THE EGG BIRDS 



195 



the terrestrial nesting habit have therefore been more suc- 

 cessful in perpetuating their kind. 



While the extreme tameness of the Noddies is no doubt 

 in part due to their comparative isolation and would proba- 

 bly disappear with increasing contact with man, it is appar- 

 ently to be attributed more to temperament than to environ- 



Sooty Tern on Nest 



ment. The Sooty Tern was much shyer than the Noddy, 

 while the Bridled Tern was nearly if not quite as wild as our 

 Common Tern though all three species, so far as man is 

 concerned, are subjected to exactly the same conditions. 



The Sooty Terns were more numerous than the Noddies. 

 They invariably laid on the ground, generally under the 

 bushes, making no attempt at nest-building other than a 

 slight hollow in the earth when circumstances permitted. 

 The Sooties were more common at the northern, Noddies at 

 the southern end of the key, where, however, both species 

 nested under the bushes more or less closely associated. 



