Notes from Field and Study 



125 



colonies, the young frequently fall from 

 the nests and are either drowned or become 

 entangled in the twigs of the trees or on 

 the edge of the nest and are hung. Crows 

 in many instances destroy large numbers 

 of eggs. In colonies of Terns, the writer 

 has seen young which have become en- 

 tangled in bunches of sand spurs and died, 

 and still others which have been killed 

 by crabs before they could free them- 

 selves of their shells. 



Few, however, I suspect are aware of 



The wardens of the Audubon Society 

 frequently report similar disasters to the 

 breeding birds. In their annual reports, 

 statements are made showing the number 

 of eggs laid and also the number of young 

 believed to have been raised. While their 

 statements cannot be expected to be abso- 

 lutely accurate, they are probably not very- 

 far wrong, as in some instances at least the 

 figures are based on careful observations 

 and a daily counting of the eggs and 

 young. 



SHOWING WINDROW OF ROYAL TERN'S EGOS 



The beach on the left has been swept by the waves. On the right arc seen young and eggs in the nests 



which were undisturbed. Photographed by T. Gilbert Pearson 



the great loss of life which annually occurs 

 from the destructiveness of storms and 

 high tides. On Royal Shoal island, North 

 Carolina, in June, 1907, a hail storm killed 

 over one hundred and sixty young Laugh- 

 ing Gulls; barely a dozen were left alive 

 on the island. A few days later a high 

 storm tide swept one end of the island, 

 carrying with it into the Sound about 

 15,000 eggs, mostly of the Royal Tern. 

 On another portion of the island, 1,000 

 eggs were carried by the water from their 

 nests and left in a great windrow along 

 the beach. 



Below are given the combined estimates 

 of the Audubon wardens, showing the num- 

 ber of eggs deposited and the number of 

 young raised by four species in the chief 

 breeding colonies protected on the Atlantic 

 and Gulf coasts, for the season of 1907: 



Eggs Young 



Laughing Gull. ..59,670 37,300 



Herring Gull ... .71,018 46,600 



Black Skimmer .. 28,350 21,050 



Common Tern.. 32, 300 19,025 

 Brown Pelican .. 3,500 750 



Thus of 194,838 eggs laid, 70,103 were 

 destroyed, chiefly through storms. In 



