NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 287 



The Geog. Bange — "Atlantic coast, from Massachusetts to 

 Baffin's Bay" (Baird.) 



667. Chroicocephalus atricilla, Lin. — Laughing Gull. 



25 eggs. '' Collected by myself on a salt marsh, inside of 

 Cobbs Island, Virginia, 31/5/71. This gull nests on drift grass 

 in the marshes, simply hollowing out a nest in which to deposit 

 its eggs. They breed in large numbers along the coast of 

 Virginia, but are incessantly persecuted by the people, who take 

 the eggs for culinary purposes. I was informed by the men that, 

 if undisturbed, they lay 4 eggs, but I never succeeded in finding 

 this number except in two instances. One of these sets of 4 I 

 have sent you in the box." ( V. Egg Bk. Mus. F. and H.-B., p. 203). 



Note. — As 4 is quite an abnormal number of eggs to be laid by 

 any species of gull — 3 being the usual number laid by birds of that 

 family — I am inclined to think that in all cases where more than 

 3 are found, they are laid by more than one female. Many parallel 

 instances might be recorded, such as 5 eggs being found in a 

 Curlew's nest (I obtained one nest of 5, and I believe my friend, 

 Mr Paterson, got another, both from the county of Sutherland), 4 

 being the normal number ; or, a set of Merganser's and a set of 

 Shielduck's eggs being found in the same nest, as is, I believe, not 

 infrequent in the Long Island. J. A. h.-b. 



* 



681. Sterna aranea, Wils. — The Marsh Tern. 



" 3 eggs. Cobbs Island, 2/6/68. Nests scratched out on 

 the sand." (F. Egg Bk. Mus. F. and H.-B., p. 105). 



The Geog. Range — " Coast of the United States as far north as 

 Connecticut" (Baird). 



688. Sterna fuliginosa, Gmel. — The Sooty Tern. 



" 3, collected in Florida, spring of 1872. I received them from 

 Mr J. H. Batty, of New York, 7 / 1 / 73." ( F. Egg Bk. Mus. F. 

 and H.-B., p. 274). 



The Geog. Range — " Texas to Florida " (Baird). 



692. Sterna paradisea, Briinn — The Roseate Tern. 



" 3 eggs. Cobbs Island, Virginia, 2/6/68. Nests on the 

 marshes, on the drift grass." (F. Egg Bk. Mus. F. and H.-B., 

 p. 105). 



