TOWNSEND AND ALLEN: LABRADOR BIRDS. 323 



On the south coast, colonies of Cormorants still breed, but we find 

 no definite evidence that they do so north of Belle Isle, i\udubon, 

 in 1833, found a large colony on the cliffs near Wapatigun, and on 

 the nearby Shag Rocks, off the St. Mary Islands, thousands of both 

 species nested. 



In 1860, Bryant visited this colony and estimated the number of 

 breeding cormorants to be from four to five thousand. He thought 

 there were about four Common Cormorants to one of the Double- 

 crested species. 



In May, 1881, Stearns visited these Shag Rocks. He speaks of 

 thousands of cormorants. The two species were equally represented. 

 "At a distance these rocks present the appearance of being covered 

 with snow, but a nearer approach shows that this is a covering of 

 guano from the continual droppings of the birds." 



What was probably the remnant of this colony is described by 

 Frazar who visited Labrador in 1884. He found about 200 pairs 

 of both species together, and states that many nests contained large 

 young on June 19th, "which went to prove what the natives said, 

 that they commenced to build long before the snows of winter had 

 disappeared." He also mentions finding a set of six eggs in one nest. 

 Another colony was recorded by Stearns at the Mecattina Islands. 

 Weiz ('66) lists the Cormorant as found at Okkak, but no evidence 

 is adduced to prove this. It is certainly rare or even accidental on 

 the northeast coast. 



Phalacrocorax dilophus (Swains.). 



DoTJBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT; " WaPATIGUN." 



Common summer resident locally in south. 



In general the remarks under the preceding species apply also to 

 this. Both are found nesting together in colonies at certain chosen 

 spots on the southern coast of Labrador. Audubon found large 

 colonies on islands near Great Mecattina and at Cormorant Island, 

 near Cape Whittle. Wapatigun Island, near the latter point, appears 

 to be named after this bird. Frazar who visited this same region in 

 1884 speaks of the Cape Whittle colony as consisting of but 200 or 

 so pairs of birds, of both species; he also mentions a colony found 

 June 2d, about 75 miles east of Esquimaux Point. We have been 

 unable to find any good evidence to show that this species breeds on 



