THE AUK

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY

VOL. 61 OCTOSER,1944 NO. 4

THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT ON THE COAST OF •

BY ALFRED O. GROSS

Plates 19-œœ GREATchangcs in thc distribution and abundanccof ccrtain sca birdsof thc islandson the coastof Mainc havetakcn place in rcccnt ycars. For cxamplc, thc first rccordsof thc ncstingof thc Grcat Black-backed Gull, œarus marinus, were made on some of the more castcrnislands as rcccnfiyas 1951. Today this gull is abundantand ncstson many islandsalong thc enfirc coastlinc from the Bay of Fundy to the Islesof Shoalsand beyond. The Herring Gull, œarus argentatussmithsonianus, likcwisc has so grcafiy incrcascdin num- bers that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has bccn forced to take dcfinitc stcpsin controllingthis bird which at thc turn of the cen- tury was thrcatcncdwith cxtcrmination. Othcr spccicshavc cxpcri- cnccdsimilar changcsbut none have bccn more spcctacularthan the extraordinarycorecback of thc Doublc-crcstcdCormorant, Phalacro- corax auritus auritus, commonlyknown on our coastas the "Shag." Thc first accountsof thc cormorantson thc Ncw England coastare to bc found in the writings of Captain John Smith (1616) who visited this regionin 1614. Later, others,including William Wood (1654), ThomasMorton (1657),and JohnJossclyn (1674), indicated that the cormorantswcrc breedinghere in large numbers$00 yearsago. For reasonsthat arc not dear, the cormorantwas completely exterminated as a brccdingbird on thc Maine coastby thc ninctccnthccntury. EvcrettSmith (1885)wrotc of the Doublc-crcstcdCormorant as fol- lows: "Nonc brccd on thc coastof Mainc, although somcarc hcrc all summer. Thcsc arc chicfly immaturcbirds which kccp togcthcrin flocksand habitually rcsort to the samelcdgcs each night to roost."

x Contribution Number •e, Bowdoin-Kent Island Scientific Station, Kent Island, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. 513 THE Aux{, VOL. 61 PLATE 19

DOUBLE-C,RE•TED CORMORANT.--THE MARBLEHEAD COLONY ON JULY 5, 1944. THERE WERE AN ESTIMATED 2000 YOUNG IN THE ENTIRE COLONY, MOST OF WHICH WERE IN NEARLyCOMPLETED JUVENAL PLUMAGE. A FEW WEREABLE TO FLY. [Auk GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine Recordsof an attempt of thisbird to reftstablish itself as a nesting bird on the Maine coastare containedin an article written by Ora W. Knight(1896). On July2, 1895,he visitedBlack Horse Ledge, off Isle Au Haut, where he found two nestswith three eggs,one nest with a singleegg, and other nestsin processof construction.He writes further: "Mr. Charles K. Reed informs me that i•a June 1892 and 1895 he took setsof the Double-crestedCormorant eggsnear Isle Au Haut, andbeyond doubt he visitedthe samecolony of birds." In anotherpaper, Knight (1900)mentions visiting Black Horse Ledge on June23, 1896,as follows: "We found a numberof Shagson the ledge,but onlytwo nests were to be found. Oneof thesewas incom- pleteand the othershowed the imprintof threeeggs, and as we afterwardslearned that other collectorshad been there, the eggsun- doubtedlytaken by them.... Owingto the attentionsof collectors it is somewhatdoubtful if this speciescontinues to breedmany more yearsalong the Mainecoast, as the only breeding colony I haveany knowledgeof is on the pointof extermination."That thisattempt of the cormorantswas quickly extinguished is borne out by visitsof othernaturalists to theledge in subsequentyears. Black Horse Ledge waseven deserted as a roostingplace of the cormorantsbefore 1907. Mr. A. H. Norton made annual visitsall along the coastduring the yearsfrom 1902to 1923and, although many cormorants were foundroosting on variousledges and islands, not onewas found to be nesting.About 1925 the Cormorantsstarted nesting again and in a surprisinglyshort time firmly established themselves asbreeding birdson the coast. In 1931,Mr. A. H. Norton and Robert P. Allen (1931)found the following breeding colonies: Old Man Island, 1,000 adults;Pulpit Rock, 100 adults; Spoon Ledge, 40 adults; Marblehead Rock, 600 adults;and Old Hump Ledge,8 adults. In 1935,Howard L. Mendallpublished his comprehensive paper on the Homelife and EconomicStatus of the Double-crestedCormorant. In thisreport he includesthe colonies listed by Nortonand Allen and statesthat in 1935the Marbleheadcolony had increasedto 700 birdsand the Old Hump Ledge colony to 400birds. He alsoreported 78 nestingbirds on CrescentLedge in 1934,but thiscolony was abandoned in 19•õ. Duringthe past three years it hasbeen my good fortune to serve as a Collaboratorwith the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicein con- nectionwith the HerringGull ControlProject. I wishto expressmy gratitudetoMr. S. B. Locke, Regional Director, who made it possible forme to have this exceptionally fineopportunity tostudy the sea-bird vo•.6•] cross,Z)o,•bZe-c,'ested Co,',•o,'a,,t •,, Mai,,e 515 1944 .• coloniesof the entire Maine coastand to recordthe changesthat are takingplace. This paperis concernedprimarily with an accountof the recentincrease and presentstatus of the Double-crestedCormorant but other specieswill be consideredin subsequentreports. In 1955, there were but six known Cormorantcolonies and only oneof these,Old Hump Ledgein MuscongusBay, was west of Penob- scot Bay. In 1945, we found prosperouscolonies along the entire coastfrom Old Man Island,our mosteastern sea bird colony,near Grand Manan Channel, New Brunswick, Canada, to Duck Island, Islesof Shoalsjust insidethe New HampshireState boundary off Portsmouth. The chiefobjective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife tripswas to visit gull-inhabitedislands; the cormorantcolonies were incidental-hence someof the latter probably were missed,but even so, 97 colonies werevisited which containeda total of 9,118nests representing that many pairsof birds. Furthermore,since each year the time of visit- ing the islandson which the cormorantswere nestingwas compara- tively early in the season,the last ten daysof May and the first three weeksof June, the numbersof nestswere probably smaller than theywould be at the height of the nestingseason. A very conservative estimateof the number of adult Double-crestedCormorants nesting along the Maine coastin 1945 is 10,000pairs or 90,000individuals. There are at least 5,000 non-breedingbirds which roosted on the numerousledges and islandsall alongthe coast,making a total popu- lation of 95,000 cormorants. The numbers have now increased to the point where many complaintsare being made againstthis bird by the fishingindustry for its allegeddepredations on fish. A move- ment is on foot in this stateto passlegislation taking the cormorant off the protectedlist. If an unbiasedinvestigation does prove the birds are doing a real damage,it would seemadvisable to have the matterof controlplaced under the directsupervision of the stateor federaldepartments rather than to allow the indiscriminateshooting of the birdsby irresponsiblepersons. The latter coursewould tend to undo much of our work of conservationand it would prove to be disastrous to other sea birds such as the Eider Duck which nests on manyof the sameislands inhabited by the cormorants. The fishermenprobably have sound grounds for their complaints althoughtheir statementsare sometimesexaggerated. There seems to be somequestion as to the reporteddamage by the cormorant. H. L. Mendall (1955),who conducted studies on the economicstatus of the cormorantin Maine, states:"The chargethat the Cormorants 516 GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine LF AukOct. are detrimental to the fishingindustry are shown to be largely un- founded,the greaterpart of the bird's [ood being made up of [orms which are of little or no use to the fishing industry. In somecases, the birds are a benefit through their fondnessfor undesirablefish." The cormorant, unfortunately, was not included in the list ot' migratory non-gamebirds protectedby the Migratory-birdTreaty Act and Regulationsratified in 1916. The protectionof this bird in Maine comesunder the jurisdictionof the StateDepartment of Inland Fisheries and Game. To presentthe statusof the Double-crestedCormorant on the Maine coast,all o[ the presentexisting colonies known to me are listedin order beginning with the most easternone situated on Old Man Island and proceeding[rom east to west and south to the Maine- New Hampshirestate boundary line. To assistthe readerin find- ing the islandson maps, the approximatelatitude and longitude are given. A brie[ descriptiono[ the islandsand a historicalaccount of the cormorants,especially during the past three years,are also included. It will be seenthat not only havethe numberof coloniesincreased, but the populationsin 1943were oftendoubled or tripled and in a few caseswere more than four times the numberspresent in 1941. This increase in the numbers of cormorants and the extension of their breedingrange are not peculiarto the coastof Maine. Dr. Harrison Lewis (1942)reports that the Double-crestedCormorants are on the increasealong the north shoreof the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On June 11, 1942,Harold S. Peters (1942)found a colonyof 100 nestsat CapeTryon, PrinceEdward Island, Canada, which constitutes the first recordof thesebirds nestingon that island. In Massachusetts,Baird, Brewer and Ridgway (1884) stated: "It is believed once to have been resident on the northern shores of Massa- chusetts,but long sinceto havebeen driven away." Today thisbird has again establisheditself as a nestingspecies on that part of the New England coast. JosephA. Hagar (1941) discovereda colony of 53 pairs of Double-crestedCormorants breeding at Shag Rocks near BostonLight at the entranceof BostonHarbor, on August 5, 1940. Accordingto Mr. Hagar, the birds were nestingthere as early as 1937. This is the first recent nesting record for Massachusetts. On June 28, 1942,Frances L. Burnett (1942) found two nests,one empty and the other with four eggs,at Egg Rock, off Manchester, Massachusetts.The following year on June 19, Burnett (1943) re- ported finding [our nestswith eggsand youngat the sameplace. VoL6•' I GROSS,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 517 z944

The Double-crestedCormorant has been reported in increasing numbers,during the summer,along the Rhode Island and Connecti- cut shores. If the present tendencyof the extensionof the nesting range prevails,it may be reasonablyexpected that the birds will be found nestingin that regionbefore many yearselapse. The Europeanor CommonCormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, is the speciesfound on our coastduring the winter. I have seena few of them during the nestingseason in easternMaine, and A.D. Cruick- shank (1938) has found them as far west as MuscongusBay during the summermonths. On May 30, 1939,Harold S. Peters(1940) found one-fourthof the adult birds of a colonyof 212 occupiednests, situ- ated ten miles north of Antigonish,Nova Scotia,to be Phalacrocorax carbo. Accordingto Peters,the European Cormorantsprobably in- vaded the Antigonishcolony in 1938. As yet I have no evidenceof their nestingin New England, but since there is a possibilitythat P. carbowill continueto extendits breedingrange, it is importantthat we be on the watch for its nestingon the islandsof the Maine coast. Old Man Island; 44 ø 37.1' N., 67 ø 14.2' W. Old Man Island, which lies southeast of the entrance to Little MachiasBay, supportsthe most easternof the important Maine sea- bird colonies. It is a high, rugged island with precipitousrocky shoresmaking a landing difficult when a rough sea prevails. The top surfaceis coveredwith a reddish-brownpeaty soil which supports a considerablenumber of sprucetrees. Most of the trees are now dead,some are still standingbut the majorityhave been blown down by the stormsof recent years,making a tanglednetwork of jagged stumps,trunks, and brokenlimbs. In the few open spacesthere is a luxuriant growth of grass,weeds, vines, wild parsnips,and many smaller plants. On April 19, 1923,A. H. Norton reportedten Double-crestedCor- morantsroosting on the island, but at that time none of them were nesting. Just when the birds startednesting on Old Man Island is not knownbut they had probablyestablished themselves as a nesting colonyabout 1925or soonthereafter. R.P. Alien and A. H. Norton estimated1,000 Cormorants,4,000 Herring Gulls, and a few Eider Ducksas nestingthere on June 24-26, 1931. The cormorantshad built one to seven nests to a tree, all over the island, but none of the nestswere on the ground. Many of the nestscotitained eggs but othershad freshlyhatched young and a few containednestlings in advancedstages of development. When I visitedthe islandon June 6, 1943,there were 333 occupied 51 8 GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine L[Auk Oct.

nests,but the greaternumber of them (218) werebuilt on the barren rocks or on the ground of the clearedplaces and othersupon or amongthe fallen treetrunks. Only 115nests were placed in the dead treesthat werestill standing. The nestscontained one or two eggs, somehad three, and only five containedsets of four; and none had five. There were no young and all of the eggsexamined were fresh or else incubationhad advancedbut a few days. The state of the eggsand the large number of nestsin early stagesof construction clearly indicatedthat the colonyhad not reachedthe height of its nestingactivity. Sincemost of the coloniesalong the westernpart -of the Maine coasthad young,some in advancedstages at this date, it is probablethat this colonyhad beenmolested by humanvisitors. Counts and estimates of the numbers of adult birds indicated that therewere more than 1,000cormorants in the Old Man Island colony in 1943. In addition to the cormorants, there were about 4,000 Herring Gulls,eight pairs of Black-backedGulls, and 25 pairsof Eider Ducks nestingon the island. The Brothers Island; 44 ø 33.4' N., 67 ø 26.5' W. Thesetwo high, picturesqueislands, connected by a low, rocky isthmus,stand out boldlyoverlooking the Atlantic. The topsof the 100-foot knolls command an excellent view of the numerous islands guardingthe entrancesof Machiasand Englishman'sbays. The islandsare well turfed, providinggrazing for a numberof sheep. These islandswere once heavily woodedwith coniferoustrees, but today there are only a few small sprucesstruggling for existenceat the northernedge of the largerisland. There are nearlyperpendicu- lar rocky precipicesalong the sea at the eastern end of the island which providenesting sites for Ravensand on the talus slopesbelow there are many Black Guillemots. On June 13, 1941,the cormorantswere found nestingfor the first time. There were three nestswith one eggeach, two nestswith two eggs,and one nestcontaining four eggs. On June 19, 1943,many cormorantswere seen on the higher outcroppingsof rock but no nestshad beenbuilt by that time. There are 3,000Herring Gulls and 50 pairs of Black-backedGulls nestingon the island. Pulpit Rock; 44ø 33.2' N., 67ø 28' W. About a mile westof the Brothersstands barren Pulpit Rockwith jaggedpinnacles separated by deep,abrupt clefts. In 1903,Mr. A. H. Norton found cormorantsroosting in considerablenumbers, but none werenesting. None nestedon theserocks from 1903to 1923although Vol.6•'] GROSS,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 519 •944 .a the placewas used by a largenumber of the birds as a roostingplace each summer. The birds started nesting there some time between 1924and 1931. In 1931,Norton and Allen reportedfinding 50 occu- pied nestsand a total of about 500 birds. When I visitedthis rocky islet on June 19, 1943,there were approximately100 nestsand many non-breedingcormorants. The Ladle;44 ø 29' N., 67ø 44.3'W. South of Cape Split is a curiouslyshaped island which resembles an inverted ladle; hence the name. On the high dome the cormo- rantshave roosted during the pastthree years. On June 8, 1943,they were nestingfor the first time. On the exposedrocks of the northeast side there were three nests,one with one egg and two nestswith three eggseach. There were alsoone empty nest and severalnests in variousstages of construction. On the oppositeside of the domethere was another group of partially constructednests. The Ladle offers an ideal nesting site for the cormorants;hence the year 1943 may mark the beginningof a large prosperouscolony of the future. Black Horse Island; 44 ø 1.7' N., 68 ø 34.6' W. This dark colored,steep, rocky ledge is situatedabout one and one- half miles east of the large island of Isle Au Haut. The first record of the presenceof nestingcormorants on this ledgeis a statementby Chas. K. Reed that he took setsof Double-crestedCormorants' eggs near Isle Au Haut in June, 1892, and 1893. As this was the only known colony in that region, there is no doubt that the eggswere taken on Black Horse Island. Ora W. Knight (1900) found seven nestson narrow shelvesnear the top of the ledge on July 3, 1893. Three of the nestscontained three eggseach, one nest contained a singleegg, and the other three nestswere empty. On July 2, 1895, he found two nestswith three eggseach and one nest with one egg. When he visitedthe islandon July 23, 1896,there were a considerable number of cormorantsbut only two nests;one was incompleteand the other showedthe imprint of three eggswhich he stateshad been taken previously,presumably by some collector. In June, 1899, a few birds were observed but there were no nests. William Dutcher (1901)visited Black HorseIsland in 1900and he likewisesaw a few cormorantsbut no nests. Accordingto A. H. Norton, Black Horse Island was abandonedby the roosting cormorantsin 1907. Just when the birds returned is not known, but there were no cormorants there up to 1931as Mr. Norton madefrequent visits up to that year. When I visitedthe islandon June 12, 1942,there were severalhun- 520 GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine I.[Auk Oct. dred cormorantson the island and approximately50 nests. On June 10, 1943,there were 75 nestsand probablymore were addedafter my visit. At the times of the abovevisits there were large numbersof cormorantsroosting on White Horse Ledge which lies about a half mile northeastof Black Horse Ledge,but we could seeno nestsas we circledthe ledgein our boat. Accordingto H. L. Mendall (1936) there wasa populationof twenty-fourbreeding birds on White Horse Ledge in 1933. Colt Head Island; 44 ø 15.6' N., 68 ø 50.5' W. Colt Head Island,situated in East PenobscotBay, is the site of one of the largestcormorant colonies on the Maine coast. On June 8, 1941, there were 680 nestsof the cormorants,265 of which were placed in dead sprucetrees and 415 on the rocksor barren soil. There were alsoa considerablenumber of nestsin variousstages of construction. All of the occupiednests contained eggs and no youngwere seenat the time of this visit. From one vantagepoint I counted950 adults swimmingon the water where they had collectedafter leaving their nests. On June 9, 1942, the progressof nestinghad advancedover that prevailingon June 8 of the precedingyear. At this time there were 1,253 nestsof which 727 were placed in the dead treesand 526 were on the rocksor gzound. The contentsof 82 nestsof a typicalgzound- nestingarea were as follows:four nestswith one, six nestswith two, twenty-eightnests with three,thirty-six nests with four, and two nests with five eggsor young. There were also six nestsunder construc- tion. In the sampleof 82 nests,20 containedpipped eggs,freshly hatched young, or young two or three days old. Some of the nests in the treescontained older young. On June 3, 1943, the colonycontained only 870 nests,of which 406 were in trees and 464 were on the rocks or ground. Many of the deadtrees had fallen, and this accountsfor the smallerproportion of nestsin trees. There were no youngat this time and the largenum- ber of broken eggsabout the nestsand dead adults that had been shot clearly indicatedthat the colonyhad been seriouslydisturbed. We learned later that severalmen had visited the island for the pur- poseof destroyingthis populouscolony because of allegeddamage to the fishingindustry by the birds. Spoon Ledge; 44 ø 12' N., 68ø 49.8' W. Spoon Ledge is situated in upper PenobscotBay north of North Haven. It is a small, high, irregular rocky ledge. There are no trees or shrubsand only a very limited growth of grassand weeds THE AUK, VOL. 61 PLATE

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Do•-• CO•O•T.--(TO•) SPoo• •, •P•T• A •P• cO•--J•N• •, 194•. (•i•le) A S*CT•O•O• • COLT H• IS• CO• wmc• co•s• 1•5• • o• J• 9, 194•. H• G•L• *N• •m• D•CKS W• N•N• IN THE FO•6ROUND. (•o•o•) N•T •D FOURE6•; •T•RN BRO• Cow IS•D, MA• •0, 194•. THE AUK, VOL. 61 PLATE 21

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DO•L•-C•ST• CO•O•T.--(To•) •V•ST•N E66 Roc• COlOnY,M•Y •l, 1944. (Middle)N•s• CO•O•TS WITH•S ONPI•S• OL• H• L•, ]• l, lg44. (Bottom)A 6RompoF CORMO•NTN•STS OF THE P•MP•IN ISLAN•COLONY, MAY 29, 194•. VoL6,] GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 52 l •õ44 J in a few isolatedspots. The higher portionsof the rock are white from the excrementof the birds, making it a conspicuouslandmark among the many islandsof that part of the bay. The first report of the cormorantsbreeding on this ledge was in 1931 when Norton and Allen reported a population of 40 nesting cormorants,and D. Berolzheimer (1932) found 34 in the sameyear. On June 7, 1933, ! visited the island with Mr. JosephStickney, Supervisorof Wardens, State of Maine, and Mr. A. C. Shelton of Boston. At that time we found 75 nestswith eggsor young. In one nestthe youngwere about a week old. There were alsoa number of nestsin various stagesof construction. I visited the island again the following year with T. Gilbert Pearsonand others, on May 26 and 27, and made a completecensus of the nestsand their contents as follows: Nests Eggs Nests under construction 12 -- Nests with eggs: One 4 4 Two 11 22 Three 37 111 Four 73 292 Five 5 25

Total 142 454

On June 8, 1941, a censusrevealed that the population of the colonywas practically the sameas it w:'.sin 1934. At that time there were 145 nestscontaining about the same relative number of eggs. A censusmade on June 10, 1942, revealed that the colony had in- creasedto 225 nestswith the following contents: Nests Eggsand young Nests under construction 8 Nests with eggs: One 14 14 Two 16 32 Three 66 198 Four 38 152 Five 3 15 Nestswith young:One 15 15 Two 37 74 Three 24 72 Four 4 16

Total 225 588

On June 3, 1943, Spoon Ledge, which started with a population of 40 cormorantsin 1931, now contained728 nestsrepresenting a 522 GROSS,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine LF AukOct. populationof 1,456nesting birds. Includingthe non-breedingin- dividualsand thosenot yet representedby nests,the total number of birds for this one colonyapproaches near the 2,000 mark. Fisherman'sIdand; 44ø 2.5' N., 69ø 2.4' W. Fisherman's Island is situated about two miles off Ash Point, south- eastof Rockland. It is a large,high island,well turfed with a rank growth of grassand small herbaceousplants. There are no treesor shrubsbut there are severaldense patches of red raspberry.vines. This islandis primarily a Herring Gull colony. There are also25 pairsof Black-backedGulls, 12 pairs of EiderDucks, and severalpairs of Black Guillemotsnesting there. On my first visit to the island,June 7, 1935, there were no cormo- rantsnesting but numberswere seenflying by on their way to Marble- head Island to the southward. During the following four years the high, rocky point at the northern end of the island was used as a roostingplace. The birds nestedfor the first time in 1940 when therewere about a dozennests. On June 8, 1941,there were 45 nests as follows:seven nests in stagesof construction,six with one, ten with two, 19 with three, and three with four eggs. In 1942 there were 100 nestsand on June 1, 1943,the colonyhad increasedto 265 nestsor nearly six times the numberpresent in 1941. A census of the con- tents of the 265 nests is as follows: Nests Eggsand young Nestsempty or under construction 13 --- Nestswith eggsor young: One 16 16 Two 46 92 Three 137 411 Four 52 208 Five 1 5

Total 265 732

Of the above265 nests,12 containedyoung ranging from freshly hatchedchicks to somefour or five daysold. Most of the nestsare on a rockyoutcrop of the highestpart of the islandwhere all of the nestswere locatedin 1940-1942. In 1943there were three new groups locatedon the soil at lower elevationsof the island. This great in- flux of nestingbirds is probablya contributionfrom nearby Marble- head Island. Marblehead Island; 44 ø 2.1' N., 69 ø 2.8' W. Marbleheadis a small, almostconical, rocky ledgesituated about a half mile southof Fisherman'sIsland. There is no vegetationand Vol.• Q44 6x'] .• GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 523 it is completelytaken over by thecormorants except for a fewHerring Gulls and ]3lackGuillemots which persistin nestingthere. It is a picturesquecolony, with nestsplaced on numerousterraces right up to the summit of the rock. This is one of the older colonies and it is not knownwhen the birdsstarted nesting there, but when Norton and Allen visitedthe ledgein 1931 it was alreadya well established colonywith a populationof 600 breedingadults. Accordingto Men- dall (1936),who madehis life historystudies on this island,the num- bers were the same in 1933 but increased to 700 in 1934 and 1935. On June 1, 1943,Mr. J. Gashwilerand myselfcounted 793 nestswhich representa populationof morethan doublethat reportedby Mendall in 1934-1935. Time did not permit taking a completecensus, but a sampleof 177 nestsof a typicalsection of the colonycontained the following: three nestsunder construction,five nestswith one, 34 nests with two, 83 nestswith three, and 52 nestswith four eggsor young. Of the abovesample of 177 nests,59 containedyoung ranging from thosefreshly hatched to someapproximately ten daysold. Crescent Island; 44ø 1.3' N., 69ø 2.2' W. CrescentIsland is situatedin lowerWest Penobscot ]3ay about one and one-halfmiles south of Fisherman'sIsland. Accordingto Norton and Allen, it wasmerely a roostingplace for the cormorantsin 1931. In 1934,Mendall (1936)found 78 breedingbirds therebut they desertedthe islandthe followingyear. In 1943,the birdswere again nesting and from our boat we estimated that there were at least 100 nests. YellowRidge; 43ø 58.8' N., 69ø 6.8• W. This rocky island,situated in MuscleRidge Channel,was visited by Nortonand Allen in 1931,but theymake no mentigonof cormo- rantsroosting or nestingthere. On May 31, 1943,from our boat I estimateda colonyof about 150 nests. ]3ecauseof the heavysea we were unable to land on this ledgeor on CrescentIsland mentioned above. Metinic Green Island; 43 ø 57.8' N., 69 ø 8.2' W. This island is situated south of . In addition to its large populationof Herring Gulls, it now alsosupports a large, prosperouscormorant colony. The islandis well turfed with grass and there are numerouspatches of weedsand raspberryvines but no trees or shrubs. There were no cormorants on this island from 1931to 1936. Mr. JackPerkins of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reportedfinding a large colonyon June 7, 1942,but he made no GRoss, Double-crested Cormorant in Maine [Auk 524 •. Oct. countor estimateof the numbers. On May 31, 1943, we counted 932 nestswhich containedthe following: Nests Eggsor young Nestsempty or under construction 58 -- Nestswith eggsor young: One 37 37 Two 108 216 Three 438 1314 Four 288 1152 Five 3 15

Total 932 2734

Among the 932 nests,57 containedyoung ranging in agefrom those just hatchedto othersabout eight daysold. Most of the nestswere built on the ground but someof them were on the exposedrocks near the sea wall. Metinic Green Island, if undisturbed, is destined to become the largestcormorant colony on the Maine coast. At the height of the nestingseason there is probablya breedingpopulation of 2,000 indi- viduals,and on this large island there is an abundanceof room for future expansion. Only the number of nestsfound on Colt Head Island in 1942 (1,253 nests)exceeds the number found on Metinic Green in 1943. Hay Ledge; 43ø 54.6' N., 69ø 14' W. This island is south of Martinsville near the Brothers Islands. On May 31, 1943,there were about 200 cormorantsroosting on the island. We were unable to land, but from Brothers Islands we could see at least a dozen nestson the higher outcroppingsof rock. As far as I have been able to ascertain,this is the first year that the cormorants nestedon this ledge. Little Egg Rock; 43ø 51.4' N., 69ø 20.5' W. This islandlies in the southeasternpart of MuscongusBay. When we passedthis islandon May 31, 1943,it was inhabitedby a large number of cormorants but we were unable to make a census. Fortu- nately,members of the National AudubonNature Camp have made careful counts of the numbers of birds. From 1936 to 1941 the num- bersof nestingpairs were 300, 300, 374, 464, 455, and 488,respectively. Old Hump Ledge; 43ø 52.6' N., 69ø 21.5' W. Old Hump Ledge is situatedin MuscongusBay a little lessthan two miles northwestof Little Egg Rock. On July 12, 1931, Norton and Allen reportedseeing 150 cormorants,including a few Phalacro- corax carbo. There were four occupiednests of the Double-crested vol.a•] GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 525 •Q44 -J

Cormorantwhich mark the beginningof this nestingcolony. H.L. Mendall (1936)reported a populationof 200 nestingcormorants in 1933,350 in 1934,and 400 in 1935. The representativesof the Na- tional AudubonNature Camp counted135, 188, 264, 331, 337, 367, and 371 nestingpairs for the years1936 to 1942,respectively. Long Ledge; 43ø 53.3' N., 69ø 22' W. Long Ledge is one of a group of small rocky ledgessituated about a mile northwestof Old Hump Ledge. Allen and Norton found 60 cormorantsroosting on this ledge in 1931. I saw 50 to 100 of the birds roostingthere in 1941, 1942,and 1943,but at the time of the visits there were no nests. However, in 1943, several adults were observedto be carryingand playing with stickssuch as are usedin nestbuilding and it may be only a matter of time until a nesting colonywill be established. Shark Island; 43 ø 50.8' N., 69 ø 21.5' W. SharkIsland is the outermostisland of the MuscongusBay group, situatedabout two miles due south of Old Hump Ledge. It is a barren, rocky island with just a few scantbunches of grassand low- growingweeds on the narrow plateau oœthe central portion. There were no cormorantsnesting on Shark Island when Norton and Allen visitedthe islandon July 12, 1931. The countsmade by the National AudubonSociety Nature Camp are 142, 142, 367, 548, 524, and 540 nestingpairs of cormorantsfor the years1936 to 1941,respectively. On May 31, 1943,we counted905 nests-nearlydouble the number found by the National Audubon Society,indicating a tremendous increasein the SharkIsland colonyin the last year. A conservative estimateplaces the colonyat 2,000individuals at the heightof the nestingseason. This colonyis a closesecond to the one on Metinic Green from the standpointof the number of cormorants.At the time of our visit on May 31, 1943,there were no young. A sample censusof all the nestsin a typicalarea comprising110 nestsrevealed the followingcontents: two nestsempty, five with one, 22 with two, 48 with three, 32 with four, and one nestwith five eggs. In the 110 neststhere were 330 eggsor an averageof three eggsper nest,which is representativeof the entire colony. WesternEgg Rock; 43ø 52.7' N., 69ø 25' W. WesternEgg Rock is situatedin the westernpart of lower Mus- congusBay, about three mileseast of New Harbor, Maine. It is a low, heavily turfed islandwith a rank growth of grassinterspersed with wild parsnips,clover, nettles, and densepatches of raspberries 526 GRoss,Double.crested Cormorant in Maine L[Auk Oct. and wild roses.There is muchdebris along the shoresand a high sea wall of rocks and boulders. There were no cormorantsnesting on this islandin 1931-1932,although a few were found roostingthere. In 1936, the National Audubon SocietyNature Camp reported 40 pairs of nestingbirds, which apparentlymark the beginningof this colonyalthough a few may have nestedthere prior to 1936. The National AudubonCamp alsoreported 91, 107, 149, 138, 249, and 250 nestingpairs for the years1937 to 1942,respectively. On May 30, 1943, we found the main colonyestablished among the gia.nt bouldersand slabs of rockand amongthe debriscast up by the stormson the southwestside of the island. There were also two smaller groups about 150 yards apart on the extreme western sideof the island. A completecensus of the contentsof the 614 nests found at that time is as follows: Nests Eggs Nestsempty or in stagesof construction 62 --- Nestscontaining eggs: One 47 47 Two 110 220 Three 251 753 l•our 141 564 l•ive 3 15

Total 614 1599

White Islands; 43 ø 47.5' N., 69 ø 34.6' W. The White Islands are situated due south of the mouth of the Damariscotta River and southeast of Ocean Point, Maine. There are two islandsof which the northern one is occupiedby the cormo- rants and Herring Gulls. A large part of this islandis coveredwith a dense,luxuriant vegetation:beach plum thickets,numerous large patchesof nettles,yarrow, dandelions, parsnips, and other herbaceous plants. There are alsoheavily ruffed areas of grass,but the margin of the islandis barrenand rocky. There are about30 standingdead sprucetrees and many fallen and partially decayed tree trunks and jaggedstumps. OnJuly 13, 1931, Norton and Allen found 600 Herring Gulls breedingon the northernisland but therewere no cormorantsand there were none when I visited the island on June 6, 1935. On June4, 1941,there were 187 cormorant nests, all of whichwere placedin the 55 deadspruce trees which were standing that year. All of the neststhat could be examined contained eggs. Five eggs takenfrom that manynests were fresh or with incubationonly slightly advanced. There were considerablenumbers of cormorantsroosting Vol.a•] GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 527 1944 a on the rockymargins of the islandas we approached,but therewere no nestson the rocksor on the ground. On June 6, 1942,Jack Perkinsfound an increaseover the number of nestsfound the previous year, with a groupon therocks in addition to those built in the dead trees. When I visitedthe islandon May 30, 1943,there was a total of 474cormorant nests even at that earlydate. Of the 474nests, only 218 were built in the remaining30 deadspruce trees and 256 were on the rocks,the barren ground,or elseon the fallen tree trunks. It was impracticableto include in the censusthe nestslocated in the dead trees,because of their precariouspositions, but the 256 nests in accessibleplaces on the groundand rocksor the fallen tree trunks contained784 eggsdistributed as follows:

Nests Eggs Empty nestsor nests under construction 16 --- Nestswith eggs:One 7 7 Two 27 54 Three 102 306 Four 103 412 Five 1 5

Total 256 784

None of the nestscontained young at the time of the census,May 30, 1943,but someof the eggswere in well advancedstages of incubation. Pumpkin Island; 43ø 45.2• N., 69ø 35' W. Pumpkin Island is situatedabout three miles southof the White Islandsand a mile and one-halfeast of the southerntip of Damaris- coveIsland. It is a high,rocky island and thereare no treesbut the higherparts of the islandare ruffedwith grassand smallweeds. On the rockyextensions and numerousreefs, much of which is covered at high tide, is a flourishingcolony of seals. We counted50 adults andsix pupsfrom one vantage point, but thereare probablya hun- dred individuals in the entire herd. Norton and Allen found 300 Herring Gulls and some Leach's Petrelsnesting on the island on July 13, 1931, but there were no cormorantsat that time. Accordingto Mr. JosephFisette, the cor- morantsfirst appearedon the islandin 1936when there were about a dozennests built and occupiedthat season. When I visited the island on June 4, 1941, there were 489 nests whichwere disposed in four nearlyequal groups well separatedfrom oneanother. The nestsof the groupestablished on the highesteleva- 528 G•.oss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine FAuk L Oct. tion containedyoung ranging from a day to ten daysold. Sincethe incubationof the cormorantis 25 days,this one group must have startednesting the last weekof April. The other three groupshad nestswhich containedeggs, most of which were in their early stages of incubation. Jack Perkinsreported the colonyflourishing when he visited Pumpkin Island on June 6, 1942. There were well ad- vancedyoung in someof the nestsat that time. On May 29, 1943,there were 873 nests;the colonyhad practically doubledits numberssince my previousvisit on June 4, 1941. There were no young in any of the nestsat the time of this visit. A corn- plete censusof the 873 nestsis as follows: Nests Eggs Empty nestsor nestsunder construction 88 --- Nestswith eggs:One 35 35 Two 92 184 Three 315 945 Four 340 1360 Five 3 15

Total 873 2539

When Mr. Guy Gashwilervisited the islandon June 17, 1943,many of the cormoranteggs had hatchedand a few of the young were old enoughto have acquiredwell-developed feather papillae. In additionto the cormorantsthe islandsupports a populationof 2,800 Herring Gulls. There were eight nests of the Black-backed Gulls and several Black Guillemots were seen offshore, but lack of time preventedus from discoveringtheir nests. Heron Islands; 43 ø 43.2' N., 69 ø 48.3' W. The Heron Islandsare situatedmidway betweenthe mouth of the KennebecRiver and Small Point. There is in reality but one island that is cut by two deep cleftsdividing it into three distinctparts. It is coveredover with turf but there are prominentoutcroppings of rock. On the northernsection there is a smallgroup of deadspruces which are rapidly disappearing.Today thereare only a half dozenof the treesthat have managedto weatherthe stormsand to resistdecay. There were no cormorants on the island in 1931. In 1932 and 1933, cormorants roosted on the island but none of them nested. On June 5, 1935,I found 25 nestsin the deadspruces of the northern sectionand 12 on a large rocky outcropof the southernsection. By 1941,the spruceswere no longersuitable for nestingsites and all of the cormorantsmoved to the treelesssouthern section. On June 4, TI-I]• Av•, VOL. 61 PLATE 22

.

DOUBLE-C•STEDCORMORANT.--(Top) •EST•Ne IN DEAD$PRU•S OF NORTHERNWHITE ISrA•V, MaY 30, 1943. (Middle) Fow o• *• 265 •s*s o• F•s•a•'s ISLA•V, Jw• 1, 1943. (Bottom) A s•c•o• o• • M•rr•*v ISrA•V COrO•Y,JV• 15, 1944. A FEW NESTS CONTAINED EGGS BUT MOST HELD YOUNG IN •VANCED STAC•

OF DEVELOPMENT. Vol.•944 6•' .•I GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 529

1941,there were 77 nestswith the followingcontents: 29 nestswere emptyor under construction,11 containedone egg, 17 containedtwo eggs,12 containedthree, and eight nestscontained four eggseach. There wasone Herring Gull nestcontaining one eggof the gull and two eggs of the cormorant which were being incubated by the cormorant. When we visited the island on June 1, 1942,there was abundant evidencethat the colony had been seriouslymolested. There were severalHerring Gulls and cormorantsthat had beenshot and a num- ber of the cormorantnests were torn apart and the eggsbroken. In spite of these depredationsthere were 61 nests,49 of which con- tained eggs. On May 28, 1943, there were 244 cormorant nests, all on the southern section of the island, as follows:

Nests Eggs Empty nestsor nestsunder construction 49 --- Nestswith eggs:One 21 21 Two 38 76 Three 78 234 Four 57 228 Five I 5

Total 244 564

There were no young on May 28, but when the island was visited on June 16 the number of nestshad increasedto about 300, of which only a few wereincomplete or empty. There weremany young, some of them with the juvenal plumagewell developed.In addition to the cormorantsthere were 3,000 Herring Gulls and 38 Black-backed Gulls nestingon the island in 1943. White Bull Island; 43 ø 43.1' N., 69 ø 55.5' W. White Bull is one of the outer islands of the eastern end of Casco Bay. It is a rockyisland with bold, abrupt shoreswhich make land- ingsin roughweather extremely difficult. The vegetationis limited to a smallarea containingbeach plum, blue grass,ragweed, yarrow, shepherd's-purse,and similarplants. There are no treesor largeshrubs. There were no cormorantson White Bull during 1931-1935. A varyingnumber of the birdsused it as a roostingplace during the seasons1936 to 1938,but nonenested at that time. On June4, 1941, we foundthat about50 pairsof cormorantshad establisheda nesting colony. On June 1, 1942, there were 99 nestsin the colony which containedthe following: 31 nestsunder construction,nine with one, 530 GROSS,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine [-AukL Oct.

11 with two, 23 with three,and 25 with four eggseach--a total of 200 eggs. On June14, 1943, there were 209 nests or aboutdouble the number in the colonyduring the precedingyear. The contentsof the 209 nests were as follows: Nests Eggsand young Empty nestsor nestsunder construction 7 Nestswith eggsor young: One 8 8 Two 25 50 Three 82 246 Four 87 848

Total 209 652

Of the above 209 nests,33 contained one or more young, the ma- jority of them just hatchedor only a few daysold. In addition to the cormorants,this islandsupports a Herring Gull populationof nearly 2,000. Twelve Black-backedGulls also use the island as a nestingplace. West Brown Cow Island; 43 ø 41.8• N., 70 ø 4.6 • W. West Brown Cow is one of the outer islandsof middle CascoBay, betweenJewell and Eagle islands. It is a relatively high, rocky islet and like White Bull Island it is difficultto land there exceptin calm weather. The vegetationis extremelyscant--just a few tufts of grass and low-lyingplants. There are a few dead stubsof small treesstill standingamong the cormorantnests. The frameworkof a geodetic surveymarker was still standingon the highestportion of the island in 1943 which serveswell in identifying the island. The cormorantshad establisheda small colonyon the island when we landed there on June 2, 1942. As far as I know, this constitutes the first record of their nestingon West Brown Cow. The contents of the 42 nests were as follows: Nests under construction 15, six nests with one, three with two, eight with three, and ten with four eggs each. At the time of our visit to the island on May 20, 1943, there were 152 nests--morethan three times the number in 1942, although it wasnearly two weeksearlier in the season.The contentsof the nests were as follows: Vol. GRoss, Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 531 •944

Nests Eggs Nests under construction 62 Nestswith eggs:One 18 18 Two 17 34 Three 31 93 Four 21 84 Five 3 15

To tal 152 244

Outer Green Island; 43 ø 39' N., 70ø 7.5' Wo Outer GreenIsland lies in the outer southernportion of CascoBay, about three miles east of in Portland Harbor. It is a high islandwith a somewhatlevel plateauwhich is well tufted with a rank growthof grassand herbaceousplants. In a centraldepression filled with rich soil there are thick patchesof nettles and shrubs growingabout four feet high. There are severalprominent rocky outcropsand barren areaswhich are occupiedby the cormorants. Cormorantshave roostedon Outer Green for a number of years, but as far as I have been able to determine, the first record of their nestingwas made when we visited the island on June 2, 1942. At that time the nestswere in two nearly equal groups,one comprising 25 nestsat the southernend and one of 26 nestson a rocky outcrop near the center of the island. All of the nestscontained eggs. When we visitedthe colonyon May 20, 1943,most of the nestswere built on the top of the high ledgesat the southeasternside of the island. At the extreme southern .end we saw about 35 adult cormo- rantsroosting and a smallnucleus of 14 nests,11 in a stateof construc- tion, two nestswith one egg,and one nestwith two eggs. There were 231 nestsin the main colony with contents as follows: Nests Eggs Nests under construction 43 --- Nestswith eggs:One 14 14 Two 21 42 Three 38 114 Four 102 408 Five 13 65

Total 231 643 Consideringthe fact that our visit in 1943 was nearly two weeks earlier than the year before, the countsreveal that this colony had increasedits size to five times in the courseof one year. From one vantagepoint on the island! counted535 adult cormorantson the water or flying near the surface. 532 GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine I.F AukOct.

In additionto the cormorantsthere is a populationof 2,200Herring Gulls and 20 Black-backedGulls nestingon the island. In the tall weedsand shrubsin the centraldepression we sawa femaleChewink, a male Bobolink,a male Northern Yellow-throat,a Field Sparrow,and five SavannahSparrows. Someof the abovebirds--at leastthe Savan- nah Sparrows--werenesting, but we did not have the time to hunt the nests. Junk-of-Pork; 43ø 38.9' N., 70ø 7.4' W. Junk-of-Pork lies southeastof, and near to, Outer Green Island. At verylow tidesa rockyreef connectsthe two islands. It is a very abrupt, rocky island surroundedby nearly perpendicularwalls 30 to 40 feet high. There is practicallyno vegetationon the flat top which is coveredby a deepincrustation formed chiefly from the ex- crement of the sea birds. As in the case of Outer Green Island, the cormorantsused Junk-of-Pork as a roostingplace during the summer months,even many yearsbefore Outer Greenwas usedfor that pur- pose. I have no recordof the year when the birds first nestedthere but when we visited the island on June 2, 1942, there was a well- establishedcolony consistingof 88 nests containing 319 eggs and 11 young. Nests Eggsand young Empty nests 1 --- Nestswith eggsor young:One I 1 Two $ 6 Three 18 54 Four 56 224 Five 9 45

Total 88 330

Apparently, nestingactivities started earlier in the seasonthan at mostof the other colonies,for on June 2 most of the setswere com- plete, no nestswere in stagesof construction,and there were 11 young. Nesting must have been under way during the latter part of April. There were 30 nestsof the Herring Gull, most of which were placed among the nestsof the cormorants. Even in these close quarters the two speciesseemed to exist in harmony. Bluff Island; 43ø 30.5' N., 70ø 19.2' W. Bluff Island is situatedin SacoBay, three mileseast of Old Orchard Beach and one and one-half miles south of Prout's Neck. It is a large, dome-shapedisland which is turfed over with a very rank growth of timothy grass. There are no treesor shrubsbut along the Vol.6t] GRoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine 533 1944 .I inner marginsof the seawall there are massesof tall weedsand herbaceousplants. On the northeasternend of the island there is a rocky headlandon which a number of cormorantsroosted during the seasonsof 1940 and 1941, but none of them nesteduntil 1942. On May 29, 1942, there were about 50 cormorantsroosting on the headland and a smallgroup of 13 nestsin variousstages of construction-onenest with two fresh eggs. On June 23, 1942, all 14 nestscontained eggs. A year later, on May 23, 1943, the colony had increasedin size to 62 nests with contents as follows:

Nests Eggs Nests under construction 26 --- Nests with eggs: One 9 9 Two 11 22 Three 7 21 Four 8 •2 Five 1 5

Total 62 89

In the early part of the present century, Bluff Island was a Com- mon Tern colony,but sincethat time the terns have been completely replacedby gulls. Today it is one of the largestHerring Gull col- onieson the coast,providing nesting sites for 5,800individuals. There are also severalBlack-backed Gulls breedingon the island. Eagle Island; 43ø 28.8' N., 70ø 21.6' W. Eagle Island is situated a mile and a quarter east of Ferry Beach, Saco, Maine, and about a mile north of Ram Island. It is a small but high islandwith bold outcroppingsof rock cut by deep, abrupt clefts. There is a very striking exposeddyke that has withstood erosionand standsout prominentlylike an immenseman-made wall. There are extensiverocky reefs on one side of the island that serve as a breedingplace for a considerablenumber of seals. On June 29, 1942, we counted 78 adult sealsand found five newly born pups on the rocksas we went ashore. The high, jaggedrocks at the eastern end of the island have servedas a roostingplace for the cormorants but none of them nestedup to 1942. We were unable to make a landing on the islandwhen we visitedthe region on May 23, 1943, becauseof the roughsea, but aswe circledthe islandin the motorboat we counted 75 adult cormorants on the rocks and with the aid of binocularswe could see at least a dozen nests,establishing the first nestingrecord for this island. 534 GROSS,Double.crested Cormorant in Maine [-AukL Oct.

Duck Island; 43 ø .3/ N., 70 ø 36.3' W. Duck Island is the most northern member of the group and is situatedabout eight milessoutheast of Portsmouth,.It is abouta mile north of AppledoreIsland which also lies on the Maine sideof the Maine-NewHampshire state boundary line. Duck Island is turfed over but there are numerousand conspicuous outcroppingsof rocks. In someof the depressionsthere are fresh water poolssurrounded by tall, rank grassand weeds. There are alsoseveral patches of raspberriesbut no treesor shrubs. When we visitedthe islandon May 26, 1942,there were about 50 cormorants perchedon neighboringShag R6ck, a ledgeoff the southeasternenct of the island. Accordingto DeanJackson, Director of the University of New Hampshire Biological Station, Isles of Shoals,cormorants have roostedon ShagRock each summerfor a long period of years but he had never known them to nest there. The name of the ledge may have originated from the fact that it was a gatheringplace for shags. When Mr. Jay GashTiler of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service visitedDuck Island on June 19, 1943,he reportedtwo groupsof nest- ing cormorantsestablished on rockyelevations protruding above the generallevel of Duck Island. The two siteswere about 200 feet apart. There were eight nestsat the northern site and ten at the southern location. Severalof the nestswere in processof constructionanct otherscontained fresh eggs. This is the first year they have nestect in that region. Duck Island is the mostsouthern and westerncolony of cormorantsin Maine and with the establishmentof this colony in 1943 it can be said that the cormorantis presentas a nestingspecies alongthe entire coastof Maine. As previouslystated, the cormoranthas alsorecently extended its nestingrange to the coastof Massachusetts. The underlyingbiological and ecologicalfactors which have deter- mined this unprecedentedincrease of the cormorantin the courseof a few yearswhile previouslyit remaineddormant as a nestingspecies on the New England coastfor so many years,presents an interest- ing problem. Since this paper was written and submitted,visits were made to most of the Maine coloniesof cormorantsduring the seasonof 1944. The number of nestingcormorants has increasedin the majority of the coloniessince 1943 as shown in the following condensedtable giving the numberof nestscounted during each of the two years. This year (1944)we found a colonyof 157 cormorantnests on Rob~ insonRock, 44 ø 9.7' N., 68ø 58.7'W. and therewere 32 occupiednests Vol.6t ] GROSS,Doubte.crested Cormorant in Maine 535

on Downfall Island, 44 ø 10.8' N., 68 ø 58.7' W., the first time these birds have nestedthere. We also have reportsfrom reliable sources that there are now well-established colonies of cormorants on Green Ledge,44 ø 4' N., 68ø 55.3' W., Medric Rock, 44ø 3.8' N., 68ø 56' W., and the Hay Islands,44 ø I' N., 68ø 47.8' W. If we include the latter, we now have 32 known cormorant colonies on the coast of Maine with well over I0,000 pairs of nestingbirds. There are probablyother colonieswhich have thus far escapedour attention. In the followingtable, the order of the islandsis the sameas that presentedin the text. To assistthe readerin locatingthe various islands,the namesof the U.S. GeologicalSurvey quadranglesare also given. U.S.G.S. Number o[ nests 'Quadrangle Islands •943 1944 CURER Old Man Island 333 350 MACHIA• Brothers Islands 6 Pulpit Rock 1003 155 The Ladle 10 DEgs•ISLE Black Horse Island 75 CASTINE Colt Head Island 870 825 VINALHAVEN SpoonLedge 728 565 Robinson Rock --- 157 Downfall Island --- 32 ROCKLAND Fisherman's Island 265 518 Marblehead Island 793 8O5 CrescentLedge 1003 150 TENANTSHARBOR Yellow Ridge 1503 175 Metinic Green Island 932 1014 Hay Ledge 12 220 MONHEGAN Little Egg Rock 5003 434 Old Hump Ledge 4008 513 Shark Island 905 932 .• WesternEgg Rock 614 746 BOOTHBAY white Islands 474 522 PumpkinIsland 873 SMALL POINT Heron Islands 244 398 White Bull Island 209 482 CASCO BAY West Brown Cow Island 152 Outer Green Island 231 Junk-of-PorkIsland 150 PORTLAND Bluff Island 62 158 BIDDEFORD Eagle Island 12 PORTSMOUTH Duck Island, Isles of Shoals 18 37

Cormorants present but no nests at the time of visit in I944. Estimated. Not visited in 1944. 536 GEoss,Double-crested Cormorant in Maine I.F AukOct.

Becauseof the increasein the number of complaintsof damage, 'especiallyby theweir fishermen of easternMaine, the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service,through an agreementwith the Maine Department of Inland Fisheriesand Game, has undertakenthe task of controlling the cormorants,beginning this past season(1944). The eggswere sprayedwith an oil emulsionto prevent hatching--amethod found successfulin the control of the Herring Gull. It is expectedthat these measureswill be continued. No effort is being made to ex- terminatethe cormorantsbut it is merely an effort to checkthe tre- mendous increase of these birds and to reduce their numbers until they no longer prove to be a seriousmenace to the weir fishermen. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicehas adoptedan effectivebut humane method of control which has the distinct advantageof not interfering with other speciesof birds such as the American Eiders whichnest on manyof the sameislands occupied by nestingcormorants.

LITERATURE CITED

ALLEN, ROBERT P., AND NORTON, ARTHUR H. 1931. Survey of the Maine Coast: An Inspectionof the Sea Bird Colon/eson the Maine Coast, June 23 to July 14, 1931. (An unpublishedreport lent by the National Association of Audubon Societies, New York. Pp. 1-34.) BAIRD, $. F., BREWER,T. M., AND RrOgWA¾,R. 1884. The Water Birds of North America. Memoirs Mus. Comp. Zo61., 13: 149-155. BEROLZHEIMER,DANIEL, JR. 1932. Bird Life of PenobscotBay, Maine. The Heron, Proceedingsof the Wood- mere AcademyBird Club, Woodmere,New York, (2): 21. BURNETT, FRANCESL. 1942. Double-crestedCormorant. Bull. New England Bird Life, 6: 45. 1943. Double-crestedCormorant. Bull. New England Bird Life, 7: 57. CRUICKSHANK,ALLAN D. 1938. Observationsat MuscongusBay, Maine. Auk, 55: 550-552. DUTCHER, WILLIAM 1901. Resultsof SpecialProtection to Gulls and Terns obtainedthrough the Thayer Fund. Auk, 18: 76-104. 1907. Annual Report of the National Associationof AudubonSocieties for 1907. Bird Lore, 9: 285-372. (Sub-title,Report of Arthur H. Norton on Col- oniesoœ Birds in Maine ReceivingSpecial Protcctlon in 1907. Pp. 319-327.) HAaAR,JOSEPH A. 1941. Double-crestedCormorant Nesting in Massachusetts.Auk, 58: 567-568. JossEL¾•,JoH• 1674. An Account of Two Voyagesto New England (etc.). London. Reprint: London, 1675; Mass. Hist. Soc., 1883; Win. Veazie, Boston, 1865. Vol.•944 6•'] a CONOVER,Races of theSolitary Sandpiper 537

KNIGHT, ORA W. 1896. My '95 CollectingTrip in PenobscotBay. Oologist,1!5 (2): 9-16. 1900. SomeBirds of Sunshine[Maine] and Vicinity. Jour.Maine Ornithological Society,2 (1): 44. LEWIS, HARRISON F. 1942. Fourth Census of Non-Passerine Birds in the Bird Sanctuaries of the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Canadian Field-Naturalist, 56: 5-12: MENDALL, HOWARD L. 1936. The Home-life and Economic Status of the Double-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocoraxauritus auritus. University of Maine Studies. Second Series,no. 158. The Maine Bulletin, 159(3): 1-159. MORTON, THOMAS 16157.The New England Canaan.... Amsterdam. Reprints: Peter Force, Washington,18158; The Prince Society,Boston, 18815. NORTON, ARTHUR H., AND ALLEN, ROBERT P. 19151.Breeding of the Great Black-backedGull and Double-crestedCormorant in Maine. Auk, 48: 589-592. PETERS, HAROLD S. 1940. EuropeanCormorants Nesting in Nova Scotia. Canadian Field-Naturalist, 54: 59-60. 1942. CormorantsFound Breeding on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Auk, 59: 100. SMITH, EVERETT 1882-1883. The Birdsof Maine. With Annotationsof the ComparativeAbund- ance, Dates of Migration, Breeding Habits, etc. Forest and Stream, 19: 425-426, and 20: 185. SMITH, CAPT.JOHN 1616. A Descriptionof New England . . . London. Reprints: Mass. Hist. Soc.,1837; Win. Vcazic,Boston, 1865; Win. Arbcr,Edinburgh, 1910. WOOD, H. B. 1634. New England'sProspect . . . London. By Tho. Cotes. P. 31. Brunswick Maine

THE RACES OF THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER

BY BOARDMAN CONOVER WHILE it has been known for some time that there are two races of the SolitarySandpiper, Tringa solitaria,there has always been con- fusion,not only as to the rangesand breedingareas of the two forms, but alsoas to the charactersseparating them. In fact,Swarth (Con- dor, $7: 199, 1955),after examininga seriesfrom Atlin, British Co- lumbia, expresseddisbelief in the so-calledwestern race cinnamomea, takingissue with Tavernerand Sutton (Ann. Car. Mus., 28: $8, 1954) who had identified six specimensfrom Churchill, Manitoba, as be-