BIRDS OF INDIANA. 577 



County, August 26, 1894. He also reports it as breeding at the St. 

 Clair Flats, Mich. Mr. J. Grafton Parker notes it on Lake Michigan in 

 April, August, September, and the early part of October. He reports 

 one specimen taken at Miller's, Ind., August 13, 1896. He says that 

 while a few Forster's Terns can be found during August at Miller's, 

 in company with Wilson's, the bulk does not arrive until in September, 

 after the Common Terns have gone south. Then enormous flocks 

 can be seen flying south at Colehour, 111., and Millers, Ind. It goes 

 north to breed, but is the most common tern on Lake Michigan dur- 

 ing the fall. Mr. E. W. Nelson, in Birds of Northeastern Illinois, 

 notes its breeding there in small, reedy lakes. The young were able 

 to fly about the middle of July. He gives the following account of 

 its breeding: "Although I have been aware that 8. forsteri nested in 

 this vicinity for several years, it was not until the middle of June, 

 1876, that I had the pleasure of examining one of their nests. While 

 we were collecting eggs among one of the wild rice patches, on Grass 

 Lake, June 14, Mr. Douglass observed a pair of these terns hovering 

 near a small patch of Saggitaria leaves growing in several feet of 

 water, and rowing to the spot found the nest, which was a loosely 

 built structure of coarse pieces of reeds resting upon a mass of floating 

 plants, and concealed from view by the surrounding leaves. Upon 

 the side of the nest was a single young bird, about to scramble into 

 the water, but upon seeing Mr. Douglass, it crouched to avoid being 

 observed, and was captured. A thorough search at the time failed to 

 reveal any other young ones, so the adults, which had been darting 

 and screaming about his head, were secured, with a second pair, which 

 had espoused the cause of their companions. Their anxiety we after- 

 wards found to be the proximity of an unfinished nest, similarly situ- 

 ated. That evening we found and secured two more young upon the 

 nest found in the morning. The next morning fortune favored me, 

 and, while passing between several floating masses of decaying vege- 

 table matter, I observed four small heaps of wild rice stalks resting 

 upon one of these masses, and, on a nearer view, to my delight, they 

 proved to be the desired nests, containing eggs. The nests were situ- 

 ated in a line, and the two outer ones were not over twenty-five feet 

 apart. The only materials used were pieces of wild rice stems, which 

 were obviously brought from some distance, as the nearest patch of 

 rice was several rods distant. The nests were quite bulky, the bases 

 being two feet or more in diameter. The greatest depth was about 

 eight inches, and the depression in the center so deep that, while sit- 

 ting in the boat a rod away, the eggs were not visible. Two of the 

 nests contained three eggs, and two contained two eggs, each. The 

 37 GEOI, 



