Jan., 1915 
BIRDS OBSERVED ON FORRESTER ISLAND, ALASKA 
27 
they were seen travelling about the beaches in company with one or both of 
the parents. 
Although a sleep destroyer in the early morning the raven cannot be said 
to be a serious enemy of the birds. Generally speaking its food supply is found 
along the shore line, and it is not certainly known that they robbed a nest 
or killed a bird at any time during the summer. 
7. Corvus caurinus. Northwestern Crow. Black in color and with a 
reputation of the same line, the fish crow is an unmitigated nuisance. Scores 
of these birds find a nesting place on Forrester Island, and the worry they oc- 
casion among the cormorants, gulls and pigeon guillemots is almost as extend- 
ed as their waking hours. Frequently they may be seen sneaking stealthily 
over the cliffs, occasionally picking up refuse material thrown up by the sea 
or picking at barnacles and mussels, but nearly as often they are on the look- 
out for eggs. In some cases these are punctured merely in a spirit of mischief 
as no attempt is made to devour the contents, but at other times the eggs and 
young are packed off and eaten at leisure. The Pigeon Guillemots are the 
chief sufferers apparently, as several nests under observation were robbed sys- 
tematically and at the close of the season only one young bird was found. 
8. Loxia curvirostra minor. American Crossbill. Several flocks of 
crossbills appeared on Forester Island about June 21, and remained through- 
out the summer, at least until the close of our stay on August 9. During that 
time they almost invariably remained among the cones at the tops of the tall- 
est spruces, feeding with feverish activity to the accompaniment of a chorus 
of notes which strongly resembled a wireless telegraph instrument operating 
at a considerable distance. It is improbable that they nest on Forrester, 
though they certainly do so on Prince of AVales Island, as one young indi- 
vidual, scarcely able to fly, boarded a launch in the neighborhood of Hetta 
about the middle of June. They are also reported to breed on Dali Island. 
9. Passerculus sandwichensis sandwichensis. Aleutian Savannah Spar- 
row. One specimen secured May 25, the only individual of the species seen. 
30. Junco oreganus oreganus. Oregon Junco. Several j uncos were 
seen at various times throughout the summer in the hills bordering the lake 
region in the central part of the island. A single nest, containing recently 
hatched young, was found on June 3 in the side of a small mound covered with 
moss and heather. 
11. Melospiza melodia rufina. Rusty Song Sparrow. Song sparrows were 
usually in evidence among the salmon berry thickets along the north shore of 
Forrester Island, in several parts of Lawrie Island, and were relatively abund- 
ant on South Island. One female, in the first named locality, was seen carry- 
ing insects into the shrubbery, but the nest was never found. 
12. Passerella iliaca townsendi. Townsend Fox Sparrow. This species 
of sparrow was the most abundant land bird in the region, being found from 
one end of Forrester Island to the other as well as on Lawrie and South 
islands. It was especially numerous in the vicinity of the camp where it fed 
at the boxes several of the fishermen provided for their feathered friends. 
Nests were also plentiful, principally in the roots of stumps and in crevices of 
the rocky cliffs. Judging from three pairs close to the tent, two broods are 
raised each year. 
