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wings. Their cries were indeed deafening, yet not more 

 than half of them took wing on our arrival. We ran across 

 the naked beach, and as we entered the thick cover before 

 us, and spread in different directions, we might at every 

 step have caught a sitting bird, or one scrambling through 

 the bushes to escape from us. 



" ' The Sooty Tern never forms a nest of any sort, but 

 deposits its three eggs in a slight cavity which it scoops in 

 the sand under the trees. Several individuals which had not 

 commenced laying their eggs, I saw scratch the sand with 

 their feet, in the manner of the common fowl while search- 

 ing for food. In the course of this operation, they fre- 

 quently seated themselves in the shallow basin, to try how 

 it fitted their form, or find out what was still wanted to 

 ensure their comfort. The eggs measure two inches in 

 length, by one inch and a half in breadth, have a smooth 

 shell, the ground-colour a pale cream, sparingly marked 

 with various tints of lightish umber and lighter marks of 

 purple. Now and then a male bird would come and settle 

 close by the nest, immediately disgorging a small fish within 

 the reach of the female. After some reciprocal nods of their 

 heads, which were doubtless intended as marks of affection, 

 the caterer would fly off. However numerous, not the least 



