File:Report of an expedition to Laysan Island in 1911 - under the joint auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture and University of Iowa (1912) (14751610892).jpg

Identifier: reportofexpediti42dill (find matches)
Title: Report of an expedition to Laysan Island in 1911 : under the joint auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture and University of Iowa
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Dill, Homer R. (Homer Ray), 1877- Bryan, William Alanson, 1875-1942
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Biological Survey
Contributing Library: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library
Digitizing Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
nds of them appeared on the east sideof the island and about a week later others came to the southwest.Their numbers increased each day. As the southwest rookery grew,it extended toward the north. For some reason known only to them-selves the birds confined their nesting to the area on the west side ofthe small car track, which is indicated on the accompanying map.We found a few nests between the rails, but none on the east side ofthe track. The first day of June we measured the rookeries of thesebirds, and two days later we went over the same ground again. Wefound that in two days the rookeries on the west side had increasedin area 3,600 square yards. The final estimate of the number of sooty terns was made June 4—333,900 for both rookeries. This species outnumbers any other onthe island. We found as many as 7 and in some cases 9 nests to the 1 Birds of Laysan and the Leeward Islands, Hawaiian Group, in I. S. Fish Commission Bulletin for1903. 14 EXPEDITION TO LAYSAN ISLAND IN 1911.
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 1—Map of Laysan Island. lAIl Dl I (ON CO I.WSAN (ISLAND I N L911. 1 5 Bquare yard of ground. About I nesl in 50 contained t wo eggs, oneegg being the usual complement. Sterna lunata Peale. Gray-backed Tern. On the rock-, a1 the south end of the island is a BmaU colony ofgray-backed terns, (ts close proximity to 11 uv sooty tern rookerjmight mislead the casual observer as to the number of birds of thisspecies. As soon as the birds are disturbed the sooty terns flyaboul with the graybacks, giving the impression that there arethousands o\ the latter. The unfortunate gra) back makes a desirableskin for millinery purposes; hence his demise. There are other small rookeries on the east side, and we estimatedthai about 50,000 of these birds were nesting on the island. Wefound fresh eggs and young birds in all stages of development. Anous stolidus (Linn.). Noddy. Noddies were nesting in small colonies on nearly all parts of theisland. The northwest point seemed to be a favorite nesting

Note About Images