Page:Condor17(1).djvu/37

36 THE CONDOR Vol. XVII A trip' to sea during the daytime in the first 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. l'.axa.? gl?,uoe.?oen.?. 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 29t1? 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. t?owever 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