

Monthly 



)c. per Year. ^^ 



Vol. VI, 



ALBION, NY., JAN., 1889. 



No. 1 



Breeding Habits of The Bridled Tern. 



( SieriKi (1 1} out//' til L ) 



Bj' C. J. ^[A-i'N.\RD. 



Jnst to iLe eastward of Andios Islauil, 

 one of the Bahamas, on the ex heme outer 

 edge of the reef, lie the Grassy Keys. 

 These are three small Islands, the largest 

 of which cannot be above a half mile in 

 leugtli by only a few hundred yards across. 



Soiith of these islets lie a large chain of 

 kej's known as the Washerwomen. There 

 are something like sixty of these islets in all, 

 including the smallest sizes, for they vary 

 in area from the smallest point of jagged 

 rock, wave-vvashed during winter storms, 

 and in summer affording a scairty breeding- 

 ground for small colonies of Least Terns, to 

 high rocky keys, embracing ten fir twelve 

 acres. 



As remarked, these keys rise from one 

 reef which borders Andros; and consequent- 

 ly they lie directly on the margin of that 

 remarkable estuary of deep water that nearly 

 divides the great Bahama Banks in twain, 

 which is known as (he Tongue of Ocean. 



This group of islands stretches from the 

 Grassy Keys southward for some thirty or 

 forty miles, thus extending far beyond the 

 soulheru extremity 0)f .indros; eonsecpiently 

 the lower islets are in a very exposed situ- 

 ation, and as the tide sets dhoctly across 

 them from east to west, and rice xerna dur- 

 ing ebb and How, causing a heavj' sea, even 

 during comparitively calm weather, they are 

 con.=idere{l quite dangerous, and, with the 

 exception of a few spongers who occasionally 

 land on them, are seldom visited bv man. 



We passed the night of May 5 1884, in 

 lying at anchor in our little vessel under 

 ()ue of the Grassy Keys; Imt early the ne.xt 

 morning found us beating down the long 

 stretch of Was herwomen Keys. In tackin<' 



■ ; 1,' ^ 



we came close to several of the larger islets; 

 near enough to see the Sooty and Noddy 

 Terns sitting on their nests, but refrained 

 from lauding, as we were desiious of reach- 

 ing the sout! most of the line. At last the 

 man at the masthead reported that there 

 was no land hx sight beyond the key which 

 we then had under our lee; and satisfying 

 myself, by ascending the ratlines, that there 

 was nothing in the shape of land between 

 us and Cuba, which would not then have 

 been but tifty miles a^^■ay, I ordered the 

 skij>per to haul in for the last Washerwom - 

 en Key, and in a few minutes we were 

 lying in a little harbor under the high rocky 

 cliffs. 



In a moment our faithful crew had the 

 boat over the side, and propelled by stout 

 arms, we soon landed on the surf-beaten 

 rocks. As I stepped ashore a cloud of birds, 

 consisting of Frigate Bh-ds, Sandwich. 

 Ivoyal, Sooty, Noddy and Bridled Terns, 

 rose with deafening clamor from the naked 

 top of the rocky kej'. 



A hasty survey of the place soon con 

 vinced me that the numeroiis birds were not 

 as yet breeding, when my attention was 

 attracted by my dog, who always accompan- 

 ied me. She was pointing at a cavity 

 beneath a huge rocky slab. As I approached, 

 a Bridled Tern scrambled out, dashed past 

 the dog, and with a scream, rose into the 

 air only to fall dead on the rocks, for, sus- 

 pecting that she was breeding, I shot her, 



