36 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVII 
A trip to sea during the daytime in the fii’st half of June will serve to 
show many young birds in company with one or both parents, and there is thus 
no doubt regarding the ability of the parents to recognize their offspring 
though the night be dark and tempestuous. On several occasions fishermen 
reported finding the young too weary to avoid their boats during stress of 
weather, and it is altogether possible that many are gradually worn out and 
drowned, but although this season was unusually stormy many young birds 
were seen during July that had weathered all the gales and were abundantly 
able to care for themselves. 
6. Larus glaucescens. Glaucous-winged Gull. While gulls are abun- 
dant on and about Forrester Island they are all representatives of a single 
species, the glaucous-winged. Several natives are responsible for the state- 
ment that during the late fall the great majority of this company leave for 
the larger islands skirting the coast, where they find on the clam and mussel 
beds a larger food supply than is present on Forrester. Be this as it may, it 
is certain that at the time of our arrival (May 16) they were present in large 
numbers, and there was no material increase throughout the summer season. 
The adults early congregated on the rocky islets and precipitous cliffs which 
later in the season formed their nesting sites, and from such bases of opera- 
tions they made frequent sallies into the herring schools. Associated with 
them were numerous immature individuals, but the great majority of this last 
named class flocked by themselves and occupied roosting places from one end 
of the island to the other. A favorite feeding ground was the little bight im- 
mediately in front of the camp, where they gathered daily and filled them- 
selves to the point of repletion on the herring and remains of salmon thrown 
out on the beach. 
The first signs of nest building were noticed on the 25th of May, and by 
the 29th all were gathering grass and weeds. On June 2nd several nests con- 
tained one egg, and a very considerable number of birds had commenced the 
work of incubation by the 10th. In the latter part of the month several nests 
were found with young, of which the majority were gone by the 1st of August. 
For some unknown reason a surprisingly small number of gulls nested on 
Forrester Island although large flocks were visible at all times. The hand 
trollers made the claim that the noise and odor of the gasboats were responsi- 
ble for their departure from the normal, but the fact that they showed little 
fear of man or of his boats in the harbor militates against such a theory. The 
eagles and probably the crows destroyed some fledglings, as they doubtless 
have done for countless generations, but this scarcely appears to amount to a 
sufficient cause. It is possible that some of the fishermen felt the need of re- 
lief from the usual diet of beans and bacon and helped themselves to eggs 
though no such offense was actually noted. 
In this connection it may be added that guarding Forrester Island against 
the activity of poachers is impossible with any guard of less than a dozen 
men. Considering the fact that the fishermen leave for the fishing grounds as 
early as three in the morning and return as late as nine in the evening, and 
during this period are scattered from one end of the island to the other, it is 
obvious that where the determination is strong nest robbing is comparatively 
easy. However it is not so readily possible to ship away the great quantity 
of eggs which were annually collected in former times, though at least one 
small shipment was made this past year as was evidenced by a stream of yolk 
