313 



The ej^'KS, two in number for a sittinc;, are deposited on broken coral, shingle of beaches, 

 sand-banks just above hi.nh-water mark, or among coarse grass ; they are oval or lengthened 

 oval in form, some specimens being rather painted at the smaller end, the shell being close- 

 grained, dull and lustreless. They vary from a light yellowish to a faint greyish-stone ground 

 colour, o\er which is uniformly distributed rounded dots and spots and a few small irregular- 

 shaped blotches of brownish or inky-black intermingled with similar underlying markings of 

 faint bluish or inky-grey ; oa others the markings consist chiefly of a few large conspicuous 

 blotches and smaller dots and spots of the same hues on the larger end of the shell. Two single 

 eggs in the Australian Museum Collection, presented by Mr. G. P. Black, and taken on 

 Long Island, Houtman Abrolhos, in December, 1886, measure: — Length (A) 1-54 x 1-13 

 inches; (B), an elongated specimen, i-8 x 1-15 inches. Four single eggs taken by Mr. Otto 

 Lipfert in the same locality, on the 6th December, 1894, measure respectively: — Length (A) 

 i'62 X 1-07 inches; (B) 1-^2 x fi6 inches; (C) r6 x i'i6 inches; (D) 1-62 x i'i5 inches. 

 The latter two eggs are represented on Plate B. XX\'., figs. 8 and 9. A set of two taken on a 



small island off Cape York, Northern 

 Queensland, in November, 1903, mea- 

 sures: — Length (A) i-59 x I'oj inches; 

 (B) I '58 X I -08 inches. Two sets in 

 Mr. Thos. P. Austin's collection, taken 

 on the 27th October, 1901, on one of the 

 Frankland Islands, lying off the entrance 

 to the Russell River, North-eastern 

 Queensland, measures respectively : — 

 Length i (A) f66 x i-i7 inches; (B) 

 1-68 X 1-13 inches; 2 (A) 1-62 x i-i8 

 inches; (B) 1-52 x 1-13 inches. .-V set 

 of two eggs, taken on the 2nd October, 

 1910, by Mr. W. McLennan and Mr. B. 

 Jardine, on Bush Island, to the north of 

 Albany Island, North-eastern Queensland, measures: — Length (A) 1-56 x 1-15 inches; (B) i-6 

 X i-i6 inches. Some eggs of this species bear a strong resemblance to the eggs of the Hooded 

 Dotterel (.Egialitis ciicullata), others to large eggs of the White-shafted Tern (Sterna sinensis). 



The accompanying figure is reproduced from a photograph taken by Dr. W. Macgillivray 

 on the 3rd November, igio. 



Recently hatched young in the down are buffy-white on the head and upper parts, with 

 faint indications here and there on the back and towards the tail of small, somewhat blackish- 

 brown spots ; lower throat, breast and abdomen white. Total length 3 inches. 



The breeding season on the islands lying off the coast of North-eastern Queensland, com- 

 mences in September, young being found early in October, and continues until the end of 

 December or middle of January. On Ploutman Abrolhos, Western Australia, it is much 

 later, eggs being more often found in December, Mr. C. G. Gibson being too early there for eggs 

 in November. 



NESTISG-PLACE AND EUl.S OF THE GRACEFUL TERN. 



Sterna media. 



ALLIED TEKN. 



Sterna media, Horsf., Trans. Linn. .Soc, Vol. XIII., p. 198 (1820). 

 Thalasseus torresii, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VII., pi. 25 (1848). 



79 



