188 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



they seemed to be in pursuit of — which was found in the 

 stomach of those shot — consisted of small lizards and centi- 

 pedes ; one specimen having two lizards, each about three 

 inches long, and three very large centipedes, of about the same 

 length, in its stomach. These birds make their nests — which 

 consist of a few bits of dry grass, or stems of cane grass — on a 

 small piece of ground surrounded by water, and generally close 

 to each other; as many as lo or 12 nests being found on one 

 small patch of about six feet in diameter. The eggs are 

 generally three or four in number." 



609. Gygis CANDIDA — (White Tern). Locality — North Aus- 

 tralia, Queensland, New South Wales, and New Guinea. Egg 

 — Beautiful, and remarkable in shape, being a stout oval, with 

 both ends exactly alike; texture of shell fine. Colour, in 

 different examples, varies from a light grey to a yellowish stoney 

 colour. Markings are in umber, and in the form of irregular- 

 sized smudges or hair-like streaks, or both. In some specimens 

 the heavier smudges and streaks are inclined to congregate 

 about the upper quarter. Clouds of light ink colour also 

 appear underlying the shell's surface. One singularly beautiful 

 specimen is almost completely clouded with purplish grey, and 

 interlaced with streaks of umber, after the fashion of the 

 Bower-Bird fChlamydode7-a). 



Measurement of three eggs is exactly i inch 9 lines each in 

 length, by a breadth varying from i inch 3^ to 3f lines. 



The White Tern breeds on Norfolk Island in November, in 

 trees at a height of about 20 to 60 feet, and principally in 

 valleys. There is no nest. A single egg is merely deposited 

 on the bare bark, not even in a fork, as a rule. The birds do 

 not breed in colonies, but one or two on adjacent trees, or even 

 one alone in a valley. Gould also mentions the single egg 

 being deposited on horizontal branches of trees. 



This paper, although describing new and highly-interesting 

 species of eggs, is also marked with much indebtedness to 

 others. One, whatever his attainments may be, cannot work 

 out the forms of any great continent without sympathetic 

 assistance, and cannot knowingly afford, for his very work's sake, 

 to ignore that previously performed by others, however trifling, 

 but all of which, when collated, aids to build up a great heap of 

 scientific and instructive knowledge — the object we should all 

 have in view. 



And now I have to thank the Rev. F. ]\I. Nobbs for eggs 

 and data of this rare and lovely snow-white Tern gathered on 

 his far-off salubrious island. Mr. Nobbs is well qualified to 

 give a description of the breeding habits of the Tern (as well as 

 other sea birds), being acquainted with it not only at Norfolk, 

 but on that historic island — Pitcairn, his birthplace. 



