.--During the summer of 1932 many tern colonies along the Massachusetts Coast suffered more severely than during any year so far recorded. The details of these bird tragedies have been exhaustively described by Oliver L. Austin, M.D., and Dr. Oliver L. Austin, Jr. (see Brd-Band4ng, Vol. III, No. 4, pp. 123-139 and pp. 143-156.) in the case of Penikese Island, the terns returned to their nesting colony in the usual numbers in the spring of 1932, and breeding proceeded nor- mally until the season was well advanced. Eggs and young were produced in abundance, and a successful rearing appeared to be in the making, when suddenly the adults completely deserted the colony, and eggs, young, and adults vanished almost over night. (See B4rd-Band4ng, Volume III, No. 4, pages 173 and 174.) The reason for this strange disappearance has not been determined. ß It was, therefore, with great interest that Penikese Island, lying near the entrance to Buzzard's Bay, was again visited from July 1st to July 5th, 1933, by the same group of bandera that were on the island the previous year during the correspondening period. As I have previously stated, the island is completely covered to the water's edge with long thick gram, in which the terns nest under conditions quite in contrast to. those in other Massachusetts colonies, where open sandy tracts on islands  This exhibition of one of the series of procreative instincts out of the usual order, which begins with the sexual urge, followed by mating and nest-building, and ends with the discontinuance of feeding the young, is of great interest as none of the antecedent instincts in the series, generally regarded as esential to the appearance of a successor, could well tntve been manifested.--EorroR. or mainland are preferred. Warden ;Furnet reported the appearance of the Penikese terns on the average date of arrival, and a survey of the island revealed their presence in thousands. The Common Terns, as usual, greatly outnumbered the Roseares, the old breeding-areas being occupied. These areas can easily be determined by the dead and matted vegetation, and the sparse new growth of the year. AII over the island nests with eggs were found in new locations, and the young were hiding in the long grass in great numbers. The adults were obtaining food with a minimum of effort, constantly fishing with success around the island and catching small fish in such abundance that there was no fighting among them. The hatch and growth of the chicks was excellent. There were almost no dead birds, and the living were fat and healthy, despite days of fog, rain, and cold. In many of the 5Iassachusetts colonies where the nests are all built on sand with little beach grass, the nests and young are crowded together so that when the young wander from their home into territory claimed by others, they are often so severely pecked about the head while being driven away that they die. On Penikese Island there is no crowding of nests, and consequently no mortality from this cause. The first hatching of young birds was well advanced, and all the chicks were about of uniform size, with very few just out of the eggs. This uniformity indicated that the first clutches were laid at approximately the same time and that there was a marked interval between this and the second laying of the hundreds of eggs that the adults incubated. In the report of last year's observations (ibid page 173) comment was made upon the large number of garter snakes that were introduced in to the island years ago in the days of the Agassiz School and that swarmed all over the island, undoubtedly devouring an undetermined number of eggs and young. -Iuch to our surprise, this year we found that the snake popula- tion had been practically exterminated by Herring Gulls that nest in a small colony on the east side of the island. During the spring months of this year the gulls were hard pressed for food and frequented the place where Warden Turner empties his garbage into the ocean, fighting over the scraps, a proceeding not before seen except during a severe winter. When the snakes came out of their seclusion during the warm spring days to bask in the sun, they were attacked and devoured by the gulls, which coursed over the island like Marsh Hawks. On several occasions the Warden observed them catch a snake and carry it to the salt water, into which they doused it several times, shaking it savagely before eating it. In former years, when the Warden has killed and thrown the snakes into the water, the gulls have not been seen to eat them. The Herring Gulls have practically eradicated an introduced form of wild life that in years to come would undoubtedly have threatened the very existence of the tern colony. - Despite a growing sentiment the country over, against the taking of birds' eggs for food or commercial purposes, and the laws passed to pohibit such action, Warden Turner reports that on several occasions this year the island was visited by fishermen of foreign extraction, who but for his vigilance would have destroyed and carried away many eggs and probably have broken up the colony. Their method is to stake off certain areas and destroy all the eggs therein. The robbers then return in a few days to collect and carry awayall the new-laid eggs in the marked area, thereby ensuring a new laying. The eggs are removed as long as the birds continue laying, or until the pillagers have satisfied their wants. The birds banded are as follows: Adult Common Terns ................................ 34 Immature Common Terns ............................. 1966 Immature Roeeate Terns ............................. 300 Total .... ] ...................................... 2300 --CH.SLES B. FLOYD, .-uburndale, Massachusetts.