BIRD ROOKERIES OF TORTUGAS BARTSCH. 487 



Speaking of the sunning liabits of the noddy, Watson states : 



Although the reaction is at bottom gregarious * * * ^-j^g birds are stol- 

 idly indifferent to one another's presence. They sit silent, head to the wind, 

 elaborately preening their feathers, pecking first at one toe, then at another. 

 Occasionally when another noddy joins the group a mutual nodding is engaged 

 in which at times for no observable reason ends in a fight. The birds here as 

 elsewhere are silent. It is interesting to note that a definite distance is 

 maintained between birds engaged in this activity. The distance is determined, 

 I believe, by the long diameter of the body of the bird — they must have a free 

 space in which to turn. I have seen 10 to 12 birds upon the comb of the roof 

 of the house separated from one another by distances so regular that the un- 

 aided eye can with difficulty distinguish inequalities in the spacing. 



At night the two birds usually remain in branches near the nest, but if 

 disturbed, both fly away for a short distance and circle back almost immedi- 

 ately to the nest. In flying at night both the noddy and the sooty break their 

 graceful flight into short, ungraceful, and ill-directed choppy swoops, very 

 similar to the way the nighthawk breaks its flight when flying after dusk. 



THE LEAST TERN (Stcntula uniiUarnm antilJarum). 



The call for bird plumage with which to decorate feminine hats 

 bade well to exterminate this most diminutive of our terns. Thanks 

 to the good work of the Audubon Society, enough were saved to 

 leave a remnant for restocking. A small colony formerly bred on 

 the southern end of Loggerhead Key, but the persistent efforts of 

 eggers have banished the species from that island. Last year (1916), 

 however, a single pair reestablished itself here and our plate 22 repre- 

 sents these individuals. 



The southern sandy end of Long Key boasts of a colony of about 

 200 pairs. 



The nest of the least tern is a mere hollow scraped in the sand in 

 which the two, sometimes three, or very rarely four eggs are placed. 

 Not gi bit of lining is used, nor is there a rim of shells or shell frag- 

 ments placed aliout the edge of the nest, as is done by some of the 

 other terns. The nests are always scattered, never crowded. The 

 eggs harmonize extremely w^ell with the coloration of the sand and 

 are very difficult to see, even at a distance of 6 feet. It is their 

 shadow that usually relieves them from the sand, and aids in 

 revealing their presence if you walk on the shady side. The young 

 birds are equally well protected by their mottled coloration, and the 

 tiny chaps seem well aware of this, for they will press themselves 

 flatly against the gravel or shelly beach and remain perfectly motion- 

 less as long as danger threatens. At such times they are extremely 

 difficult to see, and it is usually the dark eye, though partly closed, 

 that offers the greatest contrast and gives the clue to the whereabouts 

 of the little fellows. It is remarkable how this harmonious coloration 

 effectively appears to eliminate an entire colony from the scene, save 

 the flying, piping, and screeching parents. One may, for example. 



