34 THE AUDUBON BULLE hi 

to Beaverhill Lake during the past nesting season and was accompanied 
by a number of very prominent ornithologists. Their party was suc- 
cessful in banding seven thousand, three hundred Franklin Gulls. 
In 1924 the writer and his son, Geo. R. Lyon, made a trip to Green 
Bay and joined forces with Harold Wilson of Ephraim, Wis. They were 
successful in banding five hundred and thirty-three Herring Gulls and 
one hundred and twenty-six Caspian Terns. 
In 1925 the writer was joined by Dr. Lewy and his son; but we ar- 
rived too late for the Herring Gulls, only finding eight that we could 
band; however, we were successful in banding one hundred and fifty-two 
Caspian Terns and two-hundred and twenty-three Common Terns. 
In 1926 the party consisted of C. C. Miller, H. C. Wilson, J. Gund- 
lach, H. Anderson, Geo. R. Lyon and Wm. I. Lyon. We had an exceed- 
ingly profitable season and two thousand, eight hundred and forty-seven 
birds were banded, all told. Over two thousand of these were Herring 
Gulls and three hundred and ten were Caspian Terns. There were also 
about three hundred Common Terns, but our most thrilling event was 
the finding of a mixed colony of Herring and Ring-billed Gulls. 
While we were working along in the weeds and brush, someone in 
advance discovered a smaller Gull much lighter in color. Immediately, 
on careful observation, we found we were in a mixed colony of the Ring- 
billed and Herring Gulls. It was very hard to tell this difference in the 
downy chicks as they were so nearly alike, and a number of them were 
banded before we noticed the difference; even then it was hard to decide. 
It took much longer to get the Great Blue Herons down out of their 
nests than to band them. They were large and just learning to fly, but 
once we got them down, we could set them on the trees and leave 
them to be fed by their parents. 
The need for conservation was the outstanding feature of the trip. 
Not many years ago, the Gulls and Terns nested on Chamber’s Island in 
Green Bay, then it became inhabited and the birds had to move on. 
Next Eagle Island, then Big Strawberry were taken up and we found 
Little Strawberry and Jack Islands had been cleared and the owners 
very desirous of getting rid of the Gulls. This leaves only Hat Island 
and the Sister Islands for the Gulls to nest on in the lower part of Green 
Bay. If there is not some action taken to preserve these islands, in a 
short time there will be no place for the Gulls and Terns to nest in 
Wisconsin, except the small island that is just outside of Death’s Door 
Channel, which is very low. Gravel Island, as it is called, is a govern- 
ment bird reservation; but it is only large enough for a limited number 
of birds to breed upon. 
We are in hopes of finding a way to obtain more of these small islands 
and have opened negotiations to get prices on some of them, to see if 
we cannot find purchasers who will convert them into bird reservations. 
WituiaM I. Lyon. 
