﻿Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  177 
  

  

  pair 
  at 
  Seera 
  on 
  the 
  28th 
  May, 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  occasions 
  

   since. 
  

  

  118. 
  Sterna 
  minuta, 
  Linn, 
  

  

  The 
  Little 
  Tern 
  is 
  not 
  common 
  ; 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  in 
  June 
  

   both 
  on 
  the 
  Malla 
  Beach 
  and 
  near 
  Seera 
  Island. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  

   succeed 
  in 
  shooting 
  one 
  on 
  either 
  occasion, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  

   possibly 
  be 
  Sterna 
  saundersi, 
  that 
  is 
  so 
  common 
  and 
  breeds 
  

   so 
  freely 
  at 
  Kurrachee. 
  Personally 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  

   the 
  differences 
  between 
  Sfernae 
  minuta, 
  sinensis, 
  saundersi, 
  and 
  

   gouldice 
  are 
  so 
  slight 
  as 
  hardly 
  to 
  merit 
  specific 
  distinction. 
  

  

  119. 
  Sterna 
  bergi, 
  Licht. 
  

  

  The 
  Large 
  Sea-Tern 
  is 
  very 
  common, 
  and 
  breeds 
  on 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  islands 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Bartlett 
  procured 
  a 
  lot 
  from 
  an 
  island 
  near 
  the 
  

   French 
  settlement 
  of 
  Obok, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  gave 
  me 
  ; 
  and 
  

   I 
  obtained 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  from 
  an 
  island 
  near 
  the 
  Somali 
  

   coast 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  August. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  indescribably 
  beautiful. 
  They 
  are 
  broadly 
  oval 
  

   in 
  shape, 
  very 
  much 
  pointed 
  towards 
  one 
  end, 
  but 
  variations 
  

   from 
  the 
  type 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  ; 
  they 
  have 
  no 
  gloss, 
  but 
  

   the 
  texture 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  is 
  firm 
  and 
  compact. 
  The 
  ground- 
  

   colour 
  varies 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  — 
  white, 
  greenish 
  and 
  pinkish 
  white, 
  

   pale 
  yellowish, 
  pale 
  buff, 
  pinkish 
  stone-colour, 
  and 
  warm 
  

   salmon-pink 
  all 
  occur. 
  

  

  The 
  markings 
  are 
  also 
  very 
  variable, 
  consisting 
  of 
  specks, 
  

   spots, 
  streaks, 
  blotches, 
  and 
  jagged 
  lines 
  of 
  a 
  deep 
  burnt- 
  

   sienna 
  brown, 
  in 
  some 
  eggs 
  almost 
  black 
  ; 
  the 
  secondary 
  

   markings 
  are 
  the 
  usual 
  pale 
  washed-out 
  underlying 
  clouds 
  

   and 
  blotches 
  of 
  lilac 
  and 
  faint 
  inky 
  purple. 
  

  

  The 
  full 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  a 
  clutch 
  is 
  three, 
  but 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  two 
  fully 
  incubated 
  eggs 
  will 
  be 
  found. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  

   nest, 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  placed 
  in 
  depressions 
  scraped 
  in 
  the 
  

   sand. 
  They 
  vary 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  in 
  size, 
  but 
  not 
  more 
  so 
  than 
  

   those 
  of 
  most 
  large 
  Terns 
  do. 
  The 
  average 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  was 
  2*45 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  about 
  1'7 
  in 
  breadth. 
  

  

  These 
  Terns 
  fly 
  with 
  their 
  beaks 
  pointing 
  straight 
  down, 
  and 
  

   follow 
  shoals 
  of 
  small 
  fish, 
  hovering 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  just 
  above 
  

  

  