298 LAELDJE. 



the Gulls had destroyed upwards o a dozen. I took the remainder 

 and proceeded in the direction of two more groups, which raised 

 the number to 46. Other groups were collected on the island, but 

 they had not yet laid, although they were sitting closely packed on 

 their selected breeding-grounds. Having now walked all over the 

 island I returned to the ' Ambenvitch ' for breakfast, after which I 

 blew eggs till 3 P.M., and then returned to the island to see if any 

 more birds had laid. I revisited the spots where I had taken 

 eggs in the morning, but found no more eggs, although the birds 

 were all sitting on the same ground in groups as closely packed as 

 they were in the morning before their nests were robbed. I was 

 beginning to despair of getting any more eggs, when my attention 

 was attracted by a large group of birds which I had somehow 

 missed in the morning. On approaching them, they rose as usual 

 with a tremendous clamour, leaving 47 more beautifully fresh eggs 

 for me to add to my collection. This swelled the number to 93, 

 which is all I got. It seems evident that this species lays in groups 

 to protect its eggs from the ravages of Gulls and other birds. 



" I received another batch of eggs from the same place on the 19th 

 June, numbering about 500. The man who took them said that 

 they were laid in groups as described above, and usually three in 

 each nest, never more. The eggs vary so much in coloration and 

 marking that I shall not attempt to describe them, but will leave 

 that difficult task to Mr. Hume. 



" I may mention, however, that of the 600 eggs now before me 

 scarcely two are alike, and some beautiful specimens have the 

 ground-colour a sort of rich salmon-fawn, with markings exactly like 

 Arabic characters. In fact, so like that some natives on board the 

 ' Amberwitch,' when they saw the eggs, said that they were 

 covered with Arabic writing, and when we told them that these 

 birds always wrote their names on their eggs in Arabic with their 

 bills, so as to know their own nests when they returned from feed- 

 ing, they believed us. It is necessary to be very careful in blow- 

 ing the eggs of this species, as the colours run and wash out if 

 they are wetted in the slightest degree." 



Colonel Butler adds : " Writing to me from Ormarra on the 

 10th June this year (1878), Mr. Xash mentions that some fisher- 

 men have just arrived from Astolah with about 7000 fresh eggs of 

 the Large Sea-Tern, and that they are offering them for sale as 

 food at the rate of 60 for a rupee." 



Captain E. R. Shopland, I.M., found a considerable colony of 

 these Terns breeding on Oyster Island, near Akyab, in May. The 

 nests were placed, or rather the eggs deposited, at intervals of 

 about one foot, and in no instance were more than two eggs to- 

 gether. The sitting birds evinced great anxiety at Captain Shop- 

 land's approach, but were evidently very loth to leave their eggs; 

 they shuffled about and screeched, but they would not move. The 

 reason for this extraordinary conduct was soon apparent; the 

 island was covered with hermit-crabs, all ready, when opportunity 

 offered, to seize the eggs. Captain Shopland observed that the 



