184 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS: ZOOLOGY. 



qui, a raison de 3 nids par yard et de 5 oeufs par nid (chiffres sans doute 

 au-dessous de la verite, puisque, dit M. Durnford, on ne pouvait gu^re 

 faire un pas sans ecraser des ceufs), donnait un total de 67,500 nids, 

 135,000 oiseaux et 102,500 oeufs!" (Apparently a printer's mistake 

 makes the total number of eggs in the colony 102,^00 when it should be 

 337 600.) 



Dr. Cunningham in his notes on the Natural History of the Strait of 

 Magellan and West Coast of Patagonia, page 74 (1871) writes: "It was 

 now nearly low tide, and a large Spit, from which the name Punta Arenas 

 is derived, was consequently uncovered, and at its outer extremity a flock 

 of Terns [Sterim cassiui) with black-crowned heads and pale ash-colored 

 and white bodies, were busily engaged in feeding where a bed of small 

 mussels [Mytilits CJiileiisis) extended. The birds allowed me to approach 

 them rather near, and then rose in a body into the air, flying about in 

 a cloud over my head, and uttering a torrent of sharp angry cries, indig- 

 nant at the stranger who had ventured to disturb them at their meal." 

 S. cassiui of Dr. Cunningham is known to be the species under con- 

 sideration. 



"I saw a Tern off the coast of the Banda Oriental on the afternoon of 

 ist October which was, I am pretty sure, of this species. On the loth 

 June, when off" the coast, I observed a small flock of the same. This was 

 in the forenoon; at noon we were 113 knots distant from Montevideo." 

 (O. V. Alpin, on birds Uruguay, Ibis, p. 210, 1894.) 



" This Tern was abundant in the Straits of Magellan, especially off 

 Dungeness Point, at the eastern extremity, where I saw hundreds as we 

 steamed past. I shot two adult examples from the beach near Punta 

 Arenas, where I found a fair number of individuals. I brought them 

 within shot by knocking two large flints together — a very good way to 

 attract Terns." (M. J. Nicoll, Orn. Jour. Voy. round World, Ibis, Jan. 

 1904, p. 43.) 



" On Jan. 29th we went through the first narrows and passed Elizabeth 

 Island, and then went. through the second narrows, where we passed hun- 

 dreds of Terns [Sterna /lirundinacea), Penguins, Albatrosses [Diomedea 

 melanophrys), and Diving Petrels. There was one Giant Petrel. On the 

 shore we could see many Huanacos walking about. In the afternoon we 

 arrived at Punta Arenas, the only town in the Straits. Here I found that 

 shooting birds was forbidden ; however, I managed to get permission 



