lOO Director's Anyiiial Report. 



appointed. Judging by their numbers the island is well suited to 

 the nidification of this tern. The nest, unlike that of the last spe- 

 cies considered, is more commonly placed back some distance from 

 the shore line ; the preferred site is in the forks or on the limbs 

 of the trees which grow to good size and form a thick woods in the 

 interior. Though trees are preferred it is not uncommon to find 

 them nesting on the ground, on fallen trunks, piles of stone or on 

 the branches of the thick undergrowth. Rarely were nests seen 

 more than twenty feet from the ground, and being in ever}' stage — 

 from just building to nests that had been deserted by the young 

 birds — it is safe to conclude that there is no fixed time for the depo- 

 sition of the eggs. There was no uniformity in the size or in the 

 choice of the material used in the construcftion of the nest. The 

 rule being a nest twelve to sixteen inches across b}' from two to 

 eight inches in depth, which was composed almost entirely of twigs 

 and .sticks gathered from the ground and piled slovenh' together, 

 with a slight deprCvSsion in the centre barely sufficient to keep the 

 eggs from rolling off. As a lining, a few fresh leaves picked from 

 the trees were commonly added ; in different nests I found a few 

 white bones, a piece of shell, some strings (from the settlement), 

 small bunches of sea weeds — in short, any odd bits that took the 

 birds' fancy. Some of the nests bore evidence of having been used 

 over several times ; fragments of ^%'g shell were found in them that 

 had been covered over with sticks, on top of which a fresh ^'g'g had 

 been deposited. Nests were noted that were as deep as fourteen 

 inches, and were so plastered with the excrement of the birds as to 

 leave no doubt that they had been repaired and used year after year. 



The young birds are exceedingly interesting b}' reason of the 

 variation of their color while in the down ; no two seem exacftly 

 alike. The forehead and crown are usually a dull white, but the 

 body may vary from a light mouse-brown to a deep sooty brown. 

 As they advance in age they take on the feathering of the young 

 and immature birds, which does not vary much in color. 



One or both of the old birds will always be seen about the nest 

 at all times ; not uncommonly both parent birds are sitting on the 

 iiest, one on either side of their offspring, all three making a very 

 contented and happy looking family. Seldom do the old birds go 

 far out to sea in search of food. If this species is to be seen in any 

 numbers an experienced and observant navigator can feel certain 



