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Monthly. '\jff^ ^Oc. per Year. ^^^ 



Vol.VI, 



ALBION, N. Y., JAN., 1889. 



No. 1 



Breeding- Habits of The Bridled Tern. 



(Sterna <iiuiiitliit't<(. ) 



By C. J. .Maynakd. 



Just to the eastward of Aiidros Islautl, 

 one of the Bahamas, on the extreme outer 

 edge of the reef, lie the Grassy Keys. 

 These are three small Islands, the largest 

 of which cannot be above a half mile in 

 length by only a few hundred yards across. 

 South of these islets lie a large chain of 

 keys known as the Washerwomen. There 

 are something like sixty of these islets in all, 

 including the smallest sizes, for they vary 

 in area from the smallest point of jagged 

 rock, wave-vvashed during winter storms, 

 and in summer affordiug a scanty breeding 

 ground for small colonies of Least Terns, to 

 high rocky keys, embracing ten or twelve 

 acnes. 



As remarked, these keys rise from one 

 reef which borders Andi-os; and consofnient- 

 ly they lie directly on the margin of that 

 remarkable estuary of deep water that nearly 



. divides the grifftt Bahama Banks in twain, 

 which is known as the Tongue of Ocean. 

 This gi'oup of islamls stretches from the 



' (rrassy Keys southward for sfuue thirty or 

 forty miles, thus extending fai' beyond the 

 southern extremity @f Andros; conse<(itently 

 the lower islets are in a very exposed situ- 

 ation, and as the tide sets directly across 

 . I ; hem from east to west, and rice vernd diir- 

 iifiug ebb and flow, causing a heavy sea, even 



< luring comparitively calm weather, they are 



. considered quite dangerous, and, with the 

 excopti<iu of a few spongers who occasionally 



I '.ami on them, are seldom visited bv man. 



We passed the night of May 5 1884. in 

 lying at anchor in our little vessel under 

 one of the (irassy Keys; but early the ne.xt 

 morning found us beating down the long 

 stretch of Was herwomen Keys. In tacking 

 we came close to several of the larger islets: 

 near enough to see the Sooty and Noddy 

 Terns sitting on their nests, but refrained 

 from landing, as we were desirous of reach- 

 ing the soutl most of the line. At last the 

 man at the masthead reported that there 

 was no land ki sight beyond the key which 

 we then had under our lee ; and satisfying 

 myself, by ascending the ratlines, that there 

 was nothing in the shape of laud between 

 us and Cuba, which would not then have 

 been but tifty miles away, I ordered the 

 skij)per to haul in for the last Washerwom- 

 en Key, and in a few minutes we were 

 lying in a little harlwr under the high rocky 

 cliffs. 



In a moment our faithful crew had the 

 boat over the side, and propelled by stout 

 arms, we soon landed on the surf beaten 

 rocks. As 1 stepped ashore a cloud of birds, 

 consisting of Frigate Birds, Sandwich, 

 Koyal, Sooty, Noddy and Bridled Terns, 

 rose with deafening clamor from the naked 

 top of the rocky kej-. 



.V hasty survey of the place s:)ou con 

 viuced me that the numerous birds were not 

 as yet breeding, when my attention was 

 attracted by my dog, who always accompan- 

 ied me. She was pointing at a cavity 

 beneath a huge rocky .slab. .\s I ajjproached, 

 a. Bridled Tern scrambled out, dashed past 

 the dog, and with a scream, rose into the 

 air only to fall dead on the rocks, for, sus- 

 pecting that she was breeding, I shot her. 



