79 



The Bird Colonies of Pamlico Sound. 



By P. B. Philipp. 



With photographs by the author and others. 



Several years ago, while cruising through one of the narrow 

 inlets among the sea islands off the coast of Virginia, I saw 

 flying across the sky two great white birds with crimson bills. 

 ''Royal Terns," my guide told me; and he went on to give an 

 account of the vast numbers of this species which had formerlj^ 

 nested on the shelly beach along which we were sailing. Even 

 in his memory, he said, it had been possible in the egging season 

 to gather their eggs by the bushel-basketful at many points on 

 the Virginia coast, all of which have long since been forsaken. 



The mere sight of these birds was sufficient to kindle in me a 

 desire to see them in their summer home, and I made up my 

 mind to do so when the opportunity should present itself. 

 However, sea-bird colonies are often hard to locate definitely, 

 as the birds are apt to shift about when disturbed by man or 

 storm. It was not until 1909 that I secured definite information 

 of a breeding place of Royal Terns that was sufficiently near 

 New York to admit of a visit. From Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson, 

 Secretary of the National Association of Audubon Societies, 

 I learned that a large colony of these birds had nested for 

 many years on Royal Shoal, a small sandy island almost in the 

 center of Pamfico Sound, North Carolina; and with the Royal 

 Terns there were reported breeding several other interesting 

 species of sea birds. 



A trip to the place was decided upon, and a party was made 

 up, consisting of B. S. Bowdish and C. G. Abbott, of New York, 

 both members of the Linnsean Society, H. H. Brimley, Curator 

 of the North Carohna State Museum at Raleigh, and the 

 writer. 



Early on the morning of June 24, 1909, we left Beaufort, 

 North Carolina, in the Audubon patrol boat ''Butcher," which, 

 together with the services of Warden Jennett, had been gen- 



