Sept., 1918 SUMMER BIRDS OF ALERT BAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA 185 indic;[te that the iris changes from hazel in the young to silver in the immature and back again to the original hazel in the adult. It thus seems that the Short-billed Gull is not mature until after its third winter at least. 8. Larua heermanni. Hoermann Gull. Very common. All plumages seemed to be present, though birds of the year were scarce. .Five specimens were taken, all in worn and molting condition. I have not a sufficient series to work out the ages, but .suspect that some of them are just taking on the first adult winter plumage. In sum- mer, Herring Gulls divide into breeding and non-breeding communities, the latter con- sisting mostly of juveniles, approaching maturity and a few subnormal adults. These Hoermann Gulls summering far north of their breeding grounds are probably of this type. 9. Puffinua griaeua (sp?). ShearwaterJ On the east side of Cormorant Island I saw two shearwaters beating and wheeling along the shore. Enroute from Alert Bay to Prince Rupert, in Queen Charlotte Sound, I saw from the ship a number of similar gray birds. None came close enough for specific determination and I include them un- der this species hypothetically. 10. Nettion caroiinensis. Green-winged Teal. Two juvenile males were taken in the lower stretch of the Nimkish River. 11. Mergua sp?. Morgan.set. A couple of Juvenile or female morgansors were seen in the channel between Vancouver and Cormorant islands but could not be speci- fically identified. 12. Oidemia deglandi. White-winged Scorer. SeEn several times flying up or down the main steamer channel. 13. Branta canadensia. Canada Goose. A flock noted flying up the main steamer channel. 14. Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron. Quite a number seen at low tide on the flats about the mouth of the Nimkish River. 15. Ereunetes mauri. Western Sandpiper. Flocks containing several hundred small sandpipers were seen on the flats at the mouth of the Nimkish River, and a few smaller groups on the beach in front of Alert Bay. All taken were typical mauri. 16. A;giaiitia semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover. One specimen, a juvenile, was shot from a flock of Western Sandpipers at the mouth of the Nimkish. 17. Bonaaa umbeiiua. Ruffed Grouse. Two seen along the logging railroad be- tween the mouth cf the river and Nimkish Lake. A day or so later a prospector going over the same ground saw a dozen or more. The only bird taken is a female and typical sabini. ? r-.?' 18. Dendragapua obacurua. Blue Grouse. Said to occur on Vancouver Island opposite, but not noted by me. 19. Lagopua (sp?). Ptarmigan. Ptarmigan are said to occur at some elevation on Vancouver Island opposite. Fannin 3 only gives rupestris without verifying evidence for Vancouver Island, and Swarth* leucurus on specimens taken. 20. 0olumba faaciata. Band-tailed Pigeon. Two seen in the high tree tops in the slashings near the mouth of the Nimkish River. 21. Halizeetua ieucocephalua. Bald Eagle.. Quite common along the whole coast traversed by daylight fromm Vancouver to Alert Bay. This includes from near Comox northwards. They were often noted sitting on floating debris out in mid-channel. About the mouth of the Ntmkish River they were very numerous and came to feed on the exposed mud flats, being seen in 'adjoining trees waiting for the water to fall. It is indicative of the height of this comparatively moderate sized timber, that while straight below birds that were still some distance from the extreme top I was repeatedly unable
to reach them with heavy charges of no. 1 shot from a twelve gauge gun.
22. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Hawk. One taken near the mouth of the Nimkish. ' This proves to be a juvenile, and is so much darker than comparable eastern birds that I have little hesitancy in referring it to suckleyi. Another seen flying behind the village of Alert Bay was so obviously black that I include it under the same form. 23. Otua aslo. Screech Owl. Several nights at Alert Bay I was serenaded by' what I took to be a screech owl. The tremolo was similar to that of our eastern birds 3Catalogue British Columbia Birds, Francis Kermode, Provincial Museum, Victoria, B.C., 1904.
- Univ. Calif. Publ. Zoology, vol. 10, no. 1, 1912,
