138 | Vol. XXII 
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE AVIFAUNA OF FORRESTER ISLAND, 
ALASKA 
By GEORGE WILLETT 
HE WRITER, who had previously spent the summers of 1914-15-16-17 on 
Forrester Island, off the coast of southeastern Alaska, returned to that lo- 
eality during 1919, and, though engaged in fishing the greater part of the 
summer, found time to make a few notes that may add some. hat to our knowl- 
edge of the avifauna of this island. (For previous publications on this locality 
see Heath, Condor, xv, 1915, pp. 20-41; Willett, Auk, xxxm, 1915, pp. 295-305; 
Condor, x1x, 1917, pp. 15-17; Condor, xx, 1918, p. 85.) Three species are here 
added to the number known to occur on or in the immediate vicinity of the island, 
Puffinus tenwrosiris, Mergus americanus and Hylocichla guttata nanus. 
The occurrence of the Slender-billed Shearwater (Puffinus tenwrostris) 
was ascertained in 1917, but through an oversight was omitted from the pub- 
lished notes of that year. During the first two or three summers spent on the 
island the writer had several times seen a dark-colored shearwater that appeared 
to be smaller than P. griseus, which latter bird is irregularly common (often 
abundant), generally during the latter part of the summer. However, realizing 
the ease with which errors may be made by relying on size alone in a sight rec- 
ord of this kind, no mention of the matter was made in previous articles. On 
June 21, 1917, while two or three hundred yards off the northern end of the 
island, a specimen of Puffinus tenwrostris was found dead, floating on the 
water. It was in fair condition, was preserved, and is now in the writer’s collec- 
tion. I am still in doubt as to what proportion of the shearwaters of the locality 
are referable to this species. During 1919, for some reason not apparent to the 
writer, shearwaters were much less plentiful than usual, only being seen occa- 
sionally and then in small numbers. 
Mergus americanus. American Merganser. Two adult male birds of this 
species were seen at close range off Lowrie Island, at the north end of Forrester 
Island, on the afternoon of June 12, 1919. They were undoubtedly present only 
as stragglers. 
Hylocichla guttata nanus. Dwarf Hermit Thrush. The writer is forced to 
admit that his lack of careful observation is probably responsible for the fact 
that this species has not been previously recorded as summering on the island. 
A number of thrushes’ nests found in previous years were all unquestionably 
those of Hylocichla ustulata ustulata; and, probably more from this fact than 
any other, the conclusion was arrived at that ustulata was the only thrush, ex- 
clusive of Jxoreus, that was nesting on the island. The first circumstance that 
tended to prove this conclusion an erroneous one was the finding of a specimen of 
H. g. nanus lying dead near my eabin, May 4, 1919. On dissection this bird 
proved to be a male and near breeding. After this, particular attention was paid 
to the thrushes with the result that nanus was found to be present in some num- 
bers—probably as plentiful as ustwlata—during the entire summer. The nest 
must be a difficult one to locate, as it was not found, though diligently sought 
for on several occasions. Full-grown young appeared in the vicinity of camp 
early in July and by the 18th of that month they were quite common. It does 
not seem plausible that these facts apply solely to the summer of 1919, and it is 
