has 

 been exrended to them throughout the breeding season, a condi- 

 tion they have not before enjoyed, as far as I am aware. The 

 writer avails of the present opportunity to express his acknowl- 

 edgments of the considerate co-operation of the Messrs. Homer 



-iTi 'r^T-i-nrrn^ty ol^riTT— irnrf^^ fi^or^^^r^QrV ^eSUitS- 



