General Notes 411 



morants destroy salmon, uor did stomacli examinations. Of 32 

 stomachs examined, 5 were empty, 3 contained unrecognizable food, 

 IG contained sculpins, 5 herrings, one capelin, one eel, and 2 tomcod 

 or allied fishes. 



Furthermore, the bulk of evidence shows that sahnon have lately 

 been increasing from year to year. " The cormorants are also gen- 

 erally increasing in number, the rookeries are enlarging and new 

 ones being established. These facts taken together do not indicate 

 that the cormorants are markedly harmful to the salmon." * — 

 W. L. M. 



*Mus. Bui. 13, Canada Dept. of Mines, 1915, p. 14. 



INCUBATION PERIOD OF THE GANNET. 



In the very interesting list of periods of incubation, as noted in 

 different birds, contributed to your pages by Mr. F. L. Burns, the 

 period allowed for the Gannet (Siiia hassana (L)) is given at 39 

 days, but this seems too short. 



An egg laid on April 22d at the Bass Rock on the east coast of 

 Scotland, and at once inscribed with the date by Mr. J. M. Camp- 

 bell, the lighthouse keeper, was not hatched until June 5th, which 

 gives a period of 44 days. 



Another Gannefs egg, laid in confinement at Brighton in Sussex, 

 is recorded by the late Mr. E. T. Booth to have hatched out about 

 the 43d day, as stated in "The Gannet" (p. 355), where the 2>'^os 

 and cons of the subject are discussed at some length and different 

 opinions quoted. 



J. H. GUKNEY. 



Keswick Hall, Norwich. 



A NEW LOUISIANA BIRD. 



The observance of a solitary species of bird life has not only 

 supplied the Louisiana list with a new bird but with the one order 

 of the seventeen found in the United States that has been missing 

 since the avian life of the state has been studied by those who pre- 

 ceded Audubon and those who have followed him. 



The species observed was a Wilson petrel {Oceanites oceanicits), 

 sometimes known as one of " Mother Gary's Chickens," of the or- 

 der Tuhinct/res, or Tube-nosed swimmers, which includes, besides 

 the petrels, the fulmars and shearwaters. 



The discovery was made by Herbert K. Job, head of the Depart- 

 ment of Applied Ornithology of the National Association of Audu- 

 bon Societies, and Stanley Clisby Arthur, ornithologist of the Con- 

 servation Commission of Louisiana, while they were on an expe- 



