GIANT TERNS. T3 



billed Tern nests with greater or less frequency throughout the 

 Mediterranean region and occurs accidentally in more northern 

 localities, though it breeds regularly on the western coast of 

 Denmark and the island of Sylt. Its range extends through 

 temperate Asia to Southern China, whence it is found through 

 the Malayan Archipelago to Australia, breeding in the latter 

 continent. In North America it occurs on the eastern side 

 from New Jersey southwards, reaching to the Argentine 

 Republic, but not occuring on the Pacific side except on the 

 coast of Guatemala. 



Habits. — The food of this species consists of small fish, frogs, 

 and Crustacea, and it also feeds on grasshoppers, locusts, and 

 beetles, besides other flying insects. During the breeding 

 season Mr. Saunders says that the note is like the syllables 

 che-ah^ but at other times the bird utters a laughing af-af-af 

 like a GulL 



Nest. — Seebohm visited a colony of Gull-billed Terns on 

 an island in a lagoon off the coast of Asia Minor. The nests 

 were either a natural depression in the sand, or consisted of a 

 slight hollow made by the birds themselves, with a fevv bits of 

 seaweed or dead grass as an apology for a nest. 



Eggs. — Generally two,- sometimes three in number, and inter- 

 mediate in character between the eggs of Gulls and Terns. 

 The general colour is a pale stone-buff, occasionally with an 

 olive-greenish tinge, the spots never very large and distributed 

 over the egg in tolerably equal profusion and seldom forming 

 blotches of any size. The underlying markings are as large 

 and almost as much in evidence as the dark overlying ones, 

 sometimes being even more distinct than the latter. Axis, 

 I -8-2 -5 inches; diam., i -35-1 '55- 



THE GIANT TERNS. GENUS HYDROPROGNE. 



Hydro progne^ Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 91 (1829). 



Type, H. caspia (Pall.). 



This genus is represented by a single species, of nearly 

 cosmopolitan range. It is distinguished by its large size and 

 blood-red bill. The outer tail-feathers are pointed, and exceed 



