IN THE GULF OF OMAN. 299 



what appeared to be nest holes were scratched in every direc- 

 tion. These, however, may only have been dusting holes such 

 as hens scratch, for I noticed the birds dusting their feathers as 

 they sat and grovelled in the holes. 



Several groups of the large Sea Tern had just commenced to 

 lay, and I succeeded in taking 93 eggs, all perfectly fresh. The 

 birds make no nest, neither do they even scratch a nest hole. 

 The eggs ( at that time only one in each nest, or rather to each 

 pair of birds, for as I have said before there is no nest) are 

 laid on the bare ground in the most open and exposed parts of 

 the island about one foot apart, and wheu sitting the birds seem 

 packed together as close as possible, without perhaps actually 

 touching each other. There is no difficulty in discovering the 

 eggs, as the birds, often as many as two hundred or more in a 

 group, sit close with quantities of stragglers, probably the cock 

 birds, flying backwards and forwards a few yards above them, 

 the whole keeping up a tremendous clamouring, and when ap- 

 proached they rise reluctantly off their eggs screaming and 

 chattering loudly. I did not see the first group rise myself, and 

 as there were hundreds of Gulls ( L. hemprichii) mixed with 

 them, when I approached the eggs, I thought it best to sit down 

 a few yards off, and watch the birds return to their eggs. No 

 sooner had I done so, then both species began to descend 

 in dozens on to the spot where the eggs (about 30) were lying. 

 In a moment a general fight commenced, and it was at once 

 evident that the eggs belonged to Sterna bergii, and that the 

 Gulls were carrying them off, and swallowing their contents as 

 fast as they could devour them. So up I jumped and ran forward 

 yelling like mad, and on reaching the spot found that even in that 

 short time the Gulls had destroyed upwards of a dozen. I took 

 the remainder and proceeded in the direction of two more groups, 

 which raised the number to 46. Other groups were collected on 

 the island, but they had not yet laid, although they were sitting 

 closely packed on their selected breeding grounds. Having 

 now walked all over the island I returned to the Amberwitch 

 for breakfast, after which I blew eggs till 3 p.m., and then 

 returned to the island to see if any more birds had laid. I re- 

 visited the spots where I had taken eggs in the morning, but 

 found no more eggs, although the birds were all sitting on the 

 same ground in groups as closely packed as they were in the 

 morning before their nests were robbed. I was beginning to 

 despair of getting any more eggs, when my attention was attract- 

 ed by a large group of birds which I had somehow missed in the 

 morning. On approaching them, they rose as usual with a tre- 

 mendous clamour, leaving 47 more beautiful fresh eggs for me to 

 add to my collection. This swelled the number to 93, which is 



