834 A'ESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



642. — Sterna doug.vlli, Montagu. — (605) 

 S. (jracilix, Gould. 



ROSEATE TERN. 



Figure. — Gould ; Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vii., pi. 27. 



Reference.- — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxv., p. 70. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Legge : Birds of Ceylon, p. 1035 

 (icSSo) ; Campbell: Southern Science Record (1883), and Nests 

 and Eggs Austn. Birds, pi. 3, fig. 605, also Proc. Roy. .Soc, 

 Victoria, vol. iii., p. 5, pi. i, figs. 2 and 8 (1890); Hume — 

 Gates: Nests and Eggs Indian Birds, vol. iii., p. 301 (1890). 



Geoyraphical Distribution. — Seas of West and Nortlt-west Australia, 

 Northern Territory and Queensland ; also New Caledonia, Malayan 

 Ai-chipclago, and many other localities of both the Old and New Worlds. 



NeM. — A slight depression (about 5 inches across by 1 inch deep) in 

 the sand or ridge of dead coral, sometimes partially lined with fine 

 pieces of coralj shells, &c. Nests in colonies. 



Eggs. — Clutch, two ; roundi.sh or round oval in shape ; texture of 

 shell comparatively fine ; surface, slight trace of gloss ; colom-, varies 

 from greyish-stone to warm-stone, boldly blotched and spotted with 

 dark umber or sepia and dull grey. Dimensions in inches of proper 

 clutches: A (1) 1-56 X Ml, (2) 1-55 x Ml ; B (1) 1-5 x M6, 

 (2) 1-5 xM5. (Plate 23.) 



Ohsi'rvnfinDs. — The lovely roseate-tinted Tern was well named the 

 Graceful by Goidd. It is well nigh cosmopolitan, flying the tem- 

 perate and tropical seas in both hemispheres. Tliis species was first 

 discovered by Dr. Macdougall, of Glasgow, about eighty years ago, on 

 two small rocky islands known as the Cmnbraes, in the Firth of Clyde. 

 Montagu named the bird after its discoverer. 



Coming to Australian regions, Gilbert obsei-ved this elegant Tern 

 very numerous on Houtman's Abrolhos, ofP the Western coast of 

 Australia, where thev were continually moving alx)ut from one part- of 

 those islands to another, and setthng in large flocks during the heat of 

 the day on the coral ridges. Gilbert was infonned (so Gould states) 

 that the Ti rns bred in the locality, bvit judged that he was unfortunately 

 too late to procure eggs, it being then November. As a matter of fact 

 he was too early, as the sequel will prove. 



At the time of my visit to the Abrolhos (18S9), the eggs of this Tern 

 had not been described from anv Australian quarter, therefore, it may be 

 conjtctured that, with Gilbi-rt's inforni:\tion in my mind, T kept a good 

 look out for Roseate Tenis, and thought I was to be disapiioiiited. for I 

 had been on the islands for about three weeks without seeing an\' signs 

 of the birds. However, on my very last day, when returning to the 

 mainland in the cutter "Una," with Messrs. F. C. 'Broadhurst and 

 Groom, I was put ashore and came on to a coral ridge in Pelsart Island, 



