206 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



every Indian river is plentifully studded with islets 

 which render its navigation difficult, but afford most 

 convenient nesting sites for many species of birds. 

 The sandy islets whereon eggs are laid are nearly 

 always those of which some portion is sufficiently 

 high to escape being flooded when the river rises in 

 consequence of the melting of the snow on the higher 

 peaks of the Himalayas. The selected islands are 

 almost invariably sufficiently far from the river bank 

 to prevent jackals and other predaceous creatures 

 wading across to them. If terns or plovers fail to 

 take such precautions, the chances are that their 

 eggs will come to grief. 



This year (1912), on the I5th April, I went out 

 on the Gogra at Fyzabad, and found over thirty nests 

 of swallow-plovers on one islet, on which I also saw 

 two eggs of the black-bellied tern (Sterna melanogaster) . 



Immediately I set foot on the island the terns and 

 small pratincoles commenced making an uproar, 

 which, of course, amounted to an assurance that 

 they had eggs on the island. One portion of it was 

 well sprinkled with stunted vegetation, and thither 

 I at once repaired, to the great disgust of the swallow- 

 plovers, who flew about excitedly, uttering their lap- 

 wing-like cry Uteri, titeri. A search of less than 

 a minute served to reveal a couple of eggs placed on 

 the bare ground between two small plants that were 

 growing out of the sand. As I stooped down to 

 examine these eggs I looked round and saw a very 

 curious and pretty sight. Swallow-plovers were 

 surrounding me. They were nearly all on the ground 



