43 A Bird Colony in the Gulf of Mexico. [Ibis, 



distance from us, appearing as a low glittering streak of 

 white sand on the horizon. The coral shelf extended for 

 nearly a mile from the reef at this point, and the shallow 

 waters teemed with gaudily coloured fish, which doubtless 

 formed a plentiful food-supply for the Terns. As we 

 approached Pajaros Island, we perceived it to be a low 

 sand-bank covered to some extent with creeping vegetation. 

 Thousands of Terns arose from it as our keel grated on the 

 beach, and the air was filled with a chorus of defiant screams 

 of alarm. Wading ashore we proceeded to explore the 

 island. 



Above the high - water line the ground was literally 

 carpeted with the beautifully marked eggs of the Sooty 

 Tern [Sterna fuliyinosa). Many of the birds, instead of 

 taking wing at our approach, sat on their eggs in an 

 attitude of defiance, and, with wings outspread and beaks 

 open, screeched angrily at us. So fearless were they that 

 some of them allowed us to take them up in our hands. 



Among the hundreds of sitting birds I noticed a small 

 colony of some fifty Terns which I saw to be of another 

 species, their backs being white in contrast to those of the 

 Sooty Terns, -which are black. I made my way towards 

 them, hoping to secure a specimen. This, however, was 

 not so easy as I had anticipated, the birds being quite wild. 

 At last I brought one down, which proved to be an example 

 of Cabot's Tern [Stei'ua sandvicensis aciiflavida). The 

 Cabot's Terns were all nesting in company, and their eggs 

 ■were placed close together on a bare patch of sand in the 

 middle of the great Sooty Tern colony. 



We made our way to the other end of the island, en- 

 deavouring to damage as few eggs as possible as we walked 

 along — it was impossible not to break some, so thickly were 

 they strewn on the ground. Several Blue-faced Boobies 

 (^Sula cyanops) flew off at our approach, and amongst the 

 herbage we found two great downy youngsters which 

 snapped viciously at the butt of my gun with their heavy 

 beaks. 



Near this place we came on four nests of the Laughing 



