June, 1902.] Summer Birds of Lake Erie’s Islands. 
28 3 
sition. Also a few plum trees. The dub and dwelling house 
have driven the gulls and terns away. 
The row to North Harbor in the gloaming discovered to us 
converging lines of Purple Martins. A near approach to the 
island revealed the point of convergence to be the largest tree on 
the island, at its southernmost point. It was not possible to even 
estimate approximately the numbers forming this roost, but the 
tree was clearly well filled. There must have been 2000 birds 
among its branches. We thought we had heard and seen terns be- 
fore. Camp had to be pitched right in the midst of them. Here 
we had the first sight of terns roosting perched upon the trees. 
They were a little awkward in getting settled, but seemed per- 
fectly at home once the wings were safely folded. 
The dense growth of trees and brush, over the largest part of 
the island, made a count of the nests impossible. It is safe to say, 
however, that the population exceeded all that we had thus far 
seen. Here, too, we found nests and dry eggs of Red-winged 
Blackbirds and Bronzed Crackles. Here, on this most northern 
outlier of the group, were Wood Pewee, Kingbird, Cedar Wax- 
wing, Goldfinch, and even Carolina Wren, and a probable Red- 
eyed Vireo. On the sunny eastern side we saw the most very 
young terns, and several well fed black snakes. The birds and 
snakes seemed to be the only land vertebrates. 
The island itself is interesting, and but for the terns would be 
a delightful place to spend the summer months were it not so far 
frnm any base of supplies. Where the rocks are exposed they 
are deeply furrowed by glacial scratches. 
A few hours spent on East Sister island w T as fruitful in the dis- 
covery of species not seen hitherto. Here, again, were the Caro- 
lina Wrens and the others seen on North Harbor, and besides 
them the Cardinal, the Marsh Hawk, Crow, Indigo Bunting, Song 
Sparrow, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Redstart and Robin. East Sister 
is an island so large in extent and so varied in physical features 
and vegetation that one is not surprised to find a large and varied 
bird population. Of course these six islands : the Hen and three 
Chickens, North Harbor and East Sister, do not belong to Ohio, 
being in the Canadian possessions, but they lie so directly in con- 
tinuation with the Bass group that a stud}' of their population is 
necessary to understand fully the more southern islands. 
This brief study of this really large group of islands proved 
wdiat I had every reason to expect, that it is by this route that 
many of our migratory species reach Canada. It forms a natural 
highway for the birds of weaker wing who wander westward along 
the shore of the lake to find here an easy crossing place. And it 
is this stream of migration whose strong current sweeps along 
with it such usually southern species as the Cardinal and Carolina 
Wren until they find congenial quarters upon the islands well to 
