Observations on Birds of Gulf Coast 
of Florida. W.E.D. Scott, 
Nesting of the Black Skimmer. 
BY CHAS. S. SHICK. 
Rynchops nigra. Black Skimmer. —An abundant migrant and com¬ 
mon resident at points visited on the Gulf Coast. Many breed at suitable 
localities. 
In concluding my remarks on the Gulls and Terns of the Gulf Coast, I 
wish to present to the reader some facts that have only recently been fully 
authenticated by me, and which of course contradict in a certain sense 
some of the foregoing remarks as to the points at which certain of the 
species enumerated breed. Having heard of the wholesale destruction of 
the Gulls and Terns on their breeding grounds at the mouth of Tampa 
Bay on Passage Key, and on the low sand islands and bars off Pass Agrilie, 
I determined to look into the matter. I was familiar with both breeding 
places where only a few years ago countless hosts of Terns, Gulls, and 
Black Skimmers nested. 
On July 2 of the present year I sent Mr. W. S. Dickinson and Mr. 
Parkes to carefully look over these breeding grounds and to report to me 
in detail. For this work Mr. Dickinson was well fitted and capable, hav¬ 
ing had very considerable experience, working with me and under my 
direction for an entire year. 
The two gentlemen were gone six days and though the results of the 
expedition were negative in one sense, they were conclusive and positive 
in another. 
Not a Tern of any kind was found breeding or with young at any of the 
points in question. The only Terns seen were about fifty Sterna maxima , 
a number of S', antiliar um , twelve or fifteen Forster’s or Common Terns 
that were so wild that it was impossible to identify them, and a flock of 
some three hundred H. nigra surinamensis. About fifty Black Skimmers 
were breeding and had fresh eggs on the beach near Pass Agrilie, and 
a dozen were found nesting at Passage Key. 
This was all that was left of a breeding colony that had once numbered 
its tens of thousands, and the evidence tells its own story. 
Not a single Cabot’s Tern was seen where they had once bred in great 
numbers, and the birds that were seen were so wild and shy as to make 
identification a very difficult task. 
These results have been brought about by the persecutions of plume 
hunters, for there had been great demand for the Terns for hats, and by 
the depredations of egg hunters from Manatee, who find this a point from 
which in years gone by they have been able to supply the markets of the 
towns near by with eggs for food. 
The only Gulls that were noted on this expedition were a few Laughing 
Gulls. 
These breeding grounds are all easily accessible from Point Pinullas 
and Prof. H. A. Smeltz, a resident till recently of that locality, assures me 
that he has known the plume hunters of that region to ship to the New 
York dealers seven barrels of plumes and flat skins in a single week during 
the breeding season of the Herons, Gulls, and Terns; and I know person¬ 
ally of a contract made by a New York house with two men of that local¬ 
ity for 30,000 Terns’ skins to be delivered during a single season. 
The methods of the egg hunters are of too great interest to be passed 
over. The beaches where Terns’ and Gulls’ eggs were laid in great quan¬ 
tities, were carefully scraped with boards used as brushes. All the fresh 
eggs were selected after being swept into the water and those that had 
been incubated allowed to drift away with the tide. But the work was 
really done so that the egg robber might the next day get all the eggs 
that had been laid in the interval. . 
Auk, V, Oct,, 1888. p.376 -317. 
This truly singular bird is the only species of 
its genus hitherto discovered, ft is very sin¬ 
gular in appearance, and the odd conformation 
of its bill has excited much surprise among the 
leading ornithologists of the world. 
The Black Skimmer (.Rhynckops nigra ), de¬ 
rives its name from the habit it has of skim¬ 
ming, while on the wing, the surface of the 
ocean for its food, which consists of shrimps, 
small fish, etc. 
It breeds in great numbers on the low sand¬ 
bars and dry, flat sands on the coast of New 
Jersey. The Skimmers make their appearance 
early in May and remain till the latter part of 
September. 
They commence to lay early in June, the 
nests being a mere hollow in the dry sand. 
The female generally lays three eggs, although 
I have found numerous sets of four. The eggs 
are oval in shape, of a clear white color, spot¬ 
ted and blotched with brownish black, inter¬ 
mixed with others of a pale lilac color. 
On their arrival in the spring, they form 
themselves into small societies; ten or fifteen 
pairs frequently breeding within twenty-five 
yards of each other. Of the seventy-five or 
more sets observed by me, during 1885 and 
1886, seven sets contained four eggs each, 
while the rest were composed of three eggs 
each. Some of these sets were very odd in 
markings. 
O.& O. XII, July 1867 p. 101. 
On a Collection of Ego-s 
Georgia. H.B. Bailed 
from 
I00 . Rhynchops nigra. Black SKiMMER.-Eggs three; laid on high 
sand near the sea. June 18. 
BulLN.O.Oo 8, Jan, 1883, p,42 
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