294 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1891. 



the eggs from the island of Warba, at the head of the Persian Gulf, 

 early in April. The nests were abundant and built in colonies. 

 They consisted of small mounds of sand, scraped up four or five 

 inches high, and about a foot apart, with a few small sticks and 

 twigs on the top. The eggs, usually three in number, are broadish 

 ovals in shape, occasionally pointed at one end ; the shell is compact 

 but rather coarse in texture. In colour they are greyish-white 

 tinged faintly with creamy or buffy-brown, sometimes but not 

 often they are of a brownish stone-colour. The markings are small 

 and thinly set, and consist of spots and specks of brown of various 

 shades, with faint underlying spots of lilac or pale inky-purple. 

 They vary in length from 2 -3 to 2'75 inches and in breadth from 

 1*71 to T89. The eggs in my collection are intermediate in size 

 between these two extremes. 



983.— THE GULL-BILLED TERN. 



Sterna angiica, Mont. 



The Gull-billed Tern is not uncommon in the cold weather, but 

 I do not think that any of them remain to breed within our limits. 



Colonel Butler received eggs at the same time and from the same 

 island, but from a different part of it, as the preceding. 



The nests were similar to those of the Caspian Tern, and like 

 them were placed on small mounds of sand about a foot or so 

 apart. The eggs, three in number, are hard, fine and compact in 

 texture, but quite free from gloss. They vary in colour from greyish- 

 white to a decided brown, the markings consists of specks and 

 spots of various shades of sepia-brown, with underlying clouds and 

 blotches of inky-purple or greyish-brown. 



They vary from 1*83 to 2 -2 in length and from 1'35 to 157 in 

 breadth. My eggs measure 1-9 by L48. 



985.— THE INDIAN RIVER TERN. 



Sterna seena, Si/kes. 



During the cold weather, the Indian River Tern occurs more or less 

 commonly throughout the greater part of Western India, the 

 exception being the Konkan, where its occurrence appears doubtful. 



